14 DAY TRIAL // This past February 3, some 300 candlelight vigils were held in cities in the United States. The vigils were organized and attended by people who do not approve of the Keystone XL pipeline project, and took place in parks, city halls, churches and other similar locations.
Although protests against the proposed Keystone XL pipeline have taken place in the United States before, this latest series came as a direct response to a report issued by the country's State Department just a few days ago.
The report in question argues that, all things considered, said pipeline cannot be said to be a contributing factor to climate change in itself.
Thus, specialists working with the State Department maintain that, whether or not the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline is approved by the country's high officials, tar sands in Alberta, Canada will be exploited.
What's more, they say that, be it by means of said pipeline or through some other projects, the oil resulting from these exploitation activities will reach the market, and will be burned as an energy source.
Consequently, the Keystone XL project cannot be said to have a major environmental impact, but a minimal one.
“Climate changes are anticipated to occur regardless of any potential effects from the proposed project,” the State Department's report on the matter at hand reads.
“The approval or denial of any single project is unlikely to significantly affect the rate of extraction of the oil and the oil sands, or the refining of heavy crude on the US Gulf Coast,” an official also said in a statement.
The people who attended these candlelight vigils disagree, and say that, apart from the fact that extracting oil from tar sands will contribute to climate change and global warming, the proposed pipeline will endanger communities in its proximity.
This is because oil spills are bound to occur, regardless of what safety precautions are implemented, RT explains.
Commenting on the significance of these hundreds of candlelight vigils held this past February 3, green groups Sierra Club, the Rainforest Action Network, 350.org and several others have released a joint statement that reads as follows:
“This is an all-hands-on-deck moment to send the message to President Obama that Keystone XL fails his climate test and he must reject it.”