After years of grassroots climate campaigning Obama cancels Keystone XL pipeline

Yesterday, after many years of delay, President Obama cancelled the Keystone XL pipeline project that would bring the bitumenous oil from the Alberta tar sands to the oil refineries on the Gulf coast.

The pipeline was condemned as opening up tar sands production and enhancing carbon pollution causing climate change. James Hansen famously said in 2011 that it would be game over for the climate if the Keystone XL pipeline was ever allowed to be built.

Stopping the Keystone XL project became highly symbolic for the climate movement and entailed building a broad coalition of indigenous first nation people, ranchers, students, scientists, and activists from all walks of life and from across Canada and the United States.

It involved civil disobedience at the point of construction and more symbolic arrests in front of the White House to lobby and pressure the Obama administration to walk the talk on climate action and not be bullied by the cashed up fossil fuel lobby.

“This is a historic moment, not just for what it means about avoiding the impacts of this disastrous pipeline but for all of those who spoke out for a healthy, liveable climate and energy policies that put people and wildlife ahead of pollution and profits,” said Valerie Love with the Center for Biological Diversity in a media statement. “President Obama did the right thing, but he didn’t do it alone: Millions of Americans made their voices heard on this issue, and will continue pressing Obama and other political leaders to do what’s necessary to avoid climate catastrophe.”

“History will hopefully remember this as a moment when the tide began to turn significantly against the forces that have fueled the climate crisis for so long. And there’s no doubt that this hard-earned win attests to the power of the climate movement and sends an undeniable message that Americans want clean energy now,” Love said. “We still have a lot of work to do to get off fossil fuels, but this is proof we have power and we’re on the right track.”

Julie Bishop evades on climate change as a risk to security at Obama #SOTU speech

Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop is in Washington for a series of meetings on security and terrorism. But equating Climate Change as a security threat? That is a question to be evaded and instead put out some untruthful spin on the Government's climate change 'good story'.

Bishop was invited to attend President Obama's 2015 State of the Union address by House of Representatives speaker John Boehner.

11.10pm doorstop for @JulieBishopMP in DC after attending #SOTU pic.twitter.com/Lr1ttbqvCK

— Lisa Millar (@LisaMillar) January 21, 2015

In his 6th State of the Union Speech to the Republican controlled Congress, Obama continued his strong stance on tackling climate change. This is the excerpt on climate change from the full transcript of the prepared speech available from CNN.

Obama's climate Action plan and Australia

Last week President Barack Obama launched his Climate Action Plan for the United States at Georgetown University. It outlines the executive and regulatory actions to cut US greenhouse gas emissions to 17 per cent below their 2005 levels by 2020. The plan follows up in detail Obama's statements on tackling climate change in his inauguration speech and State of the Union Speech.

But the plan does not go far enough to meet the magnitude of the crisis, and really only meets the US voluntary commitments made by Obama at the 2009 Copenhagen UNFCCC climate conference. Such voluntary commitments still fall far short of limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius and are likely to result in 3 to 5 degrees C of arming by the end of the century.

"We're happy to see the president finally addressing climate change but the plain truth is that what he's proposing isn't big enough, and doesn't move fast enough, to match the terrifying magnitude of the climate crisis," said Bill Snape, a senior counsel with the Center for Biological Diversity.

Obama: "We will respond to the threat of climate change..."

President Obama at his 2nd term inauguration as the 44th President of the United States has announced that tackling the issue of climate change will be a priority. In his 20 minute speech he devoted an entire section to the climate issue:

"We, the people, still believe that our obligations as Americans are not just to ourselves, but to all posterity. We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations.

"Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires, and crippling drought, and more powerful storms.

"The path towards sustainable energy sources will be long and sometimes difficult. But America cannot resist this transition; we must lead it. We cannot cede to other nations the technology that will power new jobs and new industries – we must claim its promise.

"That is how we will maintain our economic vitality and our national treasure – our forests and waterways; our croplands and snowcapped peaks. That is how we will preserve our planet, commanded to our care by God. That’s what will lend meaning to the creed our fathers once declared."

Related: Australian political responses to Obama's climate change Inauguration speech

Obama urged to use Clean Air Act after USA experiences hottest year on record

Taking action on Climate Change is looming for President Obama. The United States experienced it's warmest year on record in 2012 according to NOAA. 2012 was also the second most extreme year on record. Over 70 environment organisations have urged Obama to use the Clean Air Act to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide clean energy jobs.

The contigous United States had an average annual temperature of 55.3°F which was 3.2°F above the 20th century average. The 2012 annual temperature was 1.0°F warmer than the previous record warm year of 1998. Read a quick summary by the World Resources Institute: By the Numbers: The Hottest Year on Record

"In 117 years of data the record low temperatures to 1998's previous record high average, all sit within a four degree Fahrenheit band, 2012 is 1 degree Fahrenheit above that band," said Jake Crouch, climate scientist, NOAA's National Climatic Data Center (NCDC).

The extent of heat records broken in 2012 is a disturbing trend globally. Australia is currently experiencing an extreme heatwave with Australia's Bureau of Meteorology saying that many temperature records exceeded and requiring an extra two colours added to the top end of the temperature scale.

Shaye Wolf, climate science director with the Center for Biological Diversity made a brief statement in reaction to the NOAA announcement calling for President Obama to use his powers through the Clean Air Act to fight greenhouse gas emissions.

"This disturbing news puts the heat on President Obama to take immediate action against carbon pollution," said Dr. Wolf. "The blazing temperatures that scorched America in 2012 are a bitter taste of the climate chaos ahead. Science tells us that our rapidly warming planet will endure more heat waves, droughts and extreme weather. The president needs to start making full use of the Clean Air Act to fight greenhouse gas emissions, before it's too late."

Climate Activists call on Obama to stop Indonesian Deforestation

Activists from a Climate Camp in the forests of Indonesia have taken direct action locking down earrthmoving and logging equipment. The site on the Kampar Peninsula of the island of Sumatra is being logged and cleared by Asia Pacific Resources International Holding Ltd (APRIL), one of the largest pulp and paper companies in Indonesia, to make way for tree plantations, grown for pulp and paper. All the activists have been detained by Police.

Related: Climate Defenders Camp established to preserve Indonesian Rainforest Peatlands | Photoset of Direct Action | APRIL watch Blog | Pulpmill watch | REDD Indonesia | Greenpeace Climate Rescue Blog