BY
Contributing Reporter
Close your eyes and imagine living in a world where the fate of the planet lies in the hands of a single organization. Now open them: this is the world we live in. The Willow Project, a controversial oil and gas drilling project in Alaska under ConocoPhillips, will actively harm the climate and the planet’s future under the guise of economic stability and a boost in energy production, according to CNN.
While some could argue that the project provides jobs to Alaskans, I believe it is much more important to ensure the future livelihoods of every single person. There are other ways to stimulate the economy that do not endanger the environment in the process.
It only takes a quick search on popular social media app, TikTok, to see how worried the younger generation is about the implementation of this project. Countless videos paint the Biden administration as hypocritical for running on a platform that wants to prevent climate change while simultaneously undermining the planet’s future. The Biden administration took advantage of Generation Z in order to win the 2020 election, relying on their passion for justice in all its forms in order to garner support. However, the apathy of the administration, along with other politicians, towards Gen Z demonstrates a lack of empathy towards the young generation’s concerns.
Petitions with millions of signatures campaigning for an end to the Willow Project have been left unanswered, and the Biden administration’s lack of response is very telling. This demonstrates how politicians often only care about issues when it benefits them, and when they are up for re-election they appeal to certain bases of voters, only to turn their backs on those same people once the election has worked in their favor.
In the case of the Willow Project, Biden has clearly taken millions of Americans’ votes for granted, betraying his goal of moving the nation away from fossil fuels. According to the New York Times, the Willow Project would release “nearly 280 million metric tons of carbon emissions” into the atmosphere. Despite claiming to care about the environment, and putting policies in place to prevent climate change in previous years, Biden is now promoting irreversible damage to the planet.
Why should the average American care? Living in a world where your children or grandchildren are unable to experience the same quality of life as you is unimaginably depressing, and yet this will be the reality under the Willow Project. Opposing the Willow Project means ensuring a better, safer future for generations to come, and the Biden administration needs to reverse course from their recent approval of the project and join the millions of Americans in opposing this detrimental project that will harm much more than it will help.
Lily Cloyd is a contributing reporter for The Review. Her opinions are her own and do not represent the majority opinion of The Review staff.
