Environmental Justice

reposted from 350.org by Bill McKibben

Yesterday was one of the truly fun days in this whole wild year of organizing. We had hundreds of referees outside the Capitol, and we blew our whistles like crazy, and we threw penalty flags, and we had a hell of a good time.

My favorite scene, actually, was watching hundreds of people in ref shirts descending the escalators to the subway for the ride to the day’s final stop, the American Petroleum Institute. It was an endless line of black and white, a long human stripe of fair play!

Not only that, it was productive. Two great things happened: one, Senator Bernie Sanders announced at the demonstration that he’s introducing a bill to remove all the subsidies from the fossil fuel industry. And two, Barack Obama, eight hours later in his State of the Union address, joined us to demand that handouts to the world’s richest companies stop. The speech wasn’t perfect — he called for far too much new drilling — but this was an important bright spot.

Ending those handouts is absolutely crucial to our big fight against climate change. A new report from the International Energy Agency shows that ending subsidies for the fossil fuel industry will cut half the carbon emissions we need to stop catastrophic climate change. And it’s partly because they take so much monety from the government that Big Oil can afford to spend millions lobbying for projects like Keystone XL.

It felt darned good to be on the offensive for once, not just trying to beat back disasters like Keystone, but taking the battle to Big Oil.
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Guy Quinlan, Member of the UU-UNO Climate Task Force

TELL THE PRESIDENT TO REJECT THE KEYSTONE PIPELINE

The payroll tax compromise signed on December 22 gives the President only 60 days to decide on the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, which would transport oil produced from the Canadian tar sands to the Gulf coast. He should disapprove the project, because it would be an environmental disaster:

• Extremely high carbon content makes the tar sands possibly the dirtiest energy source on the planet.
• The process of extracting oil from the tar sands produces two to four times as much greenhouse gas (GHG) emission as the production of conventional crude oil.
• Exploitation of the tar sands would sabotage efforts to reduce GHG emissions and stabilize the global climate.
• The pipeline would threaten to contaminate aquifers which are a key source of drinking water for the region.
• Part of the pipeline would pass through active seismic areas which have experienced earthquakes as recently as 2002.
• The project would not advance energy independence, since the greater part of the oil would probably be exported to Asia.
• Although advocates of the pipeline are touting it as a source of jobs, it would produce many fewer jobs than alternative investments in renewable energy, and groundwater contamination from a pipeline leak could  cripple the economy of the Midwest.

Recommended action:  Contact the White House and leave a message urging the President to reject the Keystone XL pipeline. Call 202-456-1111 and ask for the comment operator, or send an email by going to www.whitehouse.gov and click “Submit Questions and Comments.”

For more information, see the UU-UNO Climate Portal pages on the Keystone XL Pipeline

You can also sign a petition at NDRC

Guest Post by Pam Sparr
Environmental Justice & Sustainable Development Consultant

“I agree with Reverend Yearwood of the Hip Hop Caucus who proclaims climate change and the struggle to prevent the Keystone XL Pipeline from being built is our generation’s ‘lunch counter moment’. This is a racial justice issue.  It is an economic justice issue. It is an environmental justice issue.

As a Unitarian Universalist, I recognize the Earth as a sacred gift. I believe we have a moral obligation to protect all life – human and otherwise, now and into the future. Unitarian Universalists have a great history of standing up for what is right. I wanted to help continue that tradition by being present at the rally.  I am putting my body on the line for the indigenous people who are already hurting because of climate change and those who will be harmed further if this pipeline goes through. I am putting my body on the line for those people living in poverty around the world who are already hurting because of climate change. I am putting my body on the line because of all the unemployed people who could be put to work retrofitting buildings to make them more energy efficient. I am putting my body on the line for my godchildren, my niece, the children in my neighborhood and around the world. They are the ones who will really pay the price of the decisions our elected leaders make today.

This is one very large decision with a potentially very large, negative impact. It is in one person’s hands. It is important to show President Obama that we want him to live up to his campaign promises and to demonstrate the courage of his convictions. We waste too much energy in the U.S.  We live way out of proportion, with too little regard as to the cumulative impact of our country’s actions on the rest of the world. It is high time we move towards clean, renewable energy and creating jobs with a more life-affirming economic strategy.”