The Willow Project is a decades-long, several billion dollar project to drill oil and gas in Alaska that is planned to be located inside the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, which is a 93 million-hectare area on the state’s North Slope. The project was proposed by a company named ConocoPhillips, it was initially approved by the Trump administration, but in 2021, a federal judge reversed the decision, stating that the environmental analysis was flawed.The decision is now in the hands of the Biden administration, but if President Joe Biden approves the project, his public credibility will most likely take a big hit, having promised to fight climate change during his campaign to end federal oil and gas drilling and push towards renewable energy instead, however, due to oil prices continuing to rise because of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, the President has been facing more pressure to increase drilling.
Alaska’s state lawmakers say as the project will create jobs and boost domestic energy production, it will also be a new source of revenue for the region. The Willow Project could produce up to 180k barrels of oil per day.
All of this may be true but let’s not forget to ask an extremely important question, how will this project affect the planet? It is estimated that the Willow Project will add around 250 million metric tons of CO2 to the atmosphere in the next 30 years which means it will contribute to more GHG (Greenhouse Gas) emissions than any other project ever proposed on America’s lands. Naturally, It will have a detrimental effect on efforts to reach emission reduction targets and keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius.
The project has gained widespread political support in Alaska, there is a majority consensus in support of the Willow Project in the North Slope region, said the president of the group “Voice of the Arctic Inupiat”. Supporters have been calling the project “balanced” and say the communities will benefit from revenue generated by the project.
The City of Nuiqsut, with a community of around 525 people, is the closest community to the proposed project, it’s mayor, Rosemary Ahtuangaruak is a big opponent of the project,as she’s worried about the impact the Willow Project will have on the residents, but opposition isn’t universal.
Credits for the photo: HITC.com
Environmental and climate activists all around the world are outraged at this proposed project and rightfully so: It only takes the money it will bring into consideration and not the negative effects it will have on our planet.
It also doesn’t help that the people in charge of deciding if the project should be approved or not, probably won’t even live to witness the damage it will produce.
A Change.org petition opposing the Willow Project has gathered over 2.5 million signatures and #StopWillow is trending across multiple social media platforms.. (Sign the petition here: https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-willow-project-90614d72-92eb-414f-a9cd-c608cf247bbe)
Credits for the photo: commondreams.org
A final decision on the project will be made as soon as this month, and I hope they will make the right decision by denying it.
Nature is beautiful, our planet is amazing, why should we ruin it for money? Stop the Willow Project!
Silivestru “Sile” Andrei
13.03.2023