I wrote this opinion piece for submission to a Canadian newspaper but they decided not to publish it:

A couple of months ago, I received an email invitation to risk arrest at a peaceful sit- in intended to persuade President Obama to deny a permit for the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.

If approved, it would transport bitumen - much more toxic than regular crude - from the tar sands in Alberta to refineries in Texas through through pristine wilderness, and over the Yellowstone River and Ogallala Aquifer - a major source of potable water in the Midwestern US. Environmental engineer, John Stansbury predicts that up to 91 spills might be expected over the next 50 years.

The deposits lie under an area of boreal forest, about the size of Florida, much of which has already been stripped bare. The standard extraction process requires huge amounts of natural gas and is about thirty times less energy efficient than drilling for oil. And the tar sands are licensed to use more than twice the volume of water than is required to meet the needs of the City of Calgary.

Tailings ponds leak toxins into the Athabasca River and for First Nations peoples, who hunt and fish downstream, this is their primary source of fresh water. As a result they experience higher than average rates of cancer and other illnesses.

These are the environmental and social impacts. While terrible, they pale in comparison with the tar sands’ contribution of greenhouse gas emissions to the climate crisis.

James Hansen, NASA’s chief climatologist has stated that, if this pipeline gets built, “it is essentially game over for the climate”. His research has convinced him that we have far exceeded the safe level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (under 350 parts per million). Most climate scientists agree.

This is why I felt compelled to help persuade President Obama to prevent construction of this pipeline.

Although I have participated in marches and rallies, I have never been arrested. Along with a potential night in jail, as a Canadian citizen, my concern was that US immigration might deny me entry in the future. This was a risk I was prepared to take in order to increase public awareness of the dangers of this pipeline and expose the Canadian government’s unconscionable support of the tar sands.

The two week sit-in at the White House began Saturday, August 20th. Each day a different group of volunteers “sit-in” on the sidewalk in front of the White House gates. (Earthquakes and hurricanes permitting.)

In an attempt to intimidate the protestors, the police unexpectedly detained the majority of the first group and kept them in jail for two days.

When I arrived by train from Toronto later that same day to attend a training session, the organizers were not sure what the repercussions of arrest would be for a Canadian.

The next morning, we met in Lafayette Park, formed into two lines and marched - solemn and business like - across Pennsylvania Avenue to the fence in front of the White House. I stood in the back to help hold a banner, the rest of the group sat in front and a swat team took photos while police surrounded us with barriers. A few minutes later, an officer issued three warnings that we were not permitted to stand within a certain area of the sidewalk. Then they began to arrest us, women first.

When it was my turn, I let an officer handcuff me behind my back with a plastic tie. The sole female officer checked my passport and gave it back to me to carry in my bound hands. They took a mug shot and transferred me to a paddy wagon, where we sat, caged, sweltering in the heat, drenched with sweat, until the van was full. With sirens wailing, they drove us in a motorcade to the police station.

Upon arrival they removed the handcuffs, frisked me and took my property, but allowed me to keep the cash I had been advised to bring along. Officers filled out forms in triplicate, I handed over $100 and, several minutes later, much to my surprise, they released me.

I walked alone for about twenty minutes along a bike path beside a park to the nearest subway station. It was so hot that my sweat had made my subway ticket too soggy to use in the automated turnstiles, and several of the ticket dispensers rejected my (also soggy) $5 bill. Wonder of wonders, one worked and ejected a magic ticket that allowed me to take the subway to my hotel and collapse on the bed.

The next afternoon, I walked to the DC Courthouse to welcome the Saturday “first wave” volunteers as they were released. The men had been forced to sleep on metal benches in suffocating heat; the women on a concrete floor in frigid conditions without blankets or pillows. One woman told me that they used plastic wrap from their cheese and baloney sandwiches to cover their arms and legs and help them keep warm as they huddled together.

Over 1500 people have volunteered to risk arrest and, at the time of writing, hundreds have. I pray that President Obama is listening and prepared to live up to his campaign promises to preserve a safe climate balance which all species - including our own - depend upon for survival.