January 21, 2015

350 Response to 2015 State of the Union

In response to President Obama’s 2015 State of the Union address, 350.org Executive Director May Boeve issued the following statement:

“Tonight’s speech puts wind in the sails of Keystone XL opponents. President Obama laid out a clear case for climate action, and hit back hard against those who are sticking their heads in the sand. He said we need to think beyond a single pipeline, and made a strong case for developing sustainable, clean energy sources like wind and solar. The President is clearly beginning to think about his climate legacy, and he understands that it depends on rejecting Keystone XL.

Tonight’s speech is also a testament to the hard work of the millions of people who are a part of the growing climate movement. In 2011, there were no mentions of climate change in the State of the Union. This year, we saw four full paragraphs on the crisis, and zero mentions of clean coal or fracking. The 400,000 people who joined the People’s Climate March last September clearly made an impact, and our planet is better for it.

But our movement will not rest until this President matches the rhetoric with action, and that means leaving carbon in the ground for good. We can’t just say yes to clean energy–we also need to say no to dirty energy, reject new fossil fuel infrastructure, end fossil fuel subsidies, and transition away from dangerous practices like fracking across the country. Only then will this President be considered a true climate leader.”

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