2y ago

My Tiny Hometown in the Arctic Is Becoming a Hub for Disaster Capitalism

newrepublic.com

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Although Alaskan politicians are quick to tout the infrastructure boom’s economic benefits, the reality is more mixed. “The investment is going to where it always has gone in the Arctic’s economic history, which is to extractive sites,”
Residents are worried their home and native american lands will be exploited for resource extraction.
- Residents are worried their home and native american lands will be exploited for resource extraction.
  Extraction that enriches others while leaving the local population the burden of cleaning up the mess left behind.
  Just like has happened hundreds of times before all over the world (including in their area).
Why is the right side guy levitating?
- … the building spree has followed a centuries-old pattern of unequal development. “There’s still so much underinvestment in infrastructure that serves local purposes, whether that’s hospitals, schools, [and] especially higher education facilities in the North.”
  That sounds like a problem that the Alaska legislature could easily solve by passing a state law taxing certain kinds of new construction. Taxing “outsiders” is okay, right? Right? Or do Alaskans think that taxes are always bad?
This just sounds like nimbyism dressed up as anticapitalist sentiment. Of course climate change is driving new business opportunities and economic development. Of course we're going to continue expanding resource extraction. You want scooters and cell phones? You want electricity and plumbing? You don't want a factory or construction site in your backyard, sure, but that's not a criticism that's just a whine.
Every comment here so far proves that the "southern metaphor" is alive and well ... where people from urban areas think they know best what should happen in remote regions.
Maybe you all should spend a year living in Alaska to learn what it's like to have southerners tell you how you should live.
- I lived in North Pole, Alaska and watched as every business bordered up and the population decreased drastically.
  People want public services but refuse to pay for them through taxes. Now they drive an hour to get groceries, but in the winter they are Isolated with no access to food, water, emergency services. That small town thinking is what is destroying the small towns. They didn't even have internet services and that was 2010. It did have a Blockbuster video still but it closed.
- Lived here in Alaska all my life. Have traveled to many communities throughout the state. Our State government is a joke.
  I'm for mining and development so long as it's done in as responsible a way as possible. If it wasn't for Red Dog Mine the Nome region would be under the poverty line.
Imagine writing an article bemoaning a $250 million investment in your area solely because climate change exists as a general concept lol
- Nome people don't like outsiders. This is their nightmare.
  
  I mean, good. People who want to deny others the ability to move and live where they want, solely so they can "feel remote" are bad people.

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