Over the past few weeks, a new international movement against tar sands pipelines has been taking shape. It's history in the making, and here in BC we are playing our part.

As over 1000 protesters were being arrested outside of the White House for staging a non-violent sit-in to show their opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline, we held a solidarity rally next to the Kinder Morgan terminal in Burnaby, ground zero for the fight against the expansion of tar sands infrastructure in BC. Both actions are part of a growing global movement for real meaningful change to address the climate crisis.

World leaders have failed to live up to our collective responsibilities to address the greatest threat facing humanity today, and so true leadership is emerging from the grassroots. That's why, from Washington DC to right here in BC, more people are standing up to the big oil companies and the politicians that support them and saying 'No' to more irresponsible dangerous behaviour.

We are focusing our attention on the sources of climate change, the fossil fuels and the infrastructure that facilitates them. The rally at the Kinder Morgan terminal featured the voices of local activists, concerned residents and First Nations people dealing with the impacts of tar sands development in Alberta and around the ports and tankers in BC (see our website for video and pictures, and a recap of media coverage).

Our rally stopped at the site of the 2007 oil spill in Burnaby. Many local residents were shocked to discover that the volume of oil passing under their backyards has actually increased since the time of the spill. In fact, right around the same time as that spill, a risk assessment panel largely made up of industry insiders was assembled to allow bigger oil tankers to pass through Burrard Inlet.

Now Kinder Morgan wants to expand their pipeline and the tanker traffic through the Inlet even more. Last weekend, our rally put them on notice: we will not allow this to happen.

We could use your help spreading the word about oil tankers, pipelines and the tar sands. You can send a photo of yourself to 350.org to show your support for the White House protesters and share it with your friends on social media and elsewhere. You can sign our petition on tankers and transportation. You can write a letter to government about your concerns related to oil tankers.

To really turn this ship around we need to look at both the supply and the demand for oil. The number one source of greenhouse gas emissions in BC is automobiles, and of course transportation is primarily what oil is used for worldwide. To address this issue the group 350.org, who played an important role in the White House protests, has organized a gigantic international day of action focused on transportation alternatives. The Moving Planet Day of Action is on Sept. 24th, and here in Vancouver we will be doing our part again. Get involved today and help us spread the word!

Together, we'll keep this momentum for change building.

Ben West | Healthy Communities Campaigner
Wilderness Committee