It is time to notice the destruction of our planet

Megan Lee | The Chronicle

We are killing our planet.

And for now, it’s the only one we have. The planet we claim to love, value and even fight for is in serious trouble.

This is the planet that has been torn apart and pieced back together in war and struggle. Our planet and its inhabitants are dying; it is time to wake up. 

On March 13, 2023, the Biden administration approved The Willow Project, a new oil drilling campaign based on the slopes of Alaska. The United States government will send three drill teams to harvest an estimated 180,000 barrels of oil daily for 30 years. Despite the pushback from significant environmentalists and citizens of Alaska, The Willow Project will proceed as soon as all the legal terms are set and approved.

I recognize that we need oil; we need those fossil fuels to run our everyday lives – our businesses, our schools and life as we know it. But one day, the efforts to preserve the life we know today will catch up to us. We are not just robbing the earth of its natural resources. 

According to Open Access Government, by approving the Willow Project, our government has released a carbon bomb into the air that will kill thousands of plants and animals in the area. 

When will we realize that the life we know will end if there is no plan in place to protect our environment? 

Our government is making reckless decisions that will hurt us long after they leave office. The 260 million metric tons of carbon emissions into the atmosphere over the next 30 years. The thousands of toxic chemicals in our water supply. The constant overuse of fossil fuels sending toxins into our air. The choices we are making now will define the state of our planet in the future. Earth can not handle much more. With each oil drill and use of extensive fossil fuels, we are taking away a small piece of our timeline for the generations to follow us. 

We need to encourage our youth to take pride in their environment. My future kids will be raised knowing the state of the earth, the decisions that came before them and the small strides they can make to protect the state of our planet. In school, they teach us how to solve for x and apply to college, but not about what we can do to contain the excessive amount of carbon in our oxygen. The life we know is good; we are trying to eliminate poverty and protect those who do not have the income they need to live and we are protecting the rights of citizens who have fought for their place in society.  

It is time to focus on our environment and stand up for the only planet we have.