COUNTDOWN CRISIS TO

the past, present climate change

by avery gathright editor in chief

have been advertised.

“When I was in high school they talked about reuse, recycle, all that type of stuff, but they also talked about turning your lightbulbs off.” Walden said. “I don’t know if those little actions collectively make a big difference but I don’t know if people are making those changes.”

Similarly, biology teacher Landra Fair believes that as long as we have fossil fuels to maintain our lifestyles, change is going to be more difficult, no matter how many people try to go green.

“In the ‘70s, we were running out of fossil fuels, and cars got smaller and people were interested in solar panels and conserving energy.” Fair said. “But then once the technology got better, and we found more fossil fuels, it was like nobody cared anymore about cars or using less energy because we weren’t running out.”

WHAT IS HAPPENING?

Despite efforts to shop sustainably and consider the environment, many teens are feeling more climate anxiety than ever with the approval of the Willow Project.

Heideman is one of these teens, and explains the feelings they experienced upon hearing it had been approved.

“I think that it’s really scary,” Heideman said. “I think that there is a lot of harm that is going to come from [the Willow Project] and I think that Biden is going against what he

Eating Habits

Eating from a plant based diet is another way that people can lower their carbon foot print originally set out to do by approving the Willow Project and allowing this to happen. I think that it really is going to hurt the environment a lot and I don’t think that we can handle anything else. I think that we need to focus more on reversing the damage that we’ve already done rather than creating more damage.”

Similarly, Abebe was disappointed when she learned about the project’s approval.

“I feel like after finding out it passed I was just really upset,” Abebe said. “[During his campaign,] Biden was like, “oh, I actually want to help the climate,” and in passing this he’s contradicting his own statement.”

Heideman and Abebe’s opinions are not uncommon. According to the Pew Research Center, 79% of Americans say the government should prioritize developing alternative sources of energy. This opinion about the Willow Project, specifically, is reflected among the student body too. According to a JagWire survey, of those who knew what the project was, 72% of students are fully against it and 18% are somewhat against it.

For Fair, while recognizing the impact produced from the U.S, it is equally important to strive for international cooperation in order to produce a more widespread impact.

“Right now India and China are … burning more fossil fuels than ever before.” Fair said. “So even if Europe and the U.S. and Canada decide to limit our emissions, if oth-

Avoiding eating meat can lower the amount of carbon dioxide created (especially when it comes to beef)

Energy Usage Habits

Turning down the heat and air in a house can help save and reduce energy waste

Replacing regular lights with LEDs is a more sustainable and energy efficient choice