The Willow Project

The+Willow+Project

Harrison Wetzel, Staff Writer

When the 2020 election was in full swing, President Biden promised to pledge his presidency to curb the imminent climate crisis. In fact, his very first order as president was to rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement. His first month in office seemed dedicated to solving the issue that affects us all. But, on February 1st, 2023, it felt as if Biden had betrayed the Democratic party as a whole.

The Willow Project is a trillion dollar feat, to gather the surplus of oil in the Alaskan north. But, like always, with fracking (which is the process of injecting fluids into rock formations, which releases oil from those rock formations, but the process generates an unprecedented amount of CO2 sent up into the atmosphere) this would be an absolute catastrophe for the planet. Sure, this project would produce amounts of oil that could fulfill any tycoon’s wildest dreams. But, here’s the catch: this 30 year project would lower the price at the pump for Americans and prevent the United States from relying on foreign oil as much. But, this would release 287 million metric tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, it would set aflame the arctic, which in turn will destroy some of the most beautiful landscape on Earth, it would make climate change essentially irreversible, and once more is just a cash grab and another temporary solution.

We must all remember; Oil is scarce. We will run out at some point, although different sources vary on when that’s going to occur. The point of this project is for one goal, lower the price of gas. Doing this irreversible damage is at the end of the day pointless, simply because it’s only temporary. The change to electric vehicles and clean energy with solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, ect is in full swing around the world. Essentially, all of this required change to a clean Earth, is pointless. Now anyone must ask, why would I switch to clean energy? These are some of Earth’s most vulnerable species and homes at stake if this project goes through.

Although, hope is not lost. Biden and his administration still have not given the full green light for this to occur and 1.2 MILLION people have signed various petitions against Willow. Biden’s administration is currently trying to negotiate deals with environmentalist experts. So, the whole project that was laid out will probably not happen, it’s almost guaranteed to shrink down if it’s given the green light. This decision would tarnish Biden’s entire legacy and betray the youth and environmental companies that delivered Biden votes with their support of him. Biden surely must understand lower prices at the pump won’t get Republican votes, but this decision will lose the Democratic votes, too.

Protect our planet, sign the petitions, and say no to Willow. If not for yourself, then do it for the generations below us.