Tens of thousands march on Washington to protest Keystone XL pipeline

Last Sunday masses of protesters marched in Washington to urge against President Obama’s approval of the Keystone XL pipeline.

According to CBS News, the “Forward on Climate” rally is one of the largest climate rallies in history. In attendance were more than 35,000 individuals from as many as 30 different states, of every age and attire — some were dressed in polar bear costumes. The message of the rally was directed at Obama, whose inaugural speech promised to tow a hard line on environmental issues, and who is expected to come to a decision on the creation of the pipeline very soon.

Founder of the environmental activist organization, 350.org spoke strongly about the mounting support to stop climate change, USA Today reported. "This movement's been building a long time,” McKibben commented. “One of the things that's built it is everybody's desire to give the president the support he needs to block this Keystone pipeline.”

The 1,000-plus-mile pipeline would carry tar sands from Canada through several U.S. states. While its creation would purportedly create up to 20,000 jobs for U.S. citizens, many believe that its negative environmental impact — McKibben referred to the pipeline as one of the largest carbon bombs in history” — outweighs its economic benefits, such as decreasing America’s dependence on foreign sources of oil.