PANCHARIYA: Biden's approval of Willow project sparks frustration, concern
Column: Moment of Truth
As of March 13, the Willow project has been approved by the Biden administration. This allows the company ConocoPhillips to begin oil drilling on Alaska’s northern slope. The project took months to garner approval due to online activism and petitions raising environmental awareness.
More than 1 million letters were mailed to the White House in protest, and a petition against the project reached more than 3 million signatures. Sadly these efforts were not able to change minds.
Recent news informs the public that the lack of current progress on the project itself means that the project's end condition of approximately 600 million barrels of oil would take years to reach. The progression of oil drilling in the Arctic will create devastating long-term effects on the planet as we know it.
The justifications for this project are not deemed morally correct due to its negative impact on the environment and air quality. Carbon pollution is reported to double within the next couple of years, which the Willow project would definitely contribute to. Initially, during his election campaign, President Joseph R. Biden Jr. assured the general population by promoting no drilling on federal land and the green transition. Now, though, he has completely gone back on his word.
The country's sustainable growth thus far now seems to be completely out of the picture as the green transition is coming to a harsh decline.
Slowly but surely, irreversible effects will become more apparent. It seems that even public outrage and protests are unable to give the people a voice in these matters. A project such as this one should consider the input from the general population as they have already spoken, protested and petitioned against the Willow project.
Resources, wildlife and ecosystems are all at risk due to the approval of this project. On a global scale, the European Union has made visible progress as they agreed to a phaseout of fossil fuels. Overall, there needs to be more progress in terms of pushing for the correction of negative human impacts on our planet.
As a community, we are unable to undo the damage that has already been done, but we are able to change what we continue to do. Endeavors such as the Willow project seek profit and gain rather than assisting the environment.
Rebecca Solnit from The Guardian labels the Willow project "an act of terrorism." When federal land is being violated to release 9.2 million additional carbon pollution each year, we can call this nothing short of an attack on our planet. Not to mention the carbon pollution that is already fuming the world we live in — any additional amount is cataphoric on its own.
I believe that profit and greed are the main factors that contribute to the continuation of projects that negatively affect the environment. And businesses that revolve around oil will not be silenced or pushed back with ease.
Words are a powerful thing when actions follow them. Society has now seen that promises can be taken away as quickly as they are made.
Desensitization to problems occurring worldwide is also contributing to the lack of environmental progress, seen with projects like this one. Collectively, a large percentage of the general population had given up before we even started creating a solution.
It seems that we have become too used to saying something along the lines of, "the world will end soon anyways," as if the warnings have not been heeded for generations to come. When the time comes to act, individuals should sign petitions or attend protests instead of finding comfort in solely acknowledging the problem and then moving on.
In addition to this, those individuals who claim climate change and human involvement in our ecosystems are not real issues but rather a hoax should pay attention.
The Willow project is very real and is happening.
Once drilling has begun at the site, there is quite literally no predicting what consequences may follow. The urgency of the situation prior to the project's approval was based on environmental protection and rectifying the problems created by human involvement in our world. There is a myriad of conflicting perspectives that put our environment at risk.
At the end of the day, we as a society need to ponder upon the question: Is this worth it?
Disruption of Arctic homes will force indigenous Alaskans to find a new normal, not to mention further wreaking havoc on the arctic wildlife already affected by climate change. Over the span of the next 30 years, there is no telling how much of a negative impact all humans and wildlife may face.
Priya Panchariya is a School of Arts and Sciences first-year majoring in philosophy and minoring in criminology. Her column, "Moment of Truth," runs on alternate Tuesdays.
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