Today
the Obama administration officially rejected the controversial Keystone XL
pipeline after seven years of review. Sponsored by the Canadian government, who
under former Prime Minister Harper’s leadership sought to export Alberta’s Tar Sand oil to
the Gulf of Mexico, the State Department concluded that the pipeline is no
longer in US interests.
This
may not come as too much of a surprise, as due to high natural gas production in
the US and low oil prices worldwide, the US is not as desperate as it once was
seven years ago to obtain oil. Besides the economic factors, the Tar Sands oil
is extremely heavy and difficult to extract. Meaning that potential spills
could be a public relations and natural catastrophe in the US. Moreover, the
heavy-crude oil would have spewed much more carbon emissions than conventional
oil, leading to potentially higher sea-level rise, warmer weather, and more
natural disasters in years to come.
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| View of how Tar Sand extraction affects the environment. Source: fragileandwild.com |
Republican
outcry will likely be seen as a response to the rejection, especially
next Tuesday when the GOP candidates face each other once again at the
Fox Business debate. Furthermore, this decision by the Obama
administration will also serve as motivation to world leaders this
December, as they will meet in Paris to discuss and limit climate
change.
However,
more is expected from developed countries, particularly Canada, which will have
to decide what to do with the Tar Sand oil already extracted. Will they invest
in clean energy instead? Or will export the oil to China as they have said
before? Whatever the decision, the US is firmly standing up against carbon
pollution and giving hope to environmentalists that world leaders will agree to
a formidable climate change agenda this December 2015.
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