Importance Of The Movement

ConocoPhillips has had oil development leases in the region since the late 1990s and discovered Willow with two exploratory wells drilled in 2016. After about five years of permitting and legal battles, the Biden administration approved the project with up to three drilling sites and a maximum of 199 wells. The project was reduced from the original five pads proposed by ConocoPhillips following recommendations to protect a yellow-billed loon nesting site and caribou migration paths.

Construction has already begun for the project, which will cover 499 acres of land, the plan includes building hundreds of miles of roads and pipelines, airstrips, a gravel mine, and a processing facility in the Arctic tundra and wetland.

Burning Willow's oil is expected to release 239 million metric tons of carbon dioxide over 30 years, which is like the emissions from 1.7 million gasoline-powered cars annually. If the project moves forward, it will add about 70 million metric tons of additional CO2 to U.S. emissions, and another 60 million tons internationally.

Accessing the oil the Willow Project would produce will prolong the country's reliance on fossil fuels without a guarantee of effective technology to address climate change. The project's approval also impacts the credibility of the U.S. in promoting cleaner energy alternatives instead of oil and natural gas. Additionally, locals are concerned about potential harm to animal populations, air quality, and the risks associated with oil development. 

The venture is set to expand into pristine, untouched regions of the Alaskan Arctic, which serve as crucial habitats for numerous vulnerable species during their breeding and migration cycles; going through this development may trigger significant habitat loss. Additionally, the repercussions are not limited to physical disruptions; rather, they extend to disturbing the natural patterns and behaviors of the local animal populace.

The ambitious undertaking carries the potential to introduce a barrage of adverse impacts on the wildlife in the area. Notably, the introduction of noise and light pollution poses a grave threat to the delicate ecological balance. Furthermore, the proximity to oil spills and toxic pollutants raises concerns about the safety and well-being of the wildlife, with potential life-threatening consequences.

All these issues which may arise from the Willow Project’s development, pose an incredibly significant, grave threat to the wildlife and ecosystem upon and around which the Willow Project will come into being. Furthermore in respect to larger effects, the American populace and national progression on climate action will be massively affected with an anchor of new fossil fuel development taking the political and social development towards climate action, in reverse, with an action which works against climate solutions.