Dear friends,
Right now, the US is deciding whether to approve a monster oil pipeline that would unleash devastating levels of carbon pollution from Canada's dirty tar sands. The US State Department is holding a public comment process before the big decision, and insiders say they want a mandate to stand up to industry pressure. Let's help by flooding the comment process with an overwhelming mandate to kill this carbon bomb -- we only have days left:
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Right now, the US government is about to make the defining climate decision of Obama's presidency --
whether to approve a monstrous pipeline
that will transport up to 830,000 barrels a day 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 millions of tons of carbon into the atmosphere. It's been called
"a fuse to the biggest carbon bomb on the planet". Bold public action has delayed it once, and a court ruling last week has dealt a serious blow to the project. 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. He knows this decision is a vital litmus test for US global leadership to avert climate disaster. Let's turn it into a truly global referendum by flooding the consultation with a million voices from every country calling on them to kill Keystone and take the leadership role they say they want in the fight to save the planet.
We only have days until it closes - join here:http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_the_keystone_xl_pipeline_loc/?bQwOObb&v=36677The heat from Big Oil is already intense -- they've bought out the ads in DC subways that politicians pass through to get to work. If we hit a million signers, Avaaz will fight back on the DC battleground, taking out ads right next to theirs so Secretary Kerry and his staff see the people's voices first and loudest.
Big Oil ads are just the tip of the iceberg. We know that the US is under fire from industry lobbyists who will make serious money from the pipeline. But it will be at the cost of all of our futures.
Tar sands oil is the dirtiest dirty fossil fuel ever cooked up - releasing 3-4 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 be more sensitive to global opinion. Pipeline supporters are answering with claims of more 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.
We're already winning. Three years ago, this pipeline was a foregone conclusion. But then people-power swung into action -- thousands were arrested at the largest act of civil disobedience in the US in decades, and
Obama refused the initial proposal. 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 the Keystone carbon bomb:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_the_keystone_xl_pipeline_loc/?bQwOObb&v=36677Wherever we are in the world -- Alberta, Canada, where the pipeline would begin; the UK, still recovering from historic floods; Australia, just emerging from a summer ravaged by record fires, or any other country where extreme weather is taking its toll -- we're all downstream from climate change. If we stand together today, we can all be a part of a victory to stop this crazy pipeline and help build a strong climate movement.
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.html10 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.htmlOil 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...
Avaaz.org is a 33-million-person global campaign network that works to ensure that the views and values of the world's people shape global decision-making. ("Avaaz" means "voice" or "song" in many languages.) Avaaz members live in every nation of the world; our team is spread across 18 countries on 6 continents and operates in 17 languages. Learn about some of Avaaz's biggest campaigns here, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.
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