The Willow Project Is Another Step Toward Destroying Our Planet

Last month, the Biden Administration approved the Willow project, an oil drilling venture that will serve as a catalyst to our ongoing environmental crisis. 

Better known as the Willow Master Development Plan, this proposition seeks to produce up to 590 million barrels of oil during a 30-year period in Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve. 

But at what cost?

Despite being proposed by the Trump administration in 2020, the project was only passed this year by President Joe Biden due to the large opposition it received from environmental activists and indigenous communities in the area. 

Since the approval of the project, an influx of more than a million rightfully angry and distraught letters have slammed the White House. In addition, more than six million people have signed a petition against the Willow project on Change.org.

Now underway, the Willow project will lead to the construction of a network of roads and pipelines, drilling pads, and processing facilities in the Arctic tundra. 

This process will not only disturb the delicate ecosystem of the region but also lead to the burning of an immense amount of fossil fuels.  

Any disruption to the project can also have severe consequences for the wildlife and the local communities that depend on it.

For a project of this magnitude, it’s impossible to not rule out the possibility of a lethal oil spill. Only thirteen years ago, the United States faced the worst oil spill in history after a rig operated by Deepwater Horizon exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. 

Considering that climate change is a controversial topic that continues to be the center of many political and scientific discussions, this project is the last thing we need. 

Even if the project provides economic benefits for the country and leads to a reduction in the soaring gas prices affecting everyone, the initiative’s positives shouldn’t justify the killing of our planet. 

It’s already been established that the extraction and burning of fossil fuels contribute greatly to greenhouse emissions—the primary cause of global warming. 

Continuing to pursue ventures centered around fossil fuels will only serve to accelerate the already prominent effects of climate change, which include rising sea levels, severe weather events and the loss of valuable biodiversity. 

If we allow this to continue, one day it will be too late to fix our planet. 

If politicians were able to set aside their avarice for money and value the protection of our planet, we would see a natural transition toward renewable sources of solar, wind, and nuclear energy. 

If we invest in green energy, we will severely decrease the effects of climate change and create a more sustainable future. 

However, this can’t be done if we continue to embrace our dependence on fossil fuels by enacting policies such as the Willow project. 

Once again, we have failed to emphasize our greatest priority—our planet’s well-being.