In case you haven’t heard – the largest oil drilling project in decades was just approved in the US. The 3 new oil platforms in remote Alaska’s North Slope, known as The Willow Project, is projected to emit 278 million tonnes (306 million short tonnes) of greenhouse gasses over its 30-year life. The best part about this is who is to blame. Some blame ConocoPhillips, some blame Trump (who approved the initial federal permits), but most of all some, including me, blame President Biden, who campaigned on no more drilling on Federal lands. The Biden Administration had the final stamp of approval of the Project.                                   

This drilling proposal not only threatens the delicate ecosystem of the region but also contributes to the greenhouse gas emissions that are driving climate change. The extraction and burning of fossil fuels are major contributors to global carbon emissions, and the expansion of oil drilling in environmentally sensitive areas only exacerbates this problem.

Furthermore, the drilling proposal also poses a threat to the Indigenous communities who call the region home. The Native villages in the region have raised concerns about the impact of the drilling on their traditional way of life and their ability to continue hunting and fishing practices that they so desperately rely on.

The Willow Project has created quite the controversy on the internet. Personally, I found out about the Project through an organization I follow called POW (Protect Our Winters). POW is an organization of skiers and outdoor-enthusiasts that share the common goal in protecting the outdoors, the thing we all love and get to enjoy. POW helped to organize a petition (which I signed), that collected over 3.8 million signatures to urge the Biden Administration to stop the Willow Project (Change.org). Gen-Z in particular got a hold of this message on TikTok, and overnight the petition exploded. Millions of Gen-Z take heart in this message, because we are the generation that will have to deal with the consequences of reckless climate decisions like this.

So why would the Biden Administration approve this – something it knows would be so detrimental, and what they campaigned against?! The Biden Administration is saying this is the best option that was available. The original proposal of the Willow Project included 5 oil pad drilling sites, but the administration renegotiated the deal to be scaled back to 3 drilling sites. The drilling proposal also poses a threat to the Indigenous communities who call the region home. The Native villages in the region have raised concerns about the impact of the drilling on their traditional way of life and their ability to continue subsistence hunting and fishing practices. CNN reported that “The Biden administration felt its hands were tied with the project because Conoco has existing and valid leases in the area, two government sources told CNN. They determined that legally, courts wouldn’t have allowed them to fully reject or drastically reduce the project, the sources said.” I don’t care what they think would have happened. Ultimately instead of taking this to court and backing their initial promises in fighting, they gave in. The Administration also may point to many Alaskans that back the project – for the same reason, money. Alaskan Politicians and those further away from the North Slope are fighting for the project for the economic benefit it could bring Alaska. Another article on the project says “The state’s lawmakers say the project will create jobs, boost domestic energy production and lessen the country’s reliance on foreign oil. All three lawmakers in Alaska’s bipartisan congressional delegation met with President Joe Biden and his senior advisers on March 3, urging the president and his administration to approve the project. A coalition of Alaska Native groups on the North Slope also supports the project, saying it could be a much-needed new source of revenue for the region and fund services including education and health care.”

It is crucial that we prioritize environmental conservation and sustainability over short-term economic gain. While the proposed drilling may bring jobs and revenue to Alaska in the short term, it comes at a great cost to the environment, and creates a much larger long-term issue, not only for Alaska, but the rest of the planet. 

Now what, because it kind of seems like a doomsday timer just went off with this project and all hope is lost..? There are things we can still do to stop future climate catastrophes like this from being approved. Evergreen says there are few big steps in the US to go from here: end fossil fuel subsidies, and end the federal lands fossil fuel leasing program. Ultimately, it comes down to us. Vote! Elected officials that will fight for our climate and climate justice are one of our only hopes to legislate these solutions. Use your voice! In the US, we are lucky to have free speech and the right to protest. Our generation is furious with this action, let’s call out Biden for the hypocrisy of this action and going back on his campaign promise. Because ultimately, if we do not use our own voice to stand up, climate change will end our right to do so.