Trump Admin Opens up 1.6 Million Acres of the Arctic for Oil Drilling

​worldanimalnews.com/trump-administration-shockingly-opens-1-6-million-acres-of-arctic-refuge-to-oil-drilling-for-the-first-time/

Our planet is in turmoil. Millions of species are at risk of going extinct because of our actions. Animals like Lions, Cheetahs, and Rhinos have lost half of their habitat to human development. Polar Bears are losing their habitat as sea ice continues to melt at an alarming pace. Coral reefs are dying because of humans. We are literally destroying every ounce of this planet because of our ignorance and greed. That's why this story is both unsurprising in that it should surprise no one that humans continue to yearn for more and yet totally shocking that the Trump administration would actually open up the arctic for the first time.

The Trump administration has been sued countless times for their continued push to drill for fossil fuels in the arctic but this has not stopped this administration from continuing to push. Now, as the Trump administration has opened up 1.6 million acres of arctic land for oil drilling, there will be unfathomable consequences. Local Indigenous tribes will be immediately affected by the drilling, possibly dispersing them after so many years of seeing their lands go untouched. Polar bears, caribou, oxen, migratory birds, and underwater species will all suffer devastating effects of oil drilling.

There will be immediate effects from the sudden presence of machinery and an abundance of humans. These are birthing / nursing areas for caribou who now will be discouraged form visiting the area, displacing them in search of new areas to birth and nurse their young. This will lead to human - polar bear conflicts which will undoubtedly end with polar bear deaths. There is also the potential for oil spills in an area that will never have seen that kind of destruction. An oil spill in the arctic would have devastating and irreversible effects that would not only affect these pristine and untouched lands, but all of the animals and Indigenous people who have called this area home for ages. Plus, a spill into the ocean would destroy Polar Bear hunting grounds, displace hundreds of thousands of animals and underwater species, and destroy the pristine lands of the untouched arctic.

There are a million reasons why this is a horrible idea but all it takes is the idea that there is profit to be made and those million reasons just disappear. Humans have proven time and time again that money is of the utmost importance over everything else. Our continued search for more is what is destroying our planet and ravaging the animal kingdom and it can all be traced back to human greed. This is yet another example of humans refusing to look at the bigger picture in search of short time gratification. It should matter that we could destroy the livelihoods of local Indigenous people. Itshould matter that we will destroy the habitat