On Wednesday, March 22 at 19:30 GMT:
The US government has just approved one of the largest oil drilling projects ever on federal land. Located in Alaska’s North Slope, the $8 billion Willow Oil Project aims to produce an estimated 576 million barrels of oil over the next 30 years.
Environmentalists say the move is not only a disaster waiting to happen, but also a betrayal of US promises to fight climate change. Last week environmental groups have filed lawsuits against the US government to stop the planned development. The approval of the Willow Project contradicts US President Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign pledge to end all new oil and gas drilling on federal lands.
The project’s three drilling sites are located in an area that was designated for future oil exploration a century ago. Local supporters, including legislators and many North Slope Alaska Natives, view the Willow Project as a win for their community as it aims to create thousands of jobs and provide much-needed tax revenue to improve public services.
But some neighboring Inupiaq communities still fear the threat of pollution and development that could devastate local ecosystems and disrupt the way of life.
In the second of three episodes of The Stream dedicated to the climate crisis, we will hear more about the Willow Project and the debate over the continued oil development in the Arctic.
