Bill McKibben on the Triumph of Activism in the Wake of the Delay of the Keystone XL

While Bill McKibben is among those who want the President to kill the Keystone XL project, he heralds the delay as a victory for environmental activists.  Another delay means that oil is not flowing from Alberta to the Gulf Coast and that in and of itself is a great accomplishment.

"Every day we delay a decision is a day when 830,000 barrels of oil stays safely in the ground." 350.org founder McKibben explained. He also went on to say that the fight will continue. "Together we’ve kept them at bay for three years now, and will continue to until perhaps the beginning of next year it seems," McKibben said. "The climate fight can’t be delayed. We need to keep building the movement, and we need to keep putting heat on leaders like President Obama till we win not delay the decision on the Keystone XL pipeline."

Video - Interview with Bill McKibben: Obama Can Salvage His Climate Legacy by Rejecting Keystone XL Oil Pipeline

Bill McKibben, co-founder and director of 350.org, joins Democracy Now to discuss "Draw the Line," a national day of action this Saturday to protest the Keystone XL oil pipeline. Already this week on Monday, 13 people were arrested during a protest in Houston in front of the offices of TransCanada, the company behind the controversial project. McKibben has just come out with the new book, "Oil and Honey: The Education of an Unlikely Activist." McKibben argues that Obama's pending decision on whether to approve or reject the Keystone XL's construction is a historic opportunity. "If [Obama] says no to the Keystone pipeline, he will be the first world leader ever to say, 'Here is something we are not going to build because of its effect on the climate,'" McKibben says. "It might have the effect of unfreezing the climate negotiations that have been wrecked ever since Copenhagen ... Sometimes Obama, correctly, can blame his absurd Congress. But in the case of the Keystone pipeline, he gets to make the call himself. So he darn well better make that call."

Video - On Sept. 21st, Draw the Line on Keystone XL

For the past two years, a grassroots movement has erupted to confront President Obama over the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. On September 21st, 2013, we will draw the line on Keystone XL and the tar sands to tell him that keeping his climate promises means rejecting Keystone XL.

Video - Protest Against the Keystone XL "Draw The Line"

Video - Ocean Frontiers the Movie Trailer

Ocean Frontiers is a feature length documentary on building a new era in ocean stewardship. A new way of thinking, a new way of living, in concert with the sea, in consideration of those yet to come. Now is your opportunity to get involved.

Related Articles
Ocean Frontiers the Movie
On June 8 Make a Promise for the Ocean
The State of Our Oceans: We are Headed Towards a Marine Mass Extinction
Urgent Appeal to Save our Oceans
Seven Ways to Save the Seas
Video - World Oceans Day 2013
Sea Turtles and the Commercial Fishing Industry
The International Day for Biological Diversity 2013
The Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup Day
World Oceans Day 2012
World Oceans Day in America (2012)
Marshall Islands World Ocean Day 2012
World Oceans Day UN Panel Discussion (2011)
Report on the UN's World Water Day Panel Discussion

Video - Stunning Ocean Showcase for World Oceans Day 2013

To celebrate World Oceans Day on Saturday 8 June, Earthtouch decided to showcase our oceans in all their splendour (and complete with Hollywood soundtrack!). A special thanks must also go to our friends at ZSL, WildAid and the South African Association of Marine Biological Research (SAAMBR) for their support on this and all the work they do to conserve the oceans of the world and the species that inhabit them.

Related Articles
Video - World Oceans Day 2013
On June 8 Make a Promise for the Ocean
The State of Our Oceans: We are Headed Towards a Marine Mass Extinction
Seven Ways to Save the Seas
Ocean Frontiers the Movie
Sea Turtles and the Commercial Fishing Industry
The International Day for Biological Diversity 2013
The Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup Day
World Oceans Day 2012
World Oceans Day in America (2012)
Urgent Appeal to Save our Oceans
Marshall Islands World Ocean Day 2012
World Oceans Day UN Panel Discussion (2011)
Report on the UN's World Water Day Panel Discussion

Video - World Oceans Day 2013

June 8th is World Oceans Day! Oceans are the life support system of our planet. Oceans regulate our climate. They provide the majority of our oxygen. The oceans are a global resource that we all rely upon.

This video was produced by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of International Information Programs in May 2013. The featured speaker is Philippe Cousteau, president and co-founder of Earthecho International.

Related Articles
On June 8 Make a Promise for the Ocean
The State of Our Oceans: We are Headed Towards a Marine Mass Extinction
Seven Ways to Save the Seas
Ocean Frontiers the Movie
Sea Turtles and the Commercial Fishing Industry
The International Day for Biological Diversity 2013
The Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup Day
World Oceans Day 2012
World Oceans Day in America (2012)
Urgent Appeal to Save our Oceans
Marshall Islands World Ocean Day 2012
World Oceans Day UN Panel Discussion (2011)
Report on the UN's World Water Day Panel Discussion

Video - Using TED Fishing Nets to Save Endangered Sea Turtles

Turtles shown escaping from trawl nets fitted with Turtle Excluder Device (TED). Thousands of turtles are caught and drown each year in trawl nets. TED's can be fitted so that Turtles and other large marine mammals can escape. This film was shot and edited by Scubazoo for the Marine Research Foundation & Conservation International.

Related Articles
Sea Turtles and the Commercial Fishing Industry
On June 8 Make a Promise for the Ocean
Video - World Oceans Day 2013
Ocean Frontiers the Movie
Video - Ocean Frontiers the Movie Trailer
The State of Our Oceans: We are Headed Towards a Marine Mass Extinction
Urgent Appeal to Save our Oceans
Seven Ways to Save the Seas
The International Day for Biological Diversity 2013

World Oceans Day in America (2012)
World Oceans Day UN Panel Discussion (2011)
Report on the UN's World Water Day Panel Discussion

Sea Turtles and the Commercial Fishing Industry

May 23 is World Turtle Day but due largely to commercial fishing many species of sea turtles are in trouble (six out of seven species are endangered). Climate change and pollution are destabilizing marine environments across the world, but fishing is by far the worst threat to sea turtles.. Turtles are being destroyed at alarming rates due to destructive fishing methods. In the US alone more than 250,000 sea turtles are accidentally captured, injured or killed by US fishermen. In 2004, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) identified more than 70 fisheries, operating in state and federal waters, as potentially harmful to sea turtles. Their fate is even worse in the national waters of other countries or in international waters.

Video - Bill McKibben on Faith & Fossil Fuel Divestment

350.org founder and author Bill McKibben talks about the need for churches, synagogues, mosques and other religious institutions to divest from the fossil fuel industry. To learn more and join the campaign visit: http://gofossilfree.org

Video - A Debate about the 350.org Fossil Fuel Divestment Campaign

DemocracyNow.org hosted a conversation about how to confront global warming it with 350.org founder Bill McKibben and journalist Christian Parenti. Some have called 2013 "year zero" in the battle over climate change. This comes as 2012 was a year of extreme weather, from the melting of the Arctic, to Superstorm Sandy, to the massive typhoon in the Philippines. It was also the warmest year on record in the United States, with massive droughts and frequent wildfires. In the U.S. presidential debates, neither of the major party candidates took on climate change. But right after the election, McKibben and 350.org hit the road to begin a campaign focused on confronting the role of the fossil fuel industry -- what McKibben calls, "Public Enemy Number One to the survival of our planetary civilization."

Video - Bill McKibben Makes the Case for Fossil Fuel Divestment at Middlebury College

350.org and Middlebury Schumann Distinguished Scholar Bill McKibben makes the case for fossil fuel divestment at a Middlebury panel about the endowment and socially responsible investing. The Go Fossil Free divestment campaign has spread to over 200 campuses across the country.

Video - Do the Math: The Movie

In just 42 minutes, Do The Math: The Movie, tells the story of the growing climate movement, from the new fossil fuel divestment campaign to the fight against the Keystone XL pipeline. Thousands of people screened the movie for Earth Day 2013. As we have yet to agree on global solutions to climate change, people need to understand what is at stake and what people are doing about it. The movie is brought to you by 350.org, and they want as many people as possible to see it as it is intended to be the springboard for the big plans they are making for this summer and beyond. Please share as widely as you can, it may very well be one of the most important things you do this year.

Global Risks Report 2013: Interconnectedness of the Economy and the Environment

The World Economic Forum (WEF) released the eighth edition of its Global Risks Report 2013 which ranks climate change from rising greenhouse gas emissions as a major global threats. Also high on the list is the failure of governments and businesses to mitigate or adapt to climate change. The 2013 report indicates that ongoing economic weakness detracts from our ability to tackle environmental challenges.

The WEF works with governments to develop mechanisms for managing risk. The report rates the top global risks based on a survey of over 1000 experts from industry, government and academia. The 2013 report sampled respondents from more than 100 countries, although the majority came from Europe and North America. A total of 40 percent of respondents came from a business background.

More Evidence for Anthropogenic Climate Change from the 2013 US National Climate Assessment Draft Report

A draft report released on January 11 suggests that the evidence for anthropogenic climate change is stronger than ever. The 1,146 page draft was prepared by a US federal committee.  It offers a comprehensive analysis of the latest and best peer-reviewed science on global warming. The National Climate Assessment report reiterates the widely understood fact that climate change will have a wide range of impacts ranging from agriculture to water. The report further indicates that the US requires better national plans for adaptation to a changing climate.

Bill McKibben: Global Warming's Terrifying New Math

If the pictures of those towering wildfires in Colorado haven't convinced you, or the size of your AC bill this summer, here are some hard numbers about climate change: June broke or tied 3,215 high-temperature records across the United States. That followed the warmest May on record for the Northern Hemisphere – the 327th consecutive month in which the temperature of the entire globe exceeded the 20th-century average, the odds of which occurring by simple chance were 3.7 x 10-99, a number considerably larger than the number of stars in the universe.

Building Support for Action on Climate Change Before We Reach Tipping Points

We need to take aim at those who are environmentally indifferent and hit them with an effective call to action. If climate advocacy is to succeed, we must do more than regurgitate the same tired rhetoric, we must work on a targeted message that encourages action. While a growing number of people accept the facts about our environment, inaction threatens the survival of our species. Time is running out, and unless we can find a way to get through to those who refuse to act, we will not make the needed changes in the time we have available.

It is easy to understand why many laugh at the Luddites who ignore climate change. However, this group is no laughing matter; they are in fact a serious threat to planetary health. Deniers are in the way of efforts to enact progressive national and state policies on energy and the environment.