One of the world's largest oil resources is in the oil sands region of Alberta, Canada. The Canadian oil and gas company TransCanada wants to construct a pipeline to carry this oil from Alberta to Texas.

Never mind the environmental concerns of a 2,000-mile-long pipeline crossing farmland and water reservoirs. Burning fossil fuel has already changed our climate. What will happen if we add even more carbon to the atmosphere? According to climatologist Jim Hansen, if the oil in the tar sands of Canada is extracted and utilized, it will be "game over" for the climate.

Plenty of people are concerned about the Keystone XL pipeline project. They will converge on Washington, D.C. on Aug. 20, marking the beginning of the largest action of civil disobedience to date regarding climate change. Every day for two weeks a different group of individuals will gather in a no-standing area in view of the White House. Their goal is to persuade President Obama to deny permits for the Keystone XL Pipeline project.

For information on the Keystone XL Pipeline, visit www.foe.org/keystone-xl-pipeline. For information about the Tar Sands Action, or to join protesters in Washington, see www.tarsandsaction.org.