The Trump administration has recently opened up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling, which poses a serious threat to Indigenous people who live in this area, a number of important wildlife species, and the global climate. Please support this petition’s goal of demanding that the U.S. Congress and the President make closing off the Arctic to oil drilling a top priority. 

The Arctic is one of the only ecosystems in which oil drilling and other harmful human industries have not directly destroyed and disturbed the landscape. Of course the rapid melting of glaciers and large swathes of ice in the Arctic have already inflicted much damage to this habitat and the animals and people who live there and rely on its resources. Allowing for drilling in this refuge will only compound those problems, as it will result in widespread degradation of the immediate area and contribute to climate change and the rising levels of greenhouse gases as well. Furthermore, it is almost guaranteed that if an oil spill were to occur in this area it would be incredibly challenging and probably even impossible to clean up and reverse the catastrophic damage it would inflict on the landscape and the living organisms that call it home. 

We need to learn how to remove oil and other finite fossil fuel resources from the ground in ways that are much more safe before continuing to pollute pristine environments such as these, especially seeing as there are precious few of such environments still intact today. We also need to promote the production and use of renewable green energy sources rather than finite pollutants like oil. Reversing the Trump Administration’s decision to open this vital and endangered landscape to oil drilling will be one significant step towards committing ourselves to these goals and salvaging our environment for generations to come. It is unfair for our generation to deplete and destroy our environment simply for our own short-term benefit, and at the expense of the livelihood and even survival of our children and grandchildren.