Barack Obama rejects Keystone XL tar sands pipeline

The protest against the Keystone XL pipeline at the White House on 22 April 2014. Photo / 350.org

The global climate movement claimed an historic victory last week.

US President Barack Obama rejected the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, four years to the day after 15,000 protesters gathered to make a statement against it at the White House.

This is the first time a national leader has blocked a venture in fossil fuel specifically because of its predicted environmental effects. 350.org, who have played a significant part in the campaign against Keystone XL, say this sets an example for climate action going forward.

First Nations in Canada, where tar sands are being extracted, was where the movement against Keystone began, before expanding to include the voices of farmers, ranchers, tribal nations and citizens along the pipeline route.

The pipeline would have been used to transport 830,000 barrels per day of tar sands oil through the United States to be burned.

However, people uniting against Keystone has moved the President's hang to put a stop to this.

On the day that the decision was officially made to reject the pipeline, the movement's strength was ready to increase further still.

73 protesters against Keystone were engaged in a sit-in outside the Canadian Prime Minister's house; 20,000 citizens of the Philippines were preparing to march in remembrance of victims of Supertyphoon Haiyan, partially put down to climate change; and Europeans were readying themselves for protests at upcoming Paris climate change conference.

350.org, for one, is hopeful that the current vigor and victory of the climate movement will bode well for sending a signal at the Paris summit.

They say the recent victory against the Keystone XL pipeline says the movement can fight, and the movement can win.

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