A newly launched student organization has started at Monmouth University to fight against oil and gas drilling in the Arctic. The nonprofit group is part of the national Arctic Defense Campaign, which works to protect the Western Arctic and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
While the group at Monmouth only met for the first time last week, they already have big goals. They plan to collect 5,000 petition signatures, make hundreds of calls to lawmakers, work with local businesses, and get news coverage through events and opinion pieces. In just three weeks, they have gathered more than 850 signatures. During their first “Call-In Day of Action,” on Sept. 23, they aimed to reach 50 calls to legislators.
Their main mission is to win permanent protection for the Arctic by supporting two bills in Congress. One is the Arctic Refuge Protection Act, which would stop oil and gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The second is the Stop Arctic Ocean Drilling Act, which would ban new drilling in Arctic waters.
The campaign is also preparing for an immediate fight. Oil and gas companies are getting ready to do seismic exploration later this year. This process uses loud vibrations to search for oil, but it can harm wildlife and damage the land. There will soon be a public comment period, and the group plans to deliver petitions to show strong opposition. If they succeed, exploration could be delayed for a year.
“Protecting the Arctic is not only about saving wildlife and cultures; it’s also a crucial step in addressing climate change,” Jackson Smith, an environmental organizer with the Arctic Defense Campaign and the Monmouth chapter advisor, said.
According to The Verge, the Arctic region has helped regulate global temperatures by locking carbon in frozen ground. Today it is warming nearly four times faster than the rest of the planet.
The Arctic remains one of the last truly wild places on Earth, supporting polar bears, caribou, migratory birds, whales and seals. It is also the homeland of Indigenous communities whose traditions and livelihoods are at risk from oil and gas drilling. Expanding drilling in the region would accelerate climate change, not only due to its vulnerable position in Earth’s climate system, but also because melting ice can release carbon dioxide that has been trapped for generations. Protecting the Arctic means guarding its wildlife, indigenous cultures and the stability of the global climate, explained Smith.
Members say their work is not just about protecting wildlife, but also about stopping climate change. Melting Arctic ice releases carbon that has been trapped for generations, and drilling in the region could speed up warming. “Most people already agree that it’s not worth sacrificing wildlife and Indigenous cultures for risky oil extraction,” Smith said. “Our job is to turn that support into action.”
