The Fate of the Keystone XL Pipeline in the Wake of President Obama's Georgetown University Speech

During his Georgetown Univeristy speech on June 25th, President Obama indicated that the Keystone XL pipeline, (which would ferry tarsands oil from Alberta to Texas) should not proceed if it will generate greenhouse gases (GHGs) and contribute to climate change.  "The net effects of the pipeline's impact on our climate will be absolutely critical to determining whether this project is allowed to go forward," the President said. Obama has instructed the State Department to approve the pipeline only if the project won't increase the net emissions of GHGs.This is the first time that the President has linked the pipeline to emissions.

Curbing Fossil Fuels is Essential to Climate Change Mitigation

If we are serious about combating climate change we must reduce our use of fossil fuels. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are the primary cause of climate change and fossil fuels are the leading source of GHGs. Despite what the oil companies would have us believe, the logic of ending our reliance on fossil fuels is irrefutable.

Yet another report convincingly makes the point that it is insane for us to continue our reliance on fossil fuels as our primary source of energy. As explained by the scientists in the Australian report titled "The Critical Decade" we are running out of time to transition to cleaner sources of power.

The Biofuels Pipedream

First generation biofuels have been widely criticized, but even second, third and fourth generation biofuels have uncertain technical, economic and environmental viability. A full assessment of the environmental costs of biofuels reveals that the vast majority do not make sense. For biofuels to be a truly feasible alternative to oil, life cycle analysis must take into account not only CO2, but all the associated environmental impacts. The total environmental impacts of biofuel go far beyond the GHGs released by combustion, they must include a host of factors including the impacts they have on biodiversity.