Dakota Pipeline Case Study

The need to conserve and protect the environment is perhaps one of the areas of interest that defines the contemporary society. The underpinning advocacies have been primarily centered on the view that the environment is a critical determinant of sustainable development. If it is not managed well, the society will not be able to realize the sustainable development goals. Interestingly, the initiatives of environmental protections are themselves demanding and potentially a dilemma. Indeed, in many cases, the undertakers have to weigh between preserving the environment for its sake and fulfilling the social and economic needs, considering the two interests tend to clash. The case of Dakota Pipeline project that has been marred by the resistance

Ideally, the objectives and goals of the projects are framed in a way that the affected communities can benefit. The government has also often responded to the community concerns by providing solutions that would minimize the negative environmental impacts. In the Dakota Pipeline project, the government assured the communities that the process of exploitation would not harm the environment as feared because clean coal technologies would be utilized.

More importantly, it can be argued that the community social and economic status often affects the decisions of the people who support the projects perceived to be environmentally risky. The appealing nature of the project is determined by what it offers to improve the socioeconomic status of the communities. The pro-industrialists from the native populations support the project because of its promises. According to the undertakers, the pipeline is expected to benefit the local governments, shareholders, and oil companies. It will create over 12,000 jobs and generate over $55m per year as tax

The resistance arises out of two primary concerns, the native community interests, including the historical injustices, and environmental fears. The native communities are concerned that the project will result in the pollution of their water and land resources. Moreover, they are worried that the construction site happens to be part of the land that the government took from them illegally, yet they had not been consulted as part of the legal requirements. Environmentalists find that the project only happens to perpetuate the use and reliance on carbon fuel, which is an endeavor that negates the efforts of sustainable development using green energy. Nevertheless, some native Indians have often reconsidered tough positions to support specific projects that are potentially harmful to the environment because of the value of the incentives attached to it. The project undertakers, in many cases, have sought to liaise with the community members to sensitize them and address their fears, framing the goals of the project in a manner that would benefit them. When confronted with resistance, the government always seemed considerate, including responding by halting projects, conducting an environmental impact assessment, and countering the fears of the native