Despite climate advocates around the world voicing their concerns, the Biden administration passed the Willow Project as of Monday, March 13. The project will allow for a decades long oil drilling venture to take place in Alaska. Climate activists are expected to take the case to court.

The area the project will be held in is said to have 600 million barrels worth of gas in it. According to the Biden administration’s own estimations, the project would emit up to 9.2 million metric tons of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. 

The project has sparked an uproar among climate advocates. More than a million letters to the White House have been written in protest of the project and a change.com petition with millions of signatures has also been made. In an effort to control the damage done to the environment, President Biden has announced the protection of 13 million acres of Alaskan land, and plans on protecting even more. President Biden has also banned any further oil drilling ventures in the Arctic Ocean. Despite these efforts, climate experts are saying that the Willow Project will be catastrophic to the earth and to human kind. 

When asked about her thought on the Willow Project, Kiala Haas, a junior at San Marcos High School, said, “It’s really sad to see that our government isn’t taking climate change as seriously as they need to, but at the same time it’s inspiring to see all these young people on social media voicing their opinion at the project.”

Abigail Dillon, President of Earthjustice, said, “We are too late in the climate crisis to approve massive oil and gas projects that directly undermine the new clean economy that the Biden administration committed to advancing. We know President Biden understands the existential threat of climate, but he is approving a project that derails his own climate goals.” 

The Willow project goes against the Biden administration’s own goals of cutting pollution in half by 2030.

Alaska native tribes are rejoicing in the passing of the Willow Project since it will bring much needed jobs and potential revenue to the region where opportunities like this do not come often. 

Nagruk Harcharek, president of the advocacy group Voice of the Arctic Iñupiat said, “The Willow Project is a new opportunity to ensure a viable future for our communities, creating generational economic stability for our people and advancing our self-determination.” 

The Willow project will provide jobs to the Alaskan people, but it will be detrimental to our world’s health. If you want help stop the Willow Project, there are online petitions that you can sign, get your friends to sign them too!