Essay | The view from a tent in the Arctic

The Alaskan wilderness reveals the past and the future

The oil flows more slowly, the climate changes more quickly

|ANCHORAGE, FAIRBANKS, KOTZEBUE AND THE NATIONAL PETROLEUM RESERVE IN ALASKA

Editor’s note: On March 13th Joe Biden’s Department of Interior gave final approval to Willow, a big new oil project in the Alaskan Arctic. Our essay explains the fight over Willow and the prospect of a new oil boom in Alaska.

This article appeared in the Essay section of the print edition under the headline “Land, oil and ice”

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