White House protest led by celebrity environmental campaigners
The fierce debate over the development of an oil pipeline in America has escalated following the arrest of 50 protesters who had handcuffed themselves to the gates of the White House.
The group, which was made up of environmentalists and celebrities including Kill Bill actress Daryl Hannah, staged their demonstration outside the building to directly call on President Barack Obama to oppose the development of the Keystone XL pipeline, which would carry crude oil from tar sands in Canada to refineries in Texas.
Daryl Hannah has been very vocal about her views regarding climate change
(Image source - New York Times)
Climate campaigners have made their feelings known to Obama for some time, with the President still apparently undecided on the issue. Many politicians believe the pipeline will be beneficial to the country in terms of creating energy and jobs, but campaigners believe the President should be investing more money into renewable energy schemes, sticking to the promises he made to tackle climate change following his re-election.
The protest came the day after Obama made his state of the union speech and, whilst the Keystone XL pipeline wasn’t mentioned during that speech, it has become one of the most contentious issues in America, with climate campaigners seeing it as a defining symbol of Obama’s pledge of deal with climate change. ‘The Keystone pipeline project is the purest test of whether the president is serious about doing something about climate change or not’, Bill McKibben told the few hundred protesters outside the White House. McKibben is the founder of the 350.org group, who have led the protests over the pipeline.
What started as a small protest led by a few students has turned into a mainstream movement within environmental circles. The issue has become a major headache for the President, who it seems will be judged no matter what his final decision over the Keystone XL pipeline will be.
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