President Obama is to be commended for his rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline that would have been a critical link in a pipeline system designed to move oil from tar sands from Alberta Canada to the Gulf Coast.
Tar sands oil, like fracked gas, is a form of extreme energy only being exploited by the oil and gas industry because conventional forms of fossil fuels have become increasingly scarce. Extraction techniques required to get at these sources have already devastated frontline communities and natural resources. The climate impacts of continued development of fossil fuels, however, threaten everyone, everywhere.
As climate expert James Hansen put it in his 2012 NYT op-ed, developing tar sands alone means “game over” for the climate. In fact, every reputable climate scientist is imploring us to speed the transition to clean, renewable energy to avoid climate catastrophe. Berks Gas Truth founder Karen Feridun has been invited to Paris during the climate talks in December to join with other activists to press world leaders for a swift transition to sustainable energy and will be pressing, in particular, for a ban on fracking.
