-- by Horatio Algeranon
Keystone is the keystone
To change the climate change
Rejection is the right tone
To re-arrange the range.
In his second inaugural address, President Obama emphasized the seriousness of climate change. If there is one issue that will (forever) define his own seriousness regarding climate change, it is his upcoming decision on the Keystone pipeline.
At the very least, we need to write in (to the White House, to members of Congress, to the local newspapers) to indicate why approving Keystone would be a very bad idea and why rejecting the project would send the powerful message which actually needs to be sent: that Obama, as President, and we, as a country, are serious about addressing climate change.
Anything less than outright rejection of Keystone will send just the opposite message.
Anything less than outright rejection of Keystone will send just the opposite message.
Dear Mr. President,
You take office for the second time at a critical moment. As you may know, the U.S. has just recorded the hottest year in its history, beating the old mark by a full degree; the same year that saw the deep Midwest drought, and the fury of Hurricane Sandy, also witnessed the rapid and unprecedented melt of the Arctic ice pack.
If we are to restrain the rise in the planet's temperature, it will require strong action from, among others, the planet's sole superpower. Some of that work will be difficult, requiring the cooperation of Congress. But other steps are relatively easy.
Eighteen months ago some of us wrote you about the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, explaining why in our opinion its construction ran counter to both national and planetary interests. Nothing that has happened since has changed that evaluation; indeed, the year of review that you asked for on the project made it clear exactly how pressing the climate issue really is.
We hope, as scientists, that you will demonstrate the seriousness of your climate convictions by refusing to permit Keystone XL; to do otherwise would be to undermine your legacy.
Thank you,
For another ditty on this, read Glocken Keystone
