Save Planet: Sign petiton to stop Alberta, Canada-USA Keystone XL oil pipeline

Science-informed 300.org (that urges a return of atmospheric CO2 concentration to about 300 ppm from the present 394 ppm: http://sites.google.com/site/300org...) endorses the plea by 350.org (that urges a return of atmospheric CO2 to at least 350 ppm) for people to Sign the Petition against the planet-threatening Keystone XL oil pipeline from the tar sands of Alberta, Canada to Illinois, USA. Exploitation of these deposits means “game over” for the Planet.

350.org: states: "Sign the Petition against the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Albert to Illinois: “It’s time to take a stand against the Keystone XL pipeline, a dangerous and destructive project that would pump over one million barrels of dirty "tar sands" oil from Canada to the USA every day. The oil in the Keystone pipeline could poison drinking water, threaten the communities it runs through, and wreck the climate. But there’s good news: the Keystone XL pipeline cannot be built without a "presidential permit" from the Obama Administration. Let’s turn up the pressure to make sure President Obama rejects the pipeline (for details of the petition see: http://act.350.org/sign/tar-sands/?... ).

According to Dr James Hansen (eminent US climate scientist and head, NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies): “An overwhelming objection is that exploitation of tar sands would make it implausible to stabilize the climate and avoid disastrous global climate impacts. The tar sands are estimated (e.g., see IPCC Fourth Assessment Report) to contain at least 400 GtC (equivalent to about 200 ppm CO2). Easily available reserves of conventional oil and gas are enough to take atmospheric CO2 well above 400 ppm, which is unsafe for life on earth. However, if emissions from coal are phased out over the next few decades and if unconventional fossil fuels including tar sands are left in the ground, it is conceivable to stabilize earth’s climate. Phasing out emissions from coal is itself an enormous challenge. However, if the tar sands are thrown into the mix, it is essentially game over. There is no practical way to capture the CO2 emitted while burning oil, which is used principally in vehicles” (see James Hansen, “Speaking Out Against the Canada-U.S. Tar Sands Pipeline ”, The Huffington Post, 5 June 2011: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/dr-jam... ).

Note that 400 GtC is equivalent to 400 x 44/12 = 1,467 Gt CO2. Yet the WBGU (the German Advisory Council on Climate Change), that advises the German Government, in 2009 reported that for a 75% chance of avoiding a disastrous 2C temperature rise the world must emit no more than 600 Gt CO2 between 2010 and zero emissions in 2050 (see WBGU, “Solving the climate dilemma: the budget approach”: http://www.wbgu.de/fileadmin/templa... ) .

Climate criminal Australia has already by August 2011 used up its “fair share” of this terminal global CO2 pollution budget but other countries are badly running out of time. Thus countries that have less than 5 years relative to 2010 to get to zero GHG pollution include the following (years left after 2010 in parentheses) : Belize (0.8 years), Qatar (1.3), Guyana (1.4), Malaysia (1.9), United Arab Emirates (2.0), Kuwait (2.4), Papua New Guinea (2.5), Brunei (2.8), Australia (2.8; 1.1 if including its huge GHG Exports), Antigua & Barbuda (2.8), Zambia (2.9), Canada (3.0), Bahrain (3.0), United States (3.1), Trinidad & Tobago (3.3), Luxembourg (3.4), Panama (3.7), New Zealand (3.7), Estonia (4.0), Botswana (4.1), Ireland (4.3), Saudi Arabia (4.4), Venezuela (4.6), Indonesia (4.8), Equatorial Guinea (5.0), Belgium (5.0). (see “Shocking analysis by country of years left to zero emissions”, Green Blog, 1 August 2011: http://www.green-blog.org/2011/08/0... ).

Please tell everyone you can to sign this petition to stop the terracidal Keystone XL Pipeline and help save the Planet.