Do We Still Have Hope in Ourselves?

The Willow Project

E. O. Milne

Climate change, you’ve heard it all too many times before: “we need to save the planet” we say, “the new generation needs to change the ways of the past.”

And even though we say all that in such a sure manner, we cover up what is underneath the surface – the fact that we are the villains of our own story. How can we be saving ourselves when we are allowing things like this to happen. The Willow Project.

The Willow project is an 8-billion-dollar plan to turn Alaska into an oil drilling station. If it is to get approved, 287 million metric tons of carbon dioxide will be brought into the atmosphere. Not only would this harm a significant percentage of the animals that would be exposed to the gas and oils, but it will make the chances of stopping climate change next to impossible.

So, the president of the United States says that he wants to stop climate change but then his administration proposes ideas like this. It sometimes makes me question what is the point of people like Greta Thunberg, David Attenborough, as well as all other climate activists? If we are just going to take everything they have worked for and ignore it?

Luckily, as I say all of this, there is something getting in the way right now of allowing this project to go forward. Very recently one of the greatest uprisings we have seen in a long time has begun. People on multiple social media platforms have been coming forward and raising awareness of the fact the project is taking place. When I scroll through TikTok and Instagram I cannot get away from the videos. Thankfully, I am not the only person having this brought to my attention, the entire world is beginning to understand what is at stake if we do not say ‘no’.

In under a month from now, over 3 million people will have signed the petition telling the American government that they do not want this project to take place. There is still hope that we can protect ourselves and thrive as a species for centuries to come.