Alaska, Juneau — Even as experts urgently warn that only a halt to more fossil fuel emissions can stem climate change, the Biden administration’s approval of a large oil development in northern Alaska binds the U.S. to yet another decades-long crude project.
At its height, the Willow project by ConocoPhillips would produce 180,000 barrels of oil per day, and burning that oil would emit at least 263 million tons (239 million metric tons) of greenhouse gases over 30 years.
As the earth warms, oil demand isn’t declining, and a contentious political battle over the project, which was approved on Monday, has highlighted the Democratic administration’s struggle to strike a balance between economic constraints and commitments to reduce fossil fuel use. The plan in the isolated area north of the Arctic Circle also draws attention to the contradiction that the United States and other countries are currently dealing with: the world’s transition to renewable energy lags behind the realities of an economy that is still mainly dependent on oil consumption.
We must eventually leave coal, oil, and gas in the ground. And that time is now, especially in a delicate ecosystem like the Arctic, according to Stanford University climate scientist Rob Jackson.
Upon announcing Willow’s clearance, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland emphasized that the number of drill pads had been decreased from ConocoPhillips’ initial plan by 40%, noting that this would benefit both humans and wildlife. Yet, according to official estimates, the corporation will still likely obtain the majority of the oil it sought, resulting in a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of only 8%.
After a severe decline in oil production since the late 1980s, the project hopes to revitalize Alaska’s economy. It had the support of both party leaders in the state. The North Slope of Alaska, which is petroleum-rich, is where distant communities and villages can benefit from oil’s economic vitality.
Greenhouse gases produced by the project would contribute to melting the Arctic sea ice in Alaska.
Yet, the state has also experienced the effects of climate change: sea ice is receding, unique wildfires are surfacing, and melting permafrost threatens to release carbon into the atmosphere.
Lawyers for an Alaska Native organization and environmentalists have petitioned a federal judge to halt Willow’s approval in a lawsuit filed on Tuesday. According to The Sovereign Iupiat for a Living Arctic, Sierra Club, and other organizations, Interior Department officials disregarded that every ton of greenhouse gases produced by the project would contribute to melting the Arctic sea ice, endangering polar bears and Alaskan villages.
If nations, including the United States, are to achieve their 2050 objective of net-zero emissions—where only as much planet-warming gas is emitted into the atmosphere as can be absorbed—new drilling investments must be halted, according to the International Energy Agency.
90% of global carbon dioxide emissions and 75% of all greenhouse gases produced by humans are attributed to the energy industry.
Nonetheless, industry analysts and the U.S. Energy Information Administration predict that the demand for crude will keep growing globally.
Jim Krane, an energy specialist, suggested that authorities should concentrate on lowering demand rather than aiming to reduce domestic supplies of such fuels, such as initiatives like Willow.
According to Krane of Rice University’s Baker Center for Public Affairs, refiners will withdraw their oil from abroad if supply in the United States is targeted without any effort made to reduce demand in Alaska.
Willow’s greenhouse gas emissions would be almost 1.7 million automobiles worth or little over 0.1% of all emissions.
Electric vehicles are a potential replacement for gasoline-powered automobiles and trucks, but they have yet to do much to reduce the demand for fossil fuels. According to Enverus Intelligence Research, a company specializing in data research for the energy sector, EVs are anticipated to replace 2.7 million barrels of oil annually by 2030 in Alaska.
That is less than 3% of the world’s total oil consumption, which Al Salazar, senior vice president of the research firm, predicts will be around 100 million barrels per day in 2030.
Demand doesn’t suddenly disappear, according to Salazar. “Replacing the whole fleet of light duty vehicles takes time.”
Republican U.S. senators have stated that drilling should be anticipated in the National Petroleum Reserve- Alaska, where the Willow project is located.
Willow’s greenhouse gas emissions would be almost 1.7 million automobiles worth or little over 0.1% of all emissions in the United States. Officials from the Interior Department have used these comparatively tiny numbers to justify approving coal mines and oil and gas leases for years.
According to Jackson, if the worst effects of climate change are to be avoided, this perspective cannot be maintained. The Earth is “as far from zero emissions as we’ve ever been,” despite the focus on renewable energy.
It’s the same as thinking that any new automobile we build or coal plant in Alaska we construct is irrelevant because millions of other coal plants and thousands of other coal plants are functioning worldwide, he said.
In contrast to the early months of Biden’s presidency, the administration had already eased its attitude to oil and gas before the Willow decision. To win over Democratic holdout U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, the administration committed to tens of millions of acres of new leasing during discussions over last year’s climate package.
The legislation includes clauses connecting renewable energy sources’ growth and oil and gas leasing. As a result, on March 29, the administration will put up for sale oil and gas leases Alaska covering more than 73 million acres (29.5 million hectares) in the Gulf of Mexico. It also intends to auction off around 350,000 acres (141,600 hectares) of onshore oil and gas leases in Wyoming, New Mexico, Montana, Nevada, and other states over months beginning in May.
Activists claim that during 50 years, the Gulf sale alone may produce more than 1 billion barrels of oil.
“This administration has promised to supervise a historic shift to renewable energy, but deeds speak louder than words,” said George Torgun of Earthjustice, who represents environmental groups attempting to halt additional lease sales.
SOURCE – (AP)
