As the US edges closer to making a decision on the proposed pipeline that would bring unconventional—and very unclean—petroleum fuels across the Canadian border, protesters from across the country continue to gather in front of the White House. Among the protesters hoping to convince President Obama to block the construction of the pipeline has been leading environmentalist and Nation contributor Bill McKibben, who, after two days in a DC jail, joined Nation contributing editor Chris Hayes to discuss the protests and the pipeline.

McKibben, who wrote about his jail experience for TomDispatch, cited a NASA official and said that if the US taps the tar sands of Alberta, Canada, as planned, "it’s essentially game over for our planet … That’s why this is the largest civil disobedience protest in a generation." He also explained that this is a perfect opportunity for Obama to make good on the promise he made that, during his presidency, "the rise of the oceans will begin to slow and the planet begin to heal."

—Carrie Battan