Today, Archbishop Desmond Tutu led a campaign backed by 11 celebrities, scientists and political leaders from around the world publishing an open letter calling on US Secretary of State John Kerry to reject the Keystone XL pipeline project.
The call came as over 1.9 million people fed into the public consultation that ended today on whether the US government should approve the pipeline, which experts say would end any hope of the US meeting its 17% emission reduction target by 2020 when taking the full carbon costs of the project into account.1
The letter can be seen below and it contained the following call:
“US Secretary of State Kerry is about to make what may be the biggest decision on global climate policy of his term. The verdict on whether to approve or reject the Keystone XL pipeline could, in just one stroke, confirm or condemn America’s prospects for climate leadership. This is a US policy decision that will have truly global significance. Keystone XL is his chance to set a correction course on US energy policy and open up a new clean energy future. We hope he does.”
Supporting Desmond Tutu in signing the letter were Dr James Hansen who was the former head of NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, Yeb Saño – Climate leader, Philippines, the actress Daryl Hannah and director Fernando Meirelles together with 4 leading environmental politicians from across the world.
The letter was coordinated by the global civic movement Avaaz which saw 930,000 people from every country across the planet call on Kerry not to back the deal. The group also released a hard-hitting ad campaign across the DC Metro which can be seen here below and will be joining the protests outside the State department today.
Emma Ruby-Sachs, Avaaz Campaign Director said:
“Archbishop Tutu and a slew of other global leaders have joined 1.9 million people who are calling on the US to lead the world to a better climate future. It’s up to Kerry to listen and act. This decision could determine whether the US is serious about fighting to save the planet, or even able to meet its existing global emissions reductions.”
Keystone XL would pump up to 830,000 barrels per day of the world’s dirtiest oil from Canada across the US, contributing millions of tons of carbon into the atmosphere. Moreover, it would undercut US efforts to spur international climate ambition ahead of the crucial Paris climate summit next year, sending both market and political signals that tar sands and other extreme fossil fuels are an acceptable part of future energy production.
Opposition to the project is growing across the US with demonstrations taking place outside the State Department today and last Monday over 400 students were arrested in Washington in a protest called XL Dissent.
ENDS
For more information or to arrange interviews, please contact:
Will Davies in New York on +1 646-628-1210 and will@avaaz.org
Oscar Soria in San Francisco on +14152179392 and oscar@avaaz.org
Bert Wander in London on +44 796-801-7731 and bert@avaaz.org
Avaaz is a 34-million-person global civic network that works to ensure that the views and values of the world’s people shape global decision-making. “Avaaz” means “voice” or “song” in many languages. Avaaz members live in every nation of the world – our movement is spread across 194 countries on 5 continents and operates in 16 languages.
See below for 15,000 pages of live comments broadcasted to Kerry’s formal comment process: http://www.avaaz.org/StopKXLmsg
Link to the Avaaz petition http://www.avaaz.org/stopKXL
1 Keystone XL Pipeline: The “Significance” Trap, Carbon Tracker. 3/3/14 http://www.carbontracker.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Kxl-The-Significance-Trap_FINAL_03_03_2014.pdf
Full copy of the open letter
US Secretary of State Kerry is about to make what may be the biggest decision on global climate policy of his term. The verdict on whether to approve or reject the Keystone XL pipeline could, in just one stroke, confirm or condemn America’s prospects for climate leadership.
This is a US policy decision that will have truly global significance. Keystone has been called the “fuse to the biggest carbon bomb on the planet”. According to experts it would end any hope of America meeting existing international commitments to cutting emissions 17% by 2020, let alone forge new action. We the undersigned, call on Secretary Kerry to reject the Keystone XL pipeline and open up a pathway to clean and sustainable energy future.
But we are not alone. As of today, over 1.5 million people from the US and across the world have submitted formal comments and are standing with us, responding to Secretary Kerry’s call made in Jakarta for individuals and governments to turn up and fight climate change. Keystone XL is his chance to set a correction course on US energy policy and open up a new clean energy future. We hope he does.
Yours sincerely,
Desmond Tutu, Archbishop Emeritus
Dr James Hansen, former head of NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies
Yeb Saño, Climate leader, Philippines
Daryl Hannah, Actress
Fernando Meirelles, Director
Teresa Ribera – Secretary of State for Climate, Spain (former); current MP
Rebecca Harms – Co-Chair, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance
Christine Milne – Leader of The Australian Greens
Caroline Lucas – Green Party MP, UK
Kristin Bauer – Actress
Peter Robinson – CEO David Suzuki Foundation