Forward on Climate
The Forward on Climate rally was held at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. on February 17, 2013. The goal of the demonstration was to spur President Barack Obama and Congress to take more action to address global warming. Opposition to the proposed expansion of the Keystone XL Pipeline, that was still pending at the time, was a particular focus of the rally.
Among the speakers were Sierra Club Director Michael Brune, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, actress and activist Rosario Dawson, 350.org founder Bill McKibben, and Obama's former Special Advisor for Green Jobs Van Jones. Participants marched from the National Mall to the White House. Attendance was estimated at 35,000, and was thought to have been the largest climate rally in American history.
The rally was arranged by the Sierra Club, the Hip Hop Caucus, 350.org, and other organizations.Reception
Patrick Michaels of the Cato Institute said that if the Keystone XL pipeline were constructed, people would be employed to maintain it. He dismissed fears over the project, saying
He praised hydrofracturing for making a greater supply of natural gas available, and urged less governmental involvement in the energy sector.
In his State of the Union address the following week, President Obama said
The utterance was mentioned in several news stories about the rally.
