Above
Social media users have come out against a proposed oil drilling project in northern Alaska last week, using the #stopwillow TikTok hashtag to educate viewers about the potential environmental impacts and encourage them to sign a petition forcing the Biden Administration to reject the project.
An exploratory drilling camp at the proposed Willow Project in Alaska. (ConocoPhillips … [+]
Important Points
The ConocoPhillips Willow project has sparked controversy from climate activists on TikTok who fear environmental damage.
According to the Interior Department comparisondrilling for oil would produce 629 million barrels of oil over 30 years—but burning that oil would release 278 million tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. because associated with global warming.
The TikTok hashtags #stopwillow and #stopthewillowproject each have nearly 150 million views, mostly made up of videos made by young people discussing what would harm the project and criticizing President Joe Biden for appearing to backslide. a promise stop all new oil drilling on federal land.
Some #stopwillow TikToks resemble political ads: Famous moviewith more than 5 million views within a week, it warned that the project would release carbon dioxide and threaten Alaskan wildlife.
In some videos, climate activists on TikTok speak directly to the camera: Nessa May, who writes about climate and lifestyle, uploaded movie this week he personally called the White House to express his frustration with the way Mr. Biden thinks about the project, regarding the problems that will affect the Alaskan communities and the climate.
Others movies they leaned on the popular audio and performance of TikTok, casually opposition Biden directly: Many used popular songs from The Walking Dead (“You said you turned on your radio every day at dawn, and you weren’t there”) criticizes the president for campaigning against climate change and oil drilling but highlights Willow’s work.
One strategy the creators used to get viewers to stop and watch their Willow Project videos was to start the video with an unrelated topic, like the same one. they start saying it has updates on Selena Gomez and Hailey Bieber an online gameor something like that they advertise Roblox’s new glitch – before quickly transitioning to an informative video about the Willow Project.
TikTok accounts dedicated to #stopwillow because they are coming out, like @stopwillowproject2023which uploaded 13 videos last week urging viewers to speak out against the project, including one with 1.6 million views.
Many media outlets are urging #stopwillow supporters to sign several petitions circulating on Change.org urging the Biden Administration to oppose the Willow Project.
Big Number
3 million. That’s how many signatures are popular Change.org petition against the Willow Project. The petition says the project will “lock us into decades of fossil fuel expansion at a time when we need to make urgent changes to clean energy” and mentions the damage it could have on the Nuiqsut Alaska Native community. Another Change.org request and for the same purpose they have about 900,000 signatures.
Worth Watching
Either the Biden Administration continues with Project Willow or a smaller version, or it stops digging altogether. A choice can he says will be announced as soon as this week. Environmental groups like Earthjustice are involved urged Biden rejecting the project, he argued in a statement last month, “it’s not too late to step up and pull the plug on the carbon bomb.”
The First Secret
Project Willow, was first announced and ConocoPhillips in 2018, with $6 Billionaires are digging for oil federal state that agents to say It will bring jobs and income to Alaska while reducing the United States’ dependence on foreign oil. The project has enjoyed bipartisan support from Alaska lawmakers and was strongly pushed by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R), who he told CNN last summer he brought up Willow in recent interviews he had with the White House. But the proposal has been widely criticized by environmental activists who fear its emissions could affect the climate, and see it as a step back in the push for clean energy. The project has faced challenges from Alaska Natives, especially the residents of the small village of Nuiqsut, who to say will have health and environmental impacts of the project. Other Alaska Native groups spoke help the project because it will bring money to the area. The Biden Administration is said to have decided to create one acceptance reducing the size of the project, such as reducing the number of drilling rigs from three to two (which has already decreased from ConocoPhillips’ original proposal of five). The argument is that he persisted for many years if drilling in remote areas such as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (although the Willow Project would not be carried out in this area) fearing that drilling could threaten the environment and wildlife and contribute to climate change.
Tangent
Some opponents of the Willow Project have questioned Biden’s promises. In preparing for the presidency, Mr. Biden has vowed to ban “new oil and gas instead of water” as part of climate change. Louisiana judge prohibited Biden’s order to freeze new oil and gas leases on public land in June 2021, even though this was he struck and the high court in August 2022.
The Great Critic
Sen. Dan Sullivan (R) called for the #stopwillow movement at a press conference on Tuesday about government efforts to ban or block foreign technologies like TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. A law maker he said the sudden popularity of the #stopwillow hashtag may be “the Chinese Communist Party trying to influence young Americans on a different issue” because they are “scared to death of American power.”
Key words
“I’m out here screaming in the woods because we have a week left to stop Willow, which is an oil drilling project in Alaska that will damage an already fragile environment and the communities that depend on it. Plus, we can’t keep opening new oil projects if we want to.” fight climate change,” said TikTok creator Alaina Wood in a video this week (filmed in front of a waterfall, screaming in the woods) before urging her 350,000 followers to take action. sign the Change.org petition against drilling. “Together, we can stop Willow,” Wood said.
Further Reading
The viral #StopWillow campaign shows how TikTokers are fighting climate change (The Washington Post)
#StopWillow is taking TikTok by storm. Is it really possible? (CNN)
Climate change at the heart of one of Biden’s biggest climate decisions (The Washington Post)