Nobel Women's Initiative

Nine Nobel Peace Laureates - including Mairead Maguire, Jody Williams, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama – have written to President Obama, urging him to reject the proposed Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline, saying his decision offers a “critical moment” to make good on his pledge to create a clean green economy.

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The Keystone XL, proposed by TransCanada Pipelines of Calgary, would carry dirty, toxic and corrosive oil from the tar sands of Alberta through six states in the American heartland to refineries on the Texas Gulf Coast. Opposition to the pipeline has surged in recent weeks as more than 1,250 people were arrested in 14 days of sit-ins at the White House - perhaps the largest wave of civil disobedience ever for an environmental cause in the U.S.

"In asking you to make this decision we recognize the thousands of Americans who risked arrest to protest in front of the White House between August 20th and September 3rd.  These brave individuals have spoken movingly about experiencing the power of nonviolence in that time. They represent millions of people whose lives and livelihoods will be affected by construction and operation of the pipeline in Alberta, Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas." - Open letter to President Obama.

The letter also called attention to tar sands oil as one of the dirtiest energy sources on Earth. If fully developed, the Alberta tar sands would be the second largest source of global warming gases in the world, which the Laureates said "will not only hurt people in the US--but will also endanger the entire planet."

“We urge you to say 'no' [to the pipeline] and to turn your attention back to supporting renewable sources of energy and clean transportation solutions. This will be your legacy to Americans and the global community: energy that sustains the lives and livelihoods of future generations.” – Open letter to President Obama.

Read the full text of the letter below.

Download a PDF of the letter here.

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September 7, 2011

Dear President Obama,

We--a group of Nobel Peace Laureates--are writing today to ask you to do the right thing for our environment and reject the proposal to build the Keystone XL, a 1700-mile pipeline that would stretch from Canada's Alberta tar sands to the Texas Gulf Coast.

It is your decision to make.

The night you were nominated for president, you told the world that under your leadership--and working together--the rise of the oceans will begin to slow and the planet will begin to heal.  You spoke of creating a clean energy economy. This is a critical moment to make good on that pledge, and make a lasting contribution to the health and well being of everyone of this planet. 

In asking you to make this decision, we recognize the more than 1200 Americans who risked arrest to protest in front of the White House between August 20th and September 3rd.  These brave individuals have spoken movingly about experiencing the power of nonviolence in facing authority. They represent millions of people whose lives and livelihoods will be affected by construction and operation of the pipeline in Alberta, Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. 

All along its prospective route, the pipeline endangers farms, wildlife and precious water aquifers--including the Ogallala Aquifer, the US' main source of freshwater for America's heartland.  We are aware that Nebraska's Governor Dave Heineman--as well as two Nebraska Senators--has urged you to reconsider the pathway of the pipeline.  In his letter to you he clearly stated his concern about the threat to this crucial water source for Nebraska's farmers and ranchers. The aquifer supplies drinking water to two million people in Nebraska and seven other states.

We know that another pipeline that covers some of the same route as the proposed pipeline, and built by the same company proposing to build Keystone XL, already leaked 14 times over its first year of operation. 

Like you, we understand that strip-mining and drilling tar sands from under Alberta's Boreal forests and then transporting thousands of barrels of oil a day from Canada through to Texas will not only hurt people in the US--but will also endanger the entire planet. After the oil fields of Saudi Arabia, the full development of the Alberta tar sands will create the world's second largest potential source of global warming gases.   As NASA climatologist James Hansen has said, this is "essentially game over for the climate."

There is a better way. 

Your rejection of the pipeline provides a tremendous opportunity to begin transition away from our dependence on oil, coal and gas and instead increase investments in renewable energies and energy efficiency.

We urge you to say 'no' to the plan proposed by the Canadian-based company TransCanada to build the Keystone XL, and to turn your attention back to supporting renewable sources of energy and clean transportation solutions.  This will be your legacy to Americans and the global community:  energy that sustains the lives and livelihoods of future generations.

Sincerely,

Mairead Maguire, Nobel Peace Laureate (1976) - Ireland

Betty Williams, Nobel Peace Laureate (1976) - Ireland

Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, Nobel Peace Laureate (1980) - Argentina

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Laureate (1984) - South Africa

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Nobel Peace Laureate (1989) - Tibet

Rigoberta Menchú Tum, Nobel Peace Laureate (1992) - Guatemala

José Ramos-Horta, Nobel Peace Laureate (1996) - East Timor

Jody Williams, Nobel Peace Laureate (1997) - USA

Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Peace Laureate (2003) - Iran

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TAKE ACTION

Sign the petition 'Tell President Obama: No to Keystone XL.'

Send a letter urging President Obama to the learn the lesson of the BP Gulf oil spill disaster and REJECT the Keystone XL dirty tar sands oil pipeline permit.

Learn more about the Tar Sands Action sit-ins being organized, including September 26 in Ottawa and the first week of October in Washington.