Bill McKibben arrested during Tar Sands protest
Activist and writer Bill Mckibben has been arrested in Washington DC this weekend while protesting against TransCanada's proposed plans to build a pipeline that would carry oil from the Alberta tar sands 1,700 miles to Texas.
Mckibben, who penned the introduction for I'm With the Bears, was campaigning as part of plans to raise awareness of the project and prevent its construction. Although he knew that he and fellow protesters risked arrest prior to the demonstration taking place, in a post for Red, Green and Blue, Mckibben emphasised the importance of spreading the message about these plans.
1) This is really really important. Jim Hansen, the world’s most important climatologist, has said that if we burn these tar sands in a big way it will be “essentially game over for the climate.” That’s worth reading again. The oil companies and the Koch Bros are willing to take a few years of big profits in return for cratering the planet’s climate system.Source: Red Green & Blue (http://s.tt/134Cb)
This is really really important. Jim Hansen, the world's most important climatologist, has said that if we burn these tar sands in a big way it will be "essentially game over for the climate." That's worth reading again. The oil companies and the Koch Bros are willing to take a few years of big profits in return for cratering the planet's climate system.
President Obama, thank God, can stop this one all by himself. The endless debate about how much he's been hamstrung by Congress doesn't apply here; the law requires that he, and he alone, sign the necessary certificate that this is in the public interest. If he vetoes it, the pipeline can't be built. As. Simple. As. That.
President Obama, thank God, can stop this one all by himself. The endless debate about how much he’s been hamstrung by Congress doesn’t apply here; the law requires that he, and he alone, sign the necessary certificate that this is in the public interest. If he vetoes it, the pipeline can’t be built. As. Simple. As. That.Source: Red Green & Blue (http://s.tt/134Cb)
McKibben and some 50 other protesters are being held until a hearing on 2pm Monday.McKibben and other campaigners, including Naomi Klein, had put out a call for direct action:
it's time to stop letting corporate power make the most important decisions our planet faces. We don't have the money to compete with those corporations, but we do have our bodies, and beginning in mid August many of us will use them. We will, each day, march on the White House, risking arrest with our trespass. We will do it in dignified fashion, demonstrating that in this case we are the conservatives, and that our foes-who would change the composition of the atmosphere are dangerous radicals. Come dressed as if for a business meeting-this is, in fact, serious business.
The Tar Sands protest is scheduled to last for two weeks; over 2,000 people have signed up to protest and risk being arrested.
There is speculation that the police are trying to deter the protest so that it does not detract from the dedication of the new Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial in Washington, scheduled for August 28.
Visit Care2 to read more about the arrest, and Red, Green and Blue to read Mckibben's article on the pipeline.
Visit the Tar Sand website to sign a petition to President Obama or, if you're feeling feisty, to volunteer to participate in the August protests.