A significant oil and gas drilling project in Alaska that was opposed vehemently by environmentalists has been approved by US President Joe Biden.
ConocoPhillips, the corporation behind the Willow project, claims it will attract local investment and generate thousands of employment.
But in recent weeks, there has been a flood of online activism against the $8 billion (£6.6 billion) proposal, especially among young activists on TikTok.
Its effects on the climate and fauna led opponents to suggest that it should be stopped.
It is the largest oil development in the area in decades and could produce up to 180,000 barrels of oil per day. It is situated on Alaska’s remote North Slope.
Estimates from the US Bureau of Land Management indicate that it might produce up to 278 million metric tonnes of CO2e throughout its 30-year lifespan, which is the same as adding two million new automobiles to US roadways each year.
The climate impact of all greenhouse gases combined, as if they were all released as carbon dioxide, is expressed in CO2e.
As a sort of compromise with anti-Willow campaigners, Monday’s announcement will only permit three drill sites for the project as opposed to the five that were initially requested.
A day after the Biden administration restricted oil and gas production on 16 million acres in Alaska and the Arctic Ocean, the approval also comes.
