Over 40,000 people make up the “Forward on Climate” rally on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. They’re showing their opposition to the Keysone XL pipeline which would bring somewhere between 700,000 to 800,000 barrels of oil from the Alberta tar sands to refineries on the Gulf Coast of the United States. This is one of the many global projects which would only accelerate the rush towards environmental decimation. “The Keystone XL pipeline,” said Simon Donner, a climate scientist at UBC, “is part of the carbon infrastructure that will take us to dangerous levels of climate change.”

So it’s great to see this rally happening right now. Especially since it might very well achieve its goal. In order for the pipeline’s construction to go ahead, President Obama has to declare that it serves the “national interest” — which is clearly untrue. Perhaps this rally, and other demonstrations, will send the message that a lot of people do not consider it in the national interest to build this pipeline. Perhaps simple political calculation — if not sober scientific reasoning — will convince Obama that this pipeline must not go through.

 Now, I wonder why we don’t have a rally like this in Canada. The tar sands are in Alberta, and we have pipelines like the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline intent on coursing their way through our land. We have massive fracking projects in BC, liquefied natural gas projects, and coal export terminals, all ready to be expanded.

 Canada needs a “Forward on Climate” rally too. If it can be done down south, it can be done up here.

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