Willow Project: Oil production and climate change in Alaska

ConocoPhillips’ Willow Project is a massive oil drilling venture in Alaska's National Petroleum Reserve, an area that is home to the indigenous Iñupiat, but owned by the federal government. When it was okayed by the Biden administration in March, many of Biden's voters protested.

Nearby Willow's construction side, there is an indigenous village called Nuiqsut. It's inhabitants are devided: While some of them hope Willow will open up new prospects, others fear for their livelihoods. Together with NGOs, some Iñupiat are bringing action against the project. Does their lawsuit stand a chance to succeed?

Our research in Alaska is a follow-up on our previous work. In November, we traveled to Ecuador to research how extractivism impacts the Amazon rainforest and its inhabitant. Our stories were published in 2050, Süddeutsche Zeitung and the MOZ.

This is a project that aims to inform the public about climate injustice, extractivism, human right action, and non-human beings on a rapidly warming earth.
We want to hear the story of Willow and how it's changing Alaska from the perspectives of people who are witnessing it first hand, and then bring it to you to read. The Willow Project's tale won't be our only one.

Stories rarely stick to your plan. This one will be in writing and in photography and will be offered to selected newspapers and/or magazines. Our findings will all be translated from German to English. They will also be relevant for a book in planning.

If you agree that our work is important and it is possible for you, please support us with a donation. If money is short, you can also support us in many other ways:

• By letting us know if you live in Alaska and have a shower or bed to share with two handsome strangers (we'll cook!)
• If you know somebody we should talk to or are that person yourself, you can contact us via email at [email protected]. It's safe! We won't publish anything that you say without your consent. We also guarantee protection of information.
• By telling a friend about us or following our instagram page @requiemforatree.

As a team, it is our mission to help overlooked places and people gain public attention and learn about how climate change is reorganizing the planet. Climate justice and litigation are Unfortunately, it's difficult to get enough funding for freelance investigative research like ours. This project's start was made possible with support of the Heinrich Böll Foundation. But financially, we're still only halfway there. Your funding would help raise awareness for new oil projects on the rise in times of climate change - and voice stories of people whose interests have been misregarded for centuries.

Nuiqsut is not easy to reach. First, we have to land in Anchorage, find informants, gather background information. Then we need to travel from there along the Dalton Highway to the working towns of Deadhorse and Prudhoe Bay. The highway is the only road connecting the south with the north and lacks everything: There is no receiption, no gas station, and only three indigenous villages on the way. Nuiqsut is not connected to any road network. The plan is that we will take a small plane in Deadhorse. We will need good equipment and a fixer to be reasonably prepared for harsh weather conditions and risks.