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Comment by lastofthemojito | Hacker News Reader

Interestingly, not all denizens of the Arctic (or near-Arctic) feel the same way. I (accidentally, by acquisition) found myself working for the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, a company owned by the Iñupiat people of the northernmost part of Alaska. They're the ones pushing to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and nearby areas. They're the ones who pulled out of the Alaska Federation of Natives when the AFN declared a climate emergency.

I ended up leaving the company, in no small part because I disagreed with their oil exploration policy, but it is interesting to see how some of the Alaska Natives, despite seeing their surroundings warming faster than the worldwide averages, despite (or maybe due to) infrastructure crumbling due to permafrost thawing, they're saying "yep, we need money, so we need to drill for more oil for the world to burn".

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See also: The Navajo Nation, which laments environmental destruction and climate change on its reservations, but is buying up mines in Wyoming to export coal to China.

Its not like being born native american makes you automatically forever eco-friendly living in sync with nature etc.

Draw of money is strong one, and its also very easy to fool oneself into wanting more to do something for community now and let long term issues be solved later/by next generation.

Or pure greed, politics, power etc. which is something all tribes and nations have in some way.

> seeing their surroundings warming faster than the worldwide averages, despite (or maybe due to) infrastructure crumbling due to permafrost thawing

put yourself into their shoes - all that happens to them because somebody is making huge money while they aren't getting anything, and they can't stop it from happening. Given that, it hard to blame them for wanting at least some of those money.

I've thought about a it a lot. I definitely see some sense to ASRC's stance. Last I heard they're providing an ~$8k/year dividend to each of their shareholders (every Iñupiat tribe member). That certainly does some good. They also give out scholarships and do other beneficial things.

There'd be less money for all of that if the oil work stopped. I understand that that's problematic.

On the other hand, I believe the government contracting side of ASRC's business has grown at a faster pace than the oil side. I'd sure prefer to see them make a stand and pivot into less damaging areas than oil exploration and extraction. But yeah, I do get why they do it.

"Would you feel any pity if one of those dots stopped moving forever? If I offered you £20,000 for every dot that stopped - would you really, old man, tell me to keep my money?"

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