Fw: The biggest carbon bomb on the planet -- days to act

[hayley le marquand]

On Wednesday, 26 February 2014, 11:51, Pascal V. - Avaaz.org <av...@avaaz.org> wrote:

Dear friends,

Right now, President Obama is deciding whether to approve a massive pipeline that would release dangerous levels of pollution from Canada's dirty tar sands. But the State Department is holding an open comment process before the big decision. Insiders say Obama doesn't want to give in to industry pressure, let's give him the support he needs to stop this carbon bomb of destruction:

Right now, the US government is mulling over the defining climate decision of Obama's presidency -- whether to approve a monstrous pipeline that will transport up to 830,000 barrels of the world's dirtiest oil from Canada across the US.
 
If approved, the Keystone XL pipeline will help pump billions of dollars into the pockets of a few companies... but also billions of tons of carbon into the atmosphere. It's been called "a fuse to the biggest carbon bomb on the planet", but bold public action has delayed it once, and a court ruling last week has put the project on hold. Now, if we act fast and in massive numbers, we can help kill it for good.
 
The US Secretary of State, responsible for the US's relationship with the world, has opened a final round of comments from the public. Let's flood the consultation with a million signatures from every corner of the world calling on Kerry to refuse the Keystone permit and save the planet. We only have days until it closes -- click now to join:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_the_keystone_xl_pipeline_sign_sam_37/?bkrEcab&v=36528

Tar sands oil is the dirtiest dirty fossil fuel ever cooked up - releasing 3 times the global warming pollution of normal petrol! Last year, Obama said he’d let Keystone go ahead only if it was found to be in the US’s national interest and if it could be proven that it wouldn’t worsen the climate crisis for future generations. And Secretary of State Kerry, who made climate change one of his signature issues, wants to lead on the world stage, so he’ll care if we raise a ruckus.
 
Pipeline supporters say it will bring construction jobs and greater independence from petro-states. But Obama knows that the real jobs are in clean energy and that climate change is perhaps the greatest threat to US and global security there is, let alone other potential disasters from the project like oil spills, threats to drinking water, and illegal use of native lands. The "all of the above" approach he advocates isn’t a real option.
  
This isn't just a battle we have to win -- it's also one we’re winning. Three years ago, this pipeline was a foregone conclusion. But then people-power swung into action -- thousands of people got arrested at the largest act of civil disobedience in the US in decades, and Obama rejected the initial proposal. Since then it’s become the defining environmental rallying call in the US -- from people locking themselves to actual portions of the pipe, to protests at Obama’s campaign offices, and a major legal victory last week. 
 
Let's do our part now by collecting the most international comments EVER for a US government decision and give Secretary Kerry and President Obama the public cover they need to reject it.

http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_the_keystone_xl_pipeline_sign_sam_37/?bkrEcab&v=36528

The pressure is building -- just hours after the US released its latest study on Keystone XL, activists gathered by the thousands, protesting in 49 US states, demanding the government to say no to the pipeline. Wherever we are in the world -- Alberta, Canada, where the pipeline would begin; London, still recovering from historic floods; Australia, just emerging from a summer ravaged by record fires -- we’re all downstream from climate change. But if we stand together, we can all be a part of a movement strong enough to stop it. 

With hope, 

Pascal, David, Luis, Antonia, Emma, Patri, Wen, Ricken, and the Avaaz team

SOURCES:

Pressure is on Kerry as Keystone pipeline decision nears (Washington Post): 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/pressure-is-on-kerry-as-keystone-pipeline-deci...

Pipeline Fight Lifts Environmental Movement (New York Times):
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/25/us/keystone-xl-pipeline-fight-lifts-environmental-movement.html

10 Reasons to Oppose the Keystone XL Pipeline (The Huffington Post):
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rose-ann-demoro/10-reasons-to-oppose-the-_1_b_4791713.html

Oil sands pollution two to three times higher than thought (Yahoo News):
http://news.yahoo.com/oil-sands-pollution-two-three-times-higher-thought-210153802.html

How Much Will Tar Sands Oil Add to Global Warming? (Scientific American):
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/tar-sands-and-keystone-xl-pipeline-impact-on-global-warmin...

Foreign Company Tries To Seize U.S. Land For Keystone Pipeline (Forbes):
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2014/02/24/foreign-company-tries-to-seize-u-s-land-for-keysto...

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