Just over two years ago, President Joe Biden was elected into office in the USA, promising a new era of action against the climate crisis. Now he has approved the Willow Project, described as a carbon bomb of which there is no going back from.

When I first heard of the Willow Project, it wasn't from a normal news source. No, it was from TikTok, the social media platform dominated by young people; the people who would be affected most by the climate crisis. I learned that the Willow Project was an $8 billion dollar proposed oil project in the northernmost reaches of Alaska, releasing over 287 million metric tons of CO2 in 30 years. It would produce 180,000 barrels of oil a day at its peak and would even involve the refreezing of the Arctic permafrost to secure the drilling equipment. This is why the project has been described as a 'carbon bomb', releasing large amounts of greenhouse gases previously trapped underneath the Arctic ice. Over 30 years, it will release the equivalent annual emissions to 72 new coal power plants and would lead to the inevitable destruction of habitats across the globe. 

The project was met with large resistance in the USA and beyond, trending on TikTok and the petition against it almost garnering five million signatures at the time of writing. Environmentalist groups all widely opposed the move and it has sparked worldwide anger as once again, the older generations have prioritised profits over people.

Despite this, media coverage of it has been low, showing that the international media are failing in their duty to inform those globally of the dangers of what has just happened. Although to many it did not come as a surprise, young people are being betrayed over and over in the name of profits. This must stop now if we have any chance of averting a disaster beyond our control.