The Willow Project is a $6 billion proposal aiming to produce around 180,000 barrels of oil a day for at least three decades in Alaska’s National Reserve. This plan is the largest oil proposal on public U.S. land. The project could pump between 278-287 million metric tons of greenhouse gas into the atmosphere. This creates very serious health risks for Alaska’s Indigenous population, specifically the Iñupiat village of Nuiqsat, and wildlife in the surrounding area.

Riverside Brookfield High School senior and Ecology Club member Jackson Drumheller says that the Willow Project could have been proposed due to international conflict.

“I think it’s a bad thing overall. It’s not necessary,” Drumheller said. “I think they’re doing it in light of the Russia situation and trying to be a little less dependent on different countries. But I think it would have a pretty big impact on the environment and the ecosystem and lead to melting of ice caps and glaciers around the world. It can’t help.”

Despite strong disfavor and criticism from people all around the country, on March 13, 2023 the Willow Project was approved by the Biden administration. This decision has shocked and aggravated many. Over the years, progress has been made worldwide to slow down global warming. But what will the Willow Project do to all of that progress? Erin Cunningham, a social studies and economics teacher at RB, feels that this decision was a big step back when it comes to climate change.

“I feel like as a history teacher, this feels like a move backwards rather than a move forward toward renewable sources and energy,” Cunningham said. “Thinking about the impacts on the environment starting with the Industrial Revolution and how we’ve been affected by those changes and how we get energy. History kind of goes up and down; it doesn’t necessarily always move toward progress. I feel like this is a moment where we’re not moving toward that progress direction.”

Similarly, junior Michael Toribio believes that the Willow Project only worsens things and eliminates a lot of the progress we’ve made. He also believes that governments across the world are making harmful choices relating to pollution.

“Though we have come far in new technologies to help slow the progression of global warming, we are caught in the constant situation of taking two steps forward and two steps back. The technological advances we have created to help issues with pollution and all its forms, our efforts are undermined by environmentally harmful legislation. Not just by our government, but governments across the globe,” Toribio said. “But in the case of the Willow Project, this is not some unavoidable catastrophe happening in some other country. This is happening in our own backyard. This is at the very least disappointing to see from our own legislation.”

Many people are conflicted and don’t know what to do to prevent the huge impact that the Willow Project will have from happening. Cunningham supposes that getting involved is important in letting our elected officials know what we want as a country.

“This is just one of those issues where the idea of civic engagement is really important and knowing what’s going on and what decisions elected officials are making. If we as individual citizens are not feeling represented in the choices that are being made by those we have called upon to represent us, then it’s really important that we are involved through voting or through other means of engagement like writing to and communicating with our elected officials this isn’t the route that we would like our country to go,” Cunningham said.

Likewise, Drumheller feels that protesting is the best way to stop the government from proceeding with its plans for the Willow Project.

“[Americans] could probably get out and protest the government’s decisions and stop them from building the pipeline and try to get the environment to protect more of the wildlife,” Drumheller said.

There are still petitions to stop the Willow project, including a petition from change.org, which currently has over 4 million signatures. According to the petitioners, future generations will be the most severely affected, and a lot of people are worried about how their future looks on an unsustainable planet. Many have raised awareness of this issue through social media. The approval of the Willow Project is something that many RB students and staff feel strongly about. With the approval being recent, it’s something being discussed around the world. From various social media platforms to RB’s very own classrooms, it’s a hot topic when it comes to climate change.