Environmental impact documents conclude that if the oil produced by Willow is burned, it would create 260 million metric tons (260,000,000,000 kg ) of carbon dioxide.
Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature. In the air, carbon dioxide is transparent to visible light but absorbs infrared radiation, acting as a greenhouse gas. The noise, traffic, and pollution the project brings will disrupt ecosystems that Indigenous Alaskans have relied on for millennia. And the project threatens the already vulnerable caribou population — a vital resource many native communities rely on.
What happens when you drill in Alaska? Seismic vibrations can disrupt plants' growth patterns. In addition, the infrastructure from oil drilling can cause drainage issues for plants. Infrastructure, particularly road-building, can also lead to alkaline dust spreading across and settling on topsoil. Expansion of oil and gas drilling in their habitat could be extremely damaging. Direct contact with spilled oil would kill polar bears but an invisible threat could persist for years, as toxic substances lingering in ice or water may impact the entire food web of the Arctic ecosystem for years to come.
Offshore oil and gas drilling threatens our beaches, rivers, creeks, salt marshes and Sea Islands. It threatens wildlife like brown pelicans, bottlenose dolphins, sea turtles and endangered North Atlantic right whales. Offshore oil and gas drilling threatens our coastal way of life.
The production and use of oil and gas are inextricably linked to water. The extraction and processing of oil and gas consume large volumes of water, produce wastewater and may accidentally pollute water supplies. These effects have an impact on water supplies, human health and natural resources.
Is oil drilling help cause global warming?Not only that, the oil and gas industry releases massive amounts of methane, a greenhouse gas that is 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide. All told, the industry is responsible for 38% of all methane emissions in the United States, or 3.8% of all greenhouse gases.
Methane (CH4) is a hydrocarbon that is a primary component of natural gas. Methane is also a greenhouse gas (GHG), so its presence in the atmosphere affects the earth's temperature and climate system. Methane is emitted from a variety of anthropogenic (human-influenced) and natural sources.
Why is the Willow Project bad?
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* The proposed project is a climate disaster in waiting.
* The analysis for the project covers only a sliver of ConocoPhillips’ plans for the area.
* New information on the risk of gas leaks has not been properly assessed.
* ConocoPhillips has played an influential role in the environmental review.
Oil destroys the insulating ability of fur-bearing mammals, such as sea otters, and the water repellency of a bird's feathers, thus exposing these creatures to the harsh elements. Without the ability to repel water and insulate from the cold water, birds and mammals will die from hypothermia.
The impact of an oil spill.
* harms animals and insects.
* prevents photosynthesis in plants.
* disrupts the food chain.
* takes a long time to recover.
