There are a million and one reasons why the Keystone XL pipeline doesn’t make sense. Ready for a few?

It affects your future: Tar Sands oil is at least 17% more greenhouse gas intensive than normal oil. That means it contributes 17% more toward climate disruption (storms, floods, heat waves, etc.) taking away your ability to live in a climate stable world. Not cool.

It affects your health: Processing heavier, dirtier tar sands will increase toxic pollutants in communities with refineries, increasing asthma rates where they are already high. Not fair.

It affects your water: Tar Sands pipelines have a track record of spilling, polluting critical fresh water supplies. Not safe.

But there is one other key reason to stop Keystone from being built. This pipeline will play a pivotal role in determining whether oil companies can expand their tar sands operations (and their carbon pollution) in the future or not. Big Deal.

Here’s the context: Scientists say that in order to keep our climate safe, we can only burn 565 gigatons of carbon by 2050. At our current rate of burning fossil fuels, we’ll reach this limit in just 16 years (yikes!). If Keystone XL is built, we’ll burn an additional 830,000 barrels of oil per day, getting us closer to that limit even faster, and it will allow oil companies to ramp up their tar sands operations in the future (super yikes!).

Here’s the exciting part though: We have the power to stop this pipeline in its tracks and seriously hinder future tar sands development. There is strong resistance to building alternative pipelines to the east or west in Canada, and various market indicators suggest that the Keystone XL pipeline is critical for sustaining tar sands growth. In short, Keystone XL seriously matters to our climate, and you can help decide if it gets built.

Submit your comment to the State Department right now to let our government know that America’s high school students say NO to Keystone XL and YES to a safe climate future.