The Willow Project is a plan that was recently approved in the United States by President Joe Biden. This project has the goal of produce 180,000 barrels of oil per day at its peak, decreasing American dependence on foreign energy supplies. The Willow Project will create union jobs, provide social and economic benefits to communities around Alaska, and support America’s energy security. Despite this project providing social and economic benefits to the United States, there are many environment effects that should be taken into account.
First, the project would produce about 70 million metric tons of additional CO2 from the project in U.S. emissions — and another 60 million tons internationally. This is a mass amount of carbon emissions and will significantly deteriorate climatic conditions around the world.
This project also poses many negative effects to the animals living in Alaska. Animals will be deprived of their habitat which could lead to their death. Many animals in Alaska such as the Polar Bear are already endangered due to climate change and the Willow Project will further impact them. There is the possibility of many animals’ extinction due to this project. This project destroys and deprives animals of their habitat and also heavily alters the migration patterns of animals. So, overall, there is a possibility of widespread extinction of animal species living in Alaska.
It is clear the many negative environmental effects that play account due to the Willow Project. As there are many environmental effects, many people across the US have been advocating against this project. These people believe the effects onto climate change and animals are much more profound than the benefits to the economy. However, despite these advocates, the project is already established and is set in stone.
This project allows many to truly wonder- how much role does society have in big governmental decisions? And what role should they have? Should they play a factor in creating or ending projects?
Ayan Kumar's Blog 