"Cynthia Giles, the E.P.A. assistant administrator for enforcement and compliance, said that the State Department had failed to adequately support its two fundamental conclusions supporting the project — that the climate change effects of building the pipeline would be negligible, and that Canada would develop the oil sands regardless of whether the $7 billion pipeline is built."
— The latest on Keystone XL: EPA criticizes State, while activists rally opposition
"As Lloyd has noted on TreeHugger before, stopping the Keystone pipeline won’t keep the tar sands in the ground or the carbon they will produce out of the atmosphere. Trans Canada could build a pipeline to the west or continue shipping the oil by rail, but as KC makes clear, to not speak out against this pipeline is to concede defeat. And when the stakes are a ruined atmosphere or a chance at preventing catastrophe, what choice do we have?"
— Why Keystone matters. It’s not just a pipeline.
"But for the sake of our children and our future, we must do more to combat climate change. Yes, it’s true that no single event makes a trend. But the fact is, the 12 hottest years on record have all come in the last 15. Heat waves, droughts, wildfires, and floods – all are now more frequent and intense. We can choose to believe that Superstorm Sandy, and the most severe drought in decades, and the worst wildfires some states have ever seen were all just a freak coincidence. Or we can choose to believe in the overwhelming judgment of science – and act before it’s too late."
— President Obama addresses climate, energy, infrastructure in State of the Union. Read the rest of his speech here. Twitter reactions here.
"So here’s where we go from here: If you were happy to hear Obama mention his desire to address climate change, you have just opted-in to the movement that will force him to act on this pledge. The cynics among us may claim that Obama’s pledge was empty, merely soundbites he won’t back up with action. To the cynics I say, call his bluff. Join the earnest among us and let us all together pressure this President, this Congress to act. What actions you take will be up to you, but act you must. If we don’t, we too are making empty promises. It was fitting then and it is fitting now to quote Ray Bradbury’s line on optimism: “Action is hope. At the end of each day, when you’ve done your work, you lie there and think, Well, I’ll be damned, I did this today. It doesn’t matter how good it is, or how bad—you did it. At the end of the week you’ll have a certain amount of accumulation. At the end of a year, you look back and say, I’ll be damned, it’s been a good year.” Let’s make 2013 a good year. Let’s help this President achieve the lofty goals he’s set for himself. Let’s make Obama’s second term the one upon which future generations look back and say, I’ll be damned, they really did it."
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- Chris Tackett
Obama Mentions Climate, But Action Depends On Us
"What if, over the past decade, New York City paid as much attention, both mental and fiscal, to making this city more resilient to extreme weather, rising sea levels and other current and future impacts of climate change as it has combatting terrorism—in the process turning militarizing the NYPD, with its own anti-aircraft weaponry, spying both domestically and internationally?"
— What if New York City Invested in Climate Adaptation Like it Has in Combating Terrorism?
