In early November, 12,000 citizens encircled the White House to urge President Obama to not approve the Keystone XL pipeline. Just a few days later, President Obama decided to delay the pipeline decision until after the election. This delay effectively killed the pipeline, thereby demonstrating how much change we can affect as engaged citizens.
Keystone XL is a pipeline proposed by the Canadian company TransCanada that would connect the Alberta tar sands reserve to the Gulf of Mexico, which would open up a huge amount of climate-change causing emissions. It would increase worldwide dependence on oil, and could do serious damage to local Canadian and U.S. environments along the pipeline. TransCanada’s track record on environmental protection is less than reassuring that all precautions would be taken.
President Obama was the only person who could kill the pipeline because it crosses the American- Canadian border. Nevertheless, he was pushing off the decision and the State Department was putting pressure to move forward with the project.
In August, over 1,000 citizens were arrested at the White House in one of the biggest displays of peaceful civil disobedience since the Civil Rights Movement. And in November, what started as hope that 1,000 protestors would show up turned into 12,000 protestors. In the same week, President Obama decided to send the pipeline back to the drawing board, essentially killing the pipeline.
But the story here is not what President Obama did. It is what we did. Look at what we can do together! We can be the change we are waiting for. It is not always easy, but it can be done and must be done.
Believe it or not, we have power. We have influence. When enough people take the time to show that they care, the Powers That Be have to listen. President Obama’s decision shows us what is possible.
No comments:
Post a Comment