Climate rally in DC yesterday-will it matter?

From Jenna Pope link

That's the flag we all walk with.

Some excellent photos from the rally

DID YOU HEAR US, OBAMA?



Climate Rally in DC Yesterday

By Valerie Volcovici

WASHINGTON | Sun Feb 17, 2013 6:37pm EST (Reuters) - Thousands of protesters gathered on the Washington's National Mall on Sunday calling on President Barack Obama to reject the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline proposal and honor his inaugural pledge to act on climate change.

Organizers of the "Forward on Climate" event estimated that 35,000 people from 30 states turned out in cold, blustery conditions for what they said was the biggest climate rally in U.S. history. Police did not verify the crowd size.

Protesters also marched around the nearby White House, chanting "Keystone pipeline? Shut it down." Among the celebrities on hand were actresses Rosario Dawson and Evangeline Lilly, and hedge fund manager and environmentalist Tom Steyer.

The event came days after a bipartisan group of U.S. senators made the latest call for Obama to approve the $5.3 billion pipeline, seen by many as an engine for job growth and another step toward energy independence.

A new poll by Harris Interactive showed 69 percent of respondents said they support construction of the pipeline, with only 17 percent saying they oppose it.

One of Sunday's main organizers, climate activist Bill McKibben, said that approving the pipeline, which would transport crude oil from the oil sands of northern Alberta to refineries and ports in Texas, would be akin to lighting a "carbon bomb" that could cause irreparable harm to the climate.

"For 25 years our government has basically ignored the climate crisis: now people in large numbers are finally demanding they get to work," said McKibben, founder of the environmental group 350.org.

Other major organizing groups on Sunday included the Sierra Club and the Hip-Hop Caucus.

The proposed TransCanada Corp project has been pending for 4-1/2 years. A revised route through Nebraska, which would avoid crossing sensitive ecological zones and aquifers, was approved by that state's governor last month.

Backers of Keystone, which would transport 830,000 barrels of oil per day, say it would provide thousands of jobs in the United States and increase North American energy security.

Environmentalists oppose the pipeline because the oil sands extraction process is carbon intensive, and say the oil extracted is dirtier than traditional crude oil.

Van Jones, Obama's former green jobs adviser, said if the president approved the pipeline just weeks after pledging to act on climate change, it would overshadow other actions Obama takes to reduce pollution.

"There is nothing else you can do if you let that pipeline go through. It doesn't matter what you do on smog rules and automobile rules - you've already given the whole game way," said Jones, who is president of Rebuild the Dream, a non-government organization.

Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, the lone member of Congress to speak at the rally, told Reuters Obama risked creating a "credibility gap" if he approved the pipeline.

"He would have to roll out a very complete and very strong package to offset something that on its own is described by government scientist as ‘game-over' on climate," he said.

Still, some of Obama's core constituents favor the pipeline, including the labor union AFL-CIO's building and construction unit, which sees the potential for job creation for its members, and certain Democratic lawmakers.

In January, nine Democratic senators joined 44 Republicans in urging the president to approve Keystone XL.

~~

So we saw thousands converge on Washington DC to tell Obama not to approve the Keystone XL pipeline and to act on climate change as he stated he would... And he was in Florida golfing with Tiger Woods.

He should have been there but of course he gets a pass. He is allowing a great amount of environmental destruction and toxification to take place with continuing natural gas fracking and opening up more land to oil and even if the Keystone XL is not approved, we still have the Bakken oil shale flares that can be seen from space, the Utah Tarsands, other tarsands pipelines already in use that have leaked, more offshore drilling... What about all of that?

I am very upset that all of this continues while politicians get to continue their magic show of smoke and mirrors and doublespeak. Hurricane Sandy was right on top of me, so I don't feel any of them deserve anymore time to continue the talk. We need to see some serious walk not more golfing. I expect an executive action from him to coincide with his caring about what the scientists say now. We don't have much time for anymore political bickering.

I applaud people for taking the time to do this though to be honest I did not go in order to save carbon emissions and because I simply couldn't afford it, but I was active online among the million others who were as well. However, I am really now beginning to wonder if this one rally is going to be enough to keep him from approving the Northern leg of the pipeline when he already approved the Southern leg and it is disturbing. Canada is also exuding great pressure regarding this and even Democrats in Congress are joining with Republicans to support it using the job creation red herring. Therefore, I think that the theory brought out in the previous posting here may well be what does happen especially considering he didn't even have the courtesy to stay in DC or acknowledge the rally at all.

No Alternative To CO2 Drawdown

This is also what I am concerned about (referring to link) that this is already known which is why the "market based solutions" mentioned in the SOTU really refer to geoengineering (which BTW is being pushed by EXXON, Bill Gates (who downplays these effects as being due to climate change) and other companies looking to profit from this crisis. This is about profit to them. Look at how far gone the Arctic already is and all of the countries now scrambling to drill there for its resources and announcing using new shipping routes. And the former arbitrage hedge fund manager and "environmentalist" Tom Steyer mentioned above has counselled Obama on his "energy efficiency" standard over twenty years in the hope of making some investors some big money off this conversion. Don't get me wrong, energy efficiency in buildings over the next twenty years is a good thing but it isn't the entire answer and doesn't address the moral consequences of this crisis we are already seeing unfold. I believe this Tom Steyer is actually being considered to take Steven Chu's place. Another Wall Street Banker. What a surprise.

I suppose we will now once again have to wait and see what the outcome is now that Obama has had a climate conversion and will of course most certainly be enacting an executive decision on this because he knows to now put this in the hands of the EPA or Congress won't be enough and only further delay action. Right? Perhaps I should send him the link above to read while he is golfing.

Or this:

European sat data confirms UW numbers-Arctic on thin ice