In rock climbing, the “crux” of a climb is its most difficult part. At this point, you either fall or make a move to push on with everything you have. The inhabitants of this earth are at the crux of a transition that will happen one way or the other. What that transition is going to be, is being determined by many factors.
This pipeline project and the development of the tar sands industry, provide us with many examples of those factors. What does it mean to you when the worlds dirtiest, most expensive, and toxic unconventional fossil fuel is being labeled as a “viable” source of oil? By definition, viable means practicable. To then consider the worlds most destructive project as practicable should give some perspective of where we are in our development as a species. Most species try to protect their young. The leaders of our species seem to be following the path of the Dodo bird that followed the lemming off of the cliff.
The State Departments hearings to determine whether or not the Keystone XL is in our National Interest, are coming up soon. If we have alternative sources of energy then it is not unreasonable to demand that our National Interest must be focused on critical life sustaining finite resources, such as water and air, to which there are no alternatives. Ismail Serageldin, the World Bank's leading environment expert, warned that the "wars of the 21st century will be fought over water."
Less than 1% of the world's fresh water (~0.007% of all water on earth) is accessible for direct human uses. This is the water found in lakes, rivers, reservoirs and those underground sources that are shallow enough to be tapped at an affordable cost. Only this amount is regularly renewed by rain and snowfall, and is therefore available on a sustainable basis. The population is growing rapidly, putting more pressure on our water supply (demand is increasing). The amount of water is effectively reduced by pollution and contamination (supply is decreasing).
We must protect our resources. Without clean drinking water, it is a rapid and painful “game over” that will be felt in so many ways. The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights declared access to safe drinking water as a basic human right and that states should prioritize personal and domestic use over other uses.
Look at how much water is being contaminated by Tar Sands development already. It takes four to five barrels of water to extract one barrel of diluted bitumen and then only 10% of that is reclaimable while the rest end up in toxic tailing ponds so large that they can be seen from space. Anyone supporting this level of destruction should have child endangerment charges filed against them for knowingly and recklessly endangering the lives of our future generations.
Below, are four statements that demonstrate actual typical and accepted reckless practices that knowingly threaten our lives, land, air, and water.
1. The State Department analysis acknowledges that the Keystone XL pipeline system could spill as much as 1.7 million gallons of diluted bitumen a day without triggering the real-time leak detection system.”
2. TransCanada spokesman Jim Prescott said the company anticipates the final draft "will reach similar conclusions that the construction and operation of Keystone will have limited environmental impact.
3. After being repeatedly questioned about the toxic and corrosive nature of diluted bitumen, TransCanada spokesman Terry Cuhna said “TransCanada is not an oil company, and they're not responsible for what goes through their pipes.”
4. I personally asked TransCanada; “What would be the comparisons of corrosion or abrasion characteristics of the proposed materials flowing through the pipeline to the corrosion or abrasion characteristics of crude oil not derived from the tar or oil sands of Canada?” Their response was; “No study available.”
The oil industry is the most profitable industry in the world. US oil companies earn about $3 billion in profits every week, yet get $4 billion in taxpayer subsidies every year. However, our lives, land, air, and water are being disrespected on a grand scale and technically classified as “low consequence.” When money is the initiator, short term interest for the industry takes priority over the long term interests of the people.
My name is David Daniel, I am a carpenter from Texas and founder of STOP -Stop Tarsands Oil Pipelines. The Keystone XL would split my property in half. I have been fighting this for three years now and learn more every day. We are at the pivotal “crux move.” The earth is a living thing, it is sick, it has a virus and a fever. The earth must rest and recover but instead, we are making the earth work even harder.
We must take a holistic approach to healing the earth. Don’t overlook the underlying support mechanisms that enable such destruction, which in turn threatens our existence, just as you should not overlook an infection on your little toe, it could threaten your existence. These support mechanisms include things like, but not limited to; deceptive practices, fraud, bullying tactics, human rights violations, subsidies to profitable companies that commit violation after violation, lack of political will, public apathy, legal loopholes, an imbalanced justice system that favors the bigger wallet, out of control lobbying, etc, etc, etc. Theses are all part of the picture of a failed system and without adequately addressing each enabling source, the problem will not go away, it evolves and adapts just as a virus would do.
I will be participating in the civil disobedience action at the White House, I believe it is necessary considering the urgency of our situation. There are so many critical issues that surround the Keystone XL pipeline, that people with diametrically opposed belief systems are finding the reasons that speak to them, and are standing together in solidarity in whatever way they can, and are saying “NO” to this dangerous and destructive project.
www.stoptarsands.org
Meteor Blades and PDNC organized this blogathon for August 14-19 before he took a "leave of absence" from Daily Kos last week. For now, this will be the last of many projects, blogathons, and diary series that the two of them have done over the years on environmental, climate change, human rights, and political issues.
In honor and respect for our dear friend and project partner, this blogathon is dedicated to Meteor Blades by our blogathon team of PDNC, rb137 and JekyllnHyde.
"Stop Tar Sands" Blogathon: How You Can Help
Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse has coordinated this blogathon with Bill McKibben, who is one of the organizers for a civil disobedience action in DC from August 20th to September 3rd to urge President Obama to not give a presidential permit for the proposed tar sands XL pipeline from Alberta down to Texas. This civil disobedience action is modeled on one that the group Transafrica used outside the Washington Embassy in the 1980s: Nelson Mandela said it played a key role in raising awareness about apartheid. The plan is for a new group of people each day of the two weeks to trespass on the sidewalk in front of the White House.
This is not a protest of President Obama. As Bill McKibben noted, the protest is designed to show President Obama the "depth of support for turning down this boondoggle" as it will be the "biggest civil disobedience protest in the environmental movement for many many years."
We know what the future will look like with the XL pipeline.
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