The Willow Project: environment loses again? – Isabel T
On March 13th, US president Joe Biden, passed the disputed ‘Willow Project’ in Alaska, and if pursued, would release 227 million tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Biden gave the green light to drilling and consequently the destruction on Alaska’s natural habitats for petroleum oil drilling, claiming that it will ‘lessen the country’s reliance on foreign oil’. If carried out, it is estimated that 600 million barrels of oil will be extracted from the state, starkly contradicting global plans for a sustainable future. During his 2020 electoral campaign, he even ‘vowed to end new oil and gas drilling on public lands and water’, but now claiming that the project will create jobs and boost domestic oil production. However, the environment will result in destroyed food chains, wildlife (polar and brown bears) and entire ecosystems.
The largest effect will be on a global scale, with this much predicted CO2 emissions, this will undoubtedly accelerate the current rate of global warming, possibly even being irreversible. Instead, this effect will have the biggest impact to those with no affiliation to the project – low lying islands and less developed nations. This choice will also have a significant impact for the generations to come, leading to an unsustainable future for the generations to come. Despite the planned progress, numerous petitions, climate activists and native Alaskans have publicly criticised the project, with one petition on change.org reaching 1.3 million signatures to stop the 30-year planned project proposed by ConocoPhillips Alaska.
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