[Alaskan Polar Bears. Photo credit to Pixabay]

On March 13th, 2023, US President Joe Biden approved the Willow Project, which is a threat to mankind both economically and financially.

The project is estimated to release 9.2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year, carbon dioxide being the largest contributor to global heating and the ongoing climate crisis. 

The Conocophilip’s Willow Project is a massive and decades long oil drilling venture on Alaska’s north slope in the National Petroleum Reserve, which is owned by the federal government. 

The project’s aim is to construct and operate up to five drill pads with a total of 250 oil wells. 

According to CNN, the project  fulfills Biden’s priorities on social and environmental justice because it facilitates the energy transition and strengthens U.S energy security, all while creating good jobs and providing benefits to Alaska’s native communities. 

On March 13th 2023, the Biden administration approved the Willow Project even when they had the power and the authority to stop it - they chose not to. 

Several organizations, such as the Earthjustice, filed lawsuits against the approval to stop the project from moving forward as it could potentially aggravate the life we live in and our environmental surroundings. 

Lawsuits filed against the  administration for failing to acknowledge the additional  impacts on climate change and the pollution caused by future development dependent upon the Willow project, hence failing to analyze and critically evaluate the climate impact this project will hold. 

President Biden’s approval of the Willow Project is a threat to both the environment and humanity. 

Those organizations clearly assessed the climate impact the project could affect and how it could cause catastrophic harm to our world. 

This project could cause habitat loss as well as the disruption of animal patterns and behaviors. 

Additionally, noise and light pollution and wildlife exposure to contaminants from oil spills and other toxic pollutants could be caused by the project. 

According to the Bureau of Land Management, this project is statistically likely to cause four-medium sized oil spills with an average spill size of 9,800 gallons.

As similar activities are implemented, the risks of deadly collisions between animals or on-road vehicles increase, putting humans and wildlife at risk of any injury, if not death. 

The Willow Project is just step one of ConocoPhillips’ plan to develop the Western Arctic and create a network of infrastructure that stretches far beyond the currently proposed project. 

ConocoPhillips’ vice president told investors that the company “identified up to 3 billion barrels of oil equivalent of nearby prospects and leads with similar characteristics that could leverage the Willow infrastructure.” 

Throughout the past decade, ConocoPhillips has developed a string of projects in Western Alaska. 

But this project only represents a fraction of what ConocoPhillips has planned for this region and the analysis done has yet to take into account the impacts of these projects. 

While an honest assessment may take more time to complete, the administration cannot approve what is known to be just a snippet of something bigger.

In conclusion, the Willow Project must be stopped as it is a threat to not only the economical factors but also the environment and our natural surroundings.