Dakota Access Pipeline Protests redefined the environmental movement for the new wave of climate movements of the 2010s. The Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) is being built through North Dakota in the Bakken oil fields to South Dakota to Iowa and Illinois. Its purpose is to get underground oil. The construction of the pipeline causes drinking water pollution to the main drinking water sources like the Mississippi River, the Missouri River, and Lake Oahe of the Standing Rock Reservation, which is home to many Native Americans and indigenous groups. Building this pipeline directly impacts their quality of life, as their water is being polluted with toxic chemicals. This water will also be unusable for agricultural purposes, thus affecting not only the water resources of the Standing Rock tribes but also their food. The pipeline goes through several historical and culturally significant burial grounds of the Standing Rock Reservations. Bulldozing through these sacred areas is as insulting as driving a tractor through the White House for the Standing Rock Reservations. The pipeline was approved for construction in early 2016, sparking direct protest in April 2016. A youth native group called “Rezpect Our Water” emerged and started protesting at the construction site. These youth groups encouraged adults both native and non-native to join in on the protests. The protesters were mainly non-violent, but the police used forces like drenching them in ice water during winter months, which were severely criticized by the media. High profile officials like presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and President Barack Obama met with the protestors. The movement grew exponentially with protestors even setting up camps and living at the construction sites. These protests were attended by people all over the country, and the #NoDAPL trended on social media. President Obama signed an order that prevented the pipeline’s ease of construction in 2017, but unfortunately, a few months later Trump signed an order allowing the construction to resume. The pipeline is being built, but the Standing Rock tribes sued the building of the Dakota Access Pipeline in 2020, and there is still a lot of determined fight against this injustice. 

The DAPL protests redefined the environmental movement. It was a youth-led movement, setting the tone for the Youth Climate Strikes of 2018 and the Fridays for Future movement, among so many others. This was one of the first viral environmental movements as well, as the youth used #NoDAPL to highlight this issue, popularizing the importance of social activism of this generation and spreading important news despite the initial media biases. DAPL protests were attended by celebrities and high profile politicians, bringing much needed publicity to this cause and raising awareness and conversations within the public. It inspired a generation of climate activists. The protestors included the likes of AOC, who cosponsored the Green New Deal, and Jamie Margolin, who founded Zero Hour and the first youth climate strikes in the world, both of whom were moved to act through protesting the construction of the DAPL. It also brought attention to the environmental injustices present in our society, as BIPOC are more likely to suffer the impacts of environmental pollution and changes. Previously native groups were forcefully silenced, but not as much anymore after the DAPL protests.

The DAPL protests strongly influenced the development of my personal environmental values and beliefs. Seeing youth at the forefront of this movement made me realize that I could too make a change, despite my age. If they could bring national attention to such an important issue and set a narrative, then I could join such groups and perhaps even become a climate activist. The movement also opened my eyes to the other side of anthropogenic environmental degradation that goes beyond climate change. Creating the DAPL had nothing to do with global warming and everything to do with greed and selfishness. I understood that environmental change is an economic and social issue, as much as it is a STEM issue. The DAPL movement taught me the effectiveness of protests, and opened my eyes to climate racism which is especially relevant now during the Black Lives Matter. The DAPL protests helped me understand the significance of community within the activism field. Before learning about the DAPL protests, I was completely unaware of the intricacies of socio-economic inequalities, intersection of POC anti-racism actions, and human money focused industries. I also became more ecocentric upon investigating the native knowledge systems that stressed the importance of connecting with nature. They believe in an objects’ value for existing, which is known as intrinsic value within the environmental sciences. The DAPL protests argued for the cultural significance of the “ seemingly empty” land. The native groups claimed that although the land might look empty to people that don’t understand the value, the beauty should be enough to preserve it. This view solidified within me the ecocentric viewpoint. It taught me that sometimes rebellion is needed to redefine a movement. The protesters were arrested, fined, and insulted, but they persisted and still continue in their journey to ensuring clean water and respect for the Standing Rock Reservation. That pure idealistic want of youth to change the world is what led to the Green New Deal’s proposition and the Youth Climate Strikes. The hope is what pushes us forward to attempting to change climate change.