Even the downtrodden can fall into narrow-minded localism. This article describes efforts by indigenous tribes in Minnesota to block a tar sands pipeline whose only use would be to increase oil extraction and hasten global climate disaster. But the article does not mention that danger — only the possibility of polluting the local rivers.

Polluting additional rivers is bad, but civilization could survive that. Civilization may not survive global heating disaster, and there is no room in the world's climate budget for more oil extraction anywhere in the world.

Whatever their motivation, I hope those tribes win their battle to block the pipeline, but presenting this as a purely local problem will fail to build awareness about the larger, global issue that threatens every one of us.