The Trump administration has advanced the process of opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refu

On August 17, 2020, the Trump administration opened the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge's 1.5 million-acre Coastal Plain to oil and gas lease sales, possibly by December. This decision, amidst an oil glut and climate change concerns, targets the last 5% of America's previously protected Arctic Coastal Plain. It threatens to transform these wild lands into an industrial complex, jeopardizing the Gwich'in Nation's food security, spiritual, and cultural heritage—they call it "the sacred place where life begins." This move also endangers polar bears, the Porcupine Caribou herd, and migratory birds, marking a critical environmental and social justice conflict.

A video features Gwich'in community members from the 2016 Gwich'in Gathering, testifying against this development.