Have you ever wanted to make a change in the world you live in? Have you been uncertain about the events that are currently going on in the world? Well, I certainly have. But your company isn’t as it’s contributing to the downfall of our future. As of late, the earth and the ecosystem around us are shifting and becoming more unstable in an alarming way. Whether this be from violence or one of the biggest causes, climate change. Instead of trying to thrive towards a solution to stop this major threat, companies like yourself have decided to aid the threat in more ways than one. One major contributing factor to the rising temperatures is oil drilling, and your new most recent addition, the Willow Project. Your project is known for being another big detrimental threat to the already ongoing climate crisis.
As you know, on March 13, 2023, President Biden and the Biden Administration approved your project called the Willow Project. The project was created by your company ConocoPhillips. It will consist of oil drilling in Alaska. According to cnn.com, “By the administration’s own estimates, the project would generate enough oil to release 9.2 million metric tons of planet-warming carbon pollution a year – equivalent to adding 2 million gas-powered cars to the roads.”
As it is known, the ice in the Arctic is melting. Some parts of Alaska are included in the arctic circle. The ice melting imposes a serious threat to native species, water levels rising, flooding, and extreme weather events. According to worldwildlife.org, “Since the early 1900s, many glaciers around the world have been rapidly melting. Human activities are at the root of this phenomenon. Specifically, since the industrial revolution, carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions have raised temperatures, even higher in the poles.” Oil drilling in the Arctic is not what is needed to stop the melting. But you don’t seem to get the message as your project is continuing. Animals don’t have the power to change the issues surrounding climate change, but do you know who does? We do. But companies like yourself just fill your pockets with money while deciding to make the problem worse.
Petitions and letters have been sent to the White House to stop your project, but they all were in vain as their pleas were not heard. All the voices of the future generation and current generations were left ignored. The majority of people and I feel as if we don’t have a say in our future, the only people that do is the government doing what they claim as “right” for the country and the globe. I have felt this multiple times in recent months. I am thirteen years old, and many thirteen year olds shouldn’t be worrying about what the future is to look like. We shouldn’t be scared of what’s to come. Our opinions should be heard, and we should feel like we matter. The government is supposed to be doing what is right for the public by listening to them.
Another solemn part of the crisis you’re aiding is that countries are not abiding to the pledges of carbon emissions they once pledged. As stated by Jeff Turrentine in an article from nrdc.org, “Just a week after the Willow project’s approval, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued a new report, observing that the world’s governments are currently veering off track from their pledges to keep global average temperatures from rising 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit), and furthermore noting that ‘“There is a rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a liveable and sustainable future for all.”’ Oil drilling like yours is not the path we want to continue going towards if we want a future within reach. We all want to continue living in this beautiful world. So I want to ask you and your company if you are happy with yourself? As you are assisting with this catastrophe.
There are many solutions that the general public can implement, and that are already getting used, but not enough because of companies like yours. The main method we can use is called renewable energy. As stated in an article on the website afdc.energy.gov, “Electricity is also produced from renewable sources such as wind, hydropower, solar power, biomass, and geothermal.” Using renewable energy doesn’t emit fossil fuels and greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. And clean energy for the environment is just more sustainable as prices are more likely to stay the same, unlike oil and gas prices. An example of clean energy is electric cars. The cars don’t run on gas, but rather electricity as the name states. Organizations are also fighting for the cause and our future. Some examples are BASF, Greenpeace, and Earthjustice. As I mentioned earlier, there have also been petitions signed to stop the Willow Project. The general public can still sign petitions to stop or even show our dislike of the Willow Project. If we want change we have to be able to advocate for that change. As your company is not creating the change that we seek.
The futures of people, animals, and most importantly…Earth are at stake. Lives are what are important and what are getting affected, what’s not that important is sucking out the oil from the Earth. There are plenty of ways to get energy, but once lives are lost, there is no way of getting them back. By ending oil drilling in Alaska and around the world, we can prevent lives from getting lost. Your Oil drilling in the Arctic is not what we need to end the crisis, what we need is change, and leaders who are willing to make that change. Companies like yourself are not leading us in the right direction. But are you the general public willing to become one of the leaders the world needs to create the future everybody seeks?
Sofia Cuate – Nazareth Academy – DMSF Class of 2027