For climate advocates in the United States, this is a betrayal.

Despite the fierce campaign led by the latter against the mega oil project Willow, in northern Alaska, the American president gave the green light, Monday, March 13, to the giant of the sector ConocoPhillips to carry out several drillings in this region, particularly affected by global warming.

Criticized for its catastrophic impact on the environment, the project is nevertheless supported by part of the local population, who see it as a significant financial windfall and beneficial spin-offs in terms of jobs.

Torn between the defense of economic interests and that of the climate, Joe Biden finally approved three drilling areas against the five initially requested by the company.

Arctic black gold

The controversy surrounding the mega drilling project in Alaska began in 2017. Following the discovery of large oil deposits in the northwest of this state, the company ConocoPhillips announced an extraction project aiming to reach up to at 180,000 barrels per day.

Problem, the area in question, federal lands which bear the misleading name of National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska, is in fact a vast wild area considered as a haven of peace for biodiversity and in particular migratory birds.

It is also located in the Arctic, hit hard by the effects of climate change.

“Alaska has warmed twice as fast as the rest of the country, which has had considerable repercussions” warn researchers from the federal Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) in a report, citing the disappearance of species as an example. wild or even the resurgence of forest fires.

Court battle

In 2020, President Donald Trump gave ConocoPhillips approval for three drilling sites.

But three environmental defense organizations had taken legal action, and obtained in August 2021 the interruption of the project on the grounds that its impact on polar bears had not been correctly assessed.

In early February, the Land Management Office published a new environmental analysis of the project, again favoring the option of three drilling sites, finally chosen by Joe Biden.

During the campaign, the American president had repeatedly castigated Donald Trump's climate skepticism and promised not to authorize new oil drilling on federal lands.

But the ConocoPhillips project is arousing strong enthusiasm in Alaska, which is experiencing major economic difficulties and whose revenues are largely based on the oil industry.

Its defenders also insist on the importance of ensuring the country's energy independence in the context of the crisis caused by the Russian offensive in Ukraine.

"I feel like the people of Alaska have been heard," said Mary Peltola, Democratic Representative of Alaska, on Monday following the announcement of the decision.

"The State of Alaska cannot bear the burden of solving global warming issues alone."

"climate bomb"

To pass the pill to environmental defenders, the US government has announced that it is working on additional protections for a large area of ​​the national petroleum reserve.

He also announced that he wanted to permanently ban drilling over a large area of ​​the Arctic Ocean, bordering this reserve. 

But NGOs denounce the contradictions of the policy of Joe Biden, who in August promulgated a plan of 370 billion euros for the energy transition while continuing to invest in fossil fuels.

"Despite the President's historic leadership on climate, his legacy will now include approving a climate bomb that will guarantee decades of greenhouse gas emissions as the world is expected to move away from fossil fuels," said Karlin Itchoak, the Wilderness Society's senior regional director for Alaska.

Arctic protections need to fulfill @POTUS commitments to climate, biodiversity, and frontline communities.

We stand w/ millions of climate allies speaking out to #StopWillow & will not back down until the Arctic is protected once and for all.

pic.twitter.com/ytoKzHUgsT

— Alaska Wilderness League (@alaskawild) March 13, 2023

"Willow is an appalling betrayal" castigates the president of the think tank The Climate Center, Ellie Cohen, estimating that the project alone would emit 280 million tonnes of CO2 over the next 30 years, the equivalent of the pollution generated by 2 million new gasoline cars per year.  

In recent weeks, a wave of videos opposing the project had swept through the social network TikTok, while an online petition collected more than 3.3 million signatures.

Several organizations have already hinted at considering a new legal action to block the road to the Willow project.

With AFP

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