The Willow Project, created by the oil company ConocoPhillips, was approved by the Biden administration on March 13. The long-lasting oil drilling project, set to span 499 acres of the Alaskan Arctic, has drawn recent attention due to the spread of information about the inevitable dangers through social media.
Millions joined climate activists in signing petitions and protesting the possible release of 9.2 million tons of carbon pollution per year into the atmosphere. But to my, and many other climate activists’ dismay, the Willow Project was approved. Construction will begin whenever ConocoPhillips pleases. The pushback following the Biden administration’s approval comes with a good reason, too. The project is setting itself up to kill the already hurting Arctic.
The Willow Project is set to be the largest oil drilling camp on U.S. grounds. The corporation in charge of this catastrophic idea remains persistent with starting construction, even though the rising temperatures of Alaska are making the land increasingly difficult to use.
What petrol and oil companies once viewed as a desirable spot for drilling is no longer the haven they originally started using it for. The Arctic has already been deeply affected by pollution and global warming that causes its temperature to rise four times faster than the rest of the planet. Going forward with the Willow Project will cause irreversible injury to Alaskan ecosystems and likely be the catalyst for the endangerment of many organisms that call the Arctic their home. And yes, this wildlife harm does include the beloved polar bear.
Hurting any part of the Alaskan environment will damage all the organisms within. If a single species decreases in population, or worse, goes extinct, every other organism living there will be thrown off course and suffer a detrimental impact.
Alaska is home to over 21,000 unique organisms, making the land luscious with biodiversity and blooming with resources that both animals and humans of the area depend on. Polar bears, for example, are a keystone species, meaning if they were to go extinct, the ecological web would become a chaotic nightmare, and the animals further down the food chain will struggle to adapt to the sudden change of the missing predator.
Though some communities were grateful for the influx of jobs and economic boost that will come with the project, many other Alaskan natives believe that these benefits do not excuse the damage done to the Arctic. Nuiqsut natives of the area are supporters of the latter belief, and wrote in a letter to Secretary Deb Haaland, the first indigenous person to hold a cabinet chair, that there is “No dollar can replace what we risk…It is a matter of our survival.”
So many Alaskan groups still rely on the natural resources that are at risk of disappearing for their food, clothes, and other necessities. These natives have been here hundreds of years before American settlers, and we have already taken so much of their homes; their voices need to be heard when planning The Willow Project.
The Willow Project is an unjust and immoral act that our government approved with little worry, despite the waves of public outrage in response. The few benefits of oil drilling in the Arctic cannot cancel out the permanent destruction that will arise. It is ridiculous that the earth’s health is politicized in the first place.
It is our responsibility to protect and nurture the environment that has existed long before our species evolved. The fact that large corporations have managed to ruin the peace of billions of years on this planet in such few years is irresponsible and an awful excuse to gain profit. The safety of this vast environment cannot be thrown aside for economic gain.
Though we may not see the effects in our lifetime, the future harm of the Willow Project is inescapable. Activist groups like The Sierra Club have sued and are bringing the issue to federal courts. ConocoPhillips is a corporation with too much power and money over the oil industry already.
Even though the Willow Project is approved, efforts can still be made to fight it or counteract its effects. Environmentalists cannot give up, even if it’s as simple as recycling or following the Leave No Trace principles. For the conservation of the earth which we are so dependent on, we need to do our part in fighting these detrimental projects. After all, we have no spaceship waiting to take us to Mars when we destroy Earth.
Hello! I'm Abby Geers and this is my first year as a 42fifty reporter and I am a sophomore at OHS. I enjoy reading, my plants, spending time with my cats, and hanging out with friends. I'm really excited to write this year!
