The Willow Project: What is it and why it will destroy our climate

An 8-billion-dollar oil project is looming over Alaska and has climate advocates all over the world worried about the effects it will have on global warming and climate change. The Willow Project was proposed by ConocoPhillips, Alaska’s largest oil company, and is a decade-long and extremely invasive oil project centered on Alaska’s North Slope.  

It has gained extensive support by state legislators who have stated that the project would create more jobs and a more efficient source of energy, but climate groups and young activists have largely resisted. Through petitions and #StopWillow, young people have taken to social media to raise awareness of the detriment of this new project.  

So, how exactly will the Willow Project effect the environment? Why is it such a big deal? Most importantly, it will “generate enough oil to release 9.2 million metric tons of planet-warming carbon pollution a year,” CNN said. Added up over its 30-year lifespan, it will produce approximately 278 million tons of greenhouse gasses.  

Basically, it has the potential to destroy our climate beyond repair. According to Open Access Government, the U.S Government would be able to produce “up to 180,000 barrels of oil a day, 1.5% of the total U.S oil production.” 

However, besides the carbon emissions that will warm our earth even further those who call Alaska home will be severely disrupted as well. “The noise, traffic, and pollution the project brings will disrupt ecosystems that Indigenous Alaskans have relied on for millennia,” stated Action Network. “The project threatens the already vulnerable caribou population – a vital resource many native communities rely on.” 

“A study cited in the draft Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed expansion found that carbon emissions from the project would cause $19.8 billion – and potentially more – in climate change-related damages,” said Defenders of Wildlife.  

After being approved by the Trump Administration in 2020 and then denied by courts in 2021, the decision has fallen onto President Joe Biden’s shoulders. Nevertheless, his taking it into consideration has many enraged since a large part of his campaign was based on ending new oil drillings and protecting other climate issues. This multi-billion-dollar project is without a doubt Biden’s biggest climate decision to date.  

Petition link on Change.org: https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-willow-project-90614d72-92eb-414f-a9cd-c608cf247bbe?source_location=search