Forward on Climate

Last updated
Protester seeks a decision against the Keystone XL Pipeline at the Forward on Climate Rally and March, February 17, 2013, in Washington, DC. 2013 0217 142720AA.JPG
Protester seeks a decision against the Keystone XL Pipeline at the Forward on Climate Rally and March, February 17, 2013, in Washington, DC.

The Forward on Climate rally was held at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. on February 17, 2013. [1] The goal of the demonstration was to spur President Barack Obama and Congress to take more action to address global warming. Opposition to the proposed expansion of the Keystone XL Pipeline, that was still pending at the time, was a particular focus of the rally.

Contents

The event featured a range of speakers, including indigenous leaders, youth activists, and political figures such as Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and Van Jones, who emphasized the need for action to address climate change and called for the rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline. [2]

Among the speakers were Sierra Club Director Michael Brune, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, actress and activist Rosario Dawson, 350.org founder Bill McKibben, [3] and Obama's former Special Advisor for Green Jobs Van Jones. [4] Participants marched from the National Mall to the White House. Attendance was estimated at 35,000 (estimates ranged from 10,000 by a police officer [3] to 50,000 by 350.org [5] [6] ), and was thought to have been the largest climate rally in American history. [7] [8]

The rally was arranged by the Sierra Club, the Hip Hop Caucus, 350.org, [9] and other organizations. [10]

Reception

Patrick Michaels of the Cato Institute said that if the Keystone XL pipeline were constructed, people would be employed to maintain it. He dismissed fears over the project, saying

It reminds me of the TransCanada pipeline that was supposed to cause all these problems and wreak all this havoc. It never did. All it did was supply oil.

He praised hydrofracturing for making a greater supply of natural gas available, and urged less governmental involvement in the energy sector. [9]

In his State of the Union address the following week, President Obama said [9] [11] [12]

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.

The utterance was mentioned in several news stories about the rally.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ogallala Aquifer</span> Water table aquifer beneath the Great Plains in the United States

The Ogallala Aquifer is a shallow water table aquifer surrounded by sand, silt, clay, and gravel located beneath the Great Plains in the United States. As one of the world's largest aquifers, it underlies an area of approximately 174,000 sq mi (450,000 km2) in portions of eight states. It was named in 1898 by geologist N. H. Darton from its type locality near the town of Ogallala, Nebraska. The aquifer is part of the High Plains Aquifer System, and resides in the Ogallala Formation, which is the principal geologic unit underlying 80% of the High Plains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daryl Hannah</span> American actress and environmental activist (born 1960)

Daryl Hannah is an American actress. She made her film debut in Brian De Palma's supernatural horror film The Fury (1978). She has starred in various films across the years, including as Pris Stratton in Ridley Scott's science fiction thriller Blade Runner (1982) and as Cathy Featherstone in Randal Kleiser's romantic comedy Summer Lovers (1982), as the mermaid Madison in Ron Howard's fantasy-romantic comedy Splash (1984), Roxanne Kowalski in the romantic comedy Roxanne (1987), Darien Taylor in Oliver Stone's drama Wall Street (1987), and Annelle Dupuy Desoto in the comedy-drama Steel Magnolias (1989). In 2005, Hannah won a Saturn Award for her role as one-eyed assassin Elle Driver in Quentin Tarantino's martial arts action film Kill Bill: Vol. 2. In 2015, she appeared in the Netflix series Sense8 as Angelica Turing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill McKibben</span> American environmentalist and writer

William Ernest McKibben is an American environmentalist, author, and journalist who has written extensively on the impact of global warming. He is the Schumann Distinguished Scholar at Middlebury College and leader of the climate campaign group 350.org. He has authored a dozen books about the environment, including his first, The End of Nature (1989), about climate change, and Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out? (2019), about the state of the environmental challenges facing humanity and future prospects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TC Energy</span> Canadian energy company

TC Energy Corporation is a major North American energy company, based in the TC Energy Tower building in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, that develops and operates energy infrastructure in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. The company operates three core businesses: Natural Gas Pipelines, Liquids Pipelines and Energy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Power Shift (conference)</span>

Power Shift is an annual youth summit which has been held in New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. Other Power Shift Conferences are also being organised by members of the International Youth Climate Movement including Africa, Japan and India. The focus of the events is on climate change policy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keystone Pipeline</span> Oil pipeline in North America

The Keystone Pipeline System is an oil pipeline system in Canada and the United States, commissioned in 2010 and owned by TC Energy and, as of March 2020, the Government of Alberta. It runs from the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin in Alberta to refineries in Illinois and Texas, and also to oil tank farms and an oil pipeline distribution center in Cushing, Oklahoma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Power Shift Network</span> Youth environmental justice organisation

Power Shift Network is a North American non-profit organization made up of a network of youth-led social and environmental justice organizations working together to build the youth clean energy and climate movement. It runs campaigns in the United States and Canada to build grassroots power and advocate for tangible changes on climate change and social justice at local, state, national and international levels in North America. The organization changed its name from Energy Action Coalition in July 2016 in order to reflect its new leadership and it shift from a coalition to a network structure. The Power Shift Network's members, which include other non-profit organizations and student groups focused on environmental justice, social justice, and climate change, focus their organizing and campaigns on campuses, communities, corporate practices, and politics. The Power Shift Network is part of the Global Youth Climate Movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">350.org</span> International environmental NGO

350.org is an international environmental organization addressing the climate crisis. Its stated goal is to end the use of fossil fuels and transition to renewable energy by building a global, grassroots movement.

Greenpeace USA is the United States affiliate of Greenpeace International, an environmental nonprofit organization that spawned a social movement inspired by direct actions on the high seas to stop whaling and nuclear testing. Headquartered in Washington D.C., Greenpeace U.S.A. operates with an annual budget of approximately $40 million, employing over 500 people in 2020. The organization relies on donations from members, refuses corporate contributions and refrains from endorsing political candidates, though in 2020 Greenpeace USA issued climate scorecards for presidential candidates and ranked them from best to worst on climate

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tar Sands Blockade</span>

Tar Sands Blockade is a grassroots coalition of affected Texas and Oklahoma people and climate justice organizers who use peaceful and sustained civil disobedience to stop the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. Tar Sands Blockade used nonviolent direct action to stop construction of the pipeline throughout East Texas including banner drops, lockdowns, and tree sits. They are best known for a large scale tree sit outside Winnsboro, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great March for Climate Action</span> US Climate Change organization

Bob

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Native American policy of the Barack Obama administration</span>

The United States public policy agenda on issues affecting Native Americans under the Obama administration includes the signing of the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010, which allowed tribal courts to extend and expand sentences handed down to them in criminal cases, strengthening tribal autonomy. Obama also supported and enforced the Executive Order 13175, which requires the federal government to consult with tribal governments when deliberating over policies and programs that would affect tribal communities. Under the Obama Administration was also the launching of Michelle Obama's program Let's Move In Indian Country, which aims to improve opportunities for physical activity, to increase access to healthy food in tribal communities, and to create collaborations between private and public sectors to build programs that will end childhood obesity in Native communities. Obama also supported tribal communities through certain provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which allocated $510 million for rehabilitation of Native American housing, and the settlement of the Keepseagle case, a lawsuit against the United States Department of Agriculture for discriminating against tribal communities by not allowing them equal access to the USDA Farm Loan Program. Most recently, Obama signed Executive Order 13592, which seeks to improve educational opportunities for American Indian and Alaska Natives. Obama has been praised by many tribal leaders, including those who claim he has done more for Native Americans than all of his predecessors combined.

Climate Hawks Vote is a grassroots advocacy group that supports candidates and elected officials whom it identifies as making action on climate change a top priority. Founded in 2013, it consists of a Super PAC and a social welfare organization.

Subhashni Raj is a Fijian activist on environmental issues such as climate change, and also related food systems. After her doctoral studies in Urban and Regional Planning at the University at Buffalo, New York as a Kauffman Fellow, she has been active in the Climate movement in the Pacific Island countries raising funds for pursuing her initiatives. Her objective is to create a "sustainable future for her native Fiji through climate action planning".

350 Bay Area is a San Francisco Bay Area regional grassroots climate activism 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. 350 Bay Area is inspired by 350.org, but has no legal connection. 350 Bay Area is associated with several local 350 groups, including 350 San Francisco, 350 East Bay, 350 Contra Costa, 350Marin, 350 Sonoma, Napa Climate NOW! and 350 Silicon Valley. The organization works to eliminate carbon pollution and achieve clean energy and environmental justice.

Fossil fuel regulations are part of the energy policy in the United States and have gained major significance with the nation's strong dependence on fossil fuel-based energy. Regulatory processes are established at the federal and state level due to the immense economic, socio-political and environmental impact of fossil fuel extraction and production. Over 80% of the United States' energy comes from fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas, and oil. The Bush administration was marked by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which provided a monetary incentive for renewable energy adoption and addressed the issue of climate change. The Obama administration was made up of advocates for renewable energy and natural gas, while Donald Trump built his campaign on promises to revive the coal industry.

Protests against Barack Obama occurred throughout the United States during Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign and during Obama's presidency.

Jasilyn Charger is a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, from Eagle Butte, South Dakota, USA. Charger is a land activist, water protector, community organizer, and advocate for Native American and LGBTQ rights, and a youth founder of the Dakota Access Pipeline protests. They have also protested against the Keystone Pipeline, and were arrested for their non-violent civil disobedience in November 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">May Boeve</span> American climate movement leader

May Boeve is an American environmental activist. She is a founder and executive director of 350.org, a climate NGO. The Guardian called her "the new face of the climate change movement."

References

  1. "Thousands rally on Mall over climate". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2013-03-10.
  2. "A Reporter's Notebook from Forward on Climate Rally". Earth Island Journal. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  3. 1 2 Lee-Anne Goodman, The Canadian Press (2013-02-17). "Thousands protest Keystone XL pipeline in Washington". Montrealgazette.com. Retrieved 2013-03-10.
  4. "Tens of Thousands Rally to Stop Keystone XL Pipeline & Urge Obama to Move "Forward on Climate"". Democracy Now!. Retrieved 2013-03-10.
  5. "'Forward on Climate' Rally Draws Nearly 50,000 | Environment News Service". 2013-02-17. Retrieved 2013-03-10.
  6. Simons, Marlise (2013-02-18). "Holding Obama's Feet to the Climate-Change Fire - NYTimes.com". Rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2013-03-10.
  7. Zornick, George (2013-02-17). "'Forward on Climate' Rally Sends a Message to Obama: No Keystone". The Nation.
  8. Lennard, Natasha (2013-02-18). "The largest climate rally in U.S. history". Salon.com. Retrieved 2013-03-10.
  9. 1 2 3 "Environmentalists fill National Mall to fight climate change". CNN.com. 2013-02-18. Retrieved 2013-03-10.
  10. Buford, Talia (2013-02-17). "Thousands Rally in Washington to protest Keystone Pipeline". Politico.
  11. "Obama Administration Moves Forward on Climate Change Without Congress – U.S. News & World Report". Usnews.com. 2013-02-22. Retrieved 2013-03-10.
  12. Gerken, James (2013-02-17). "'Forward On Climate' Rally Brings Climate Change Activists To National Mall In Washington, D.C. (VIDEO)". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2013-03-10.