I'm confused: If opening the Keystone pipeline, which we're told is like opening six new coal-fired power plants, really threatens to kill us all, will adding another 1,200 coal-fired power plants worldwide kill us all 200 times over?

How Much Will Tar Sands Oil Add to Global Warming?: Scientific American

All told, the increased tar sands production as a result of opening Keystone would be equal to opening six new coal-fired power plants, according to Pembina Institute calculations.

...As he says: "Going after tar sands—incredibly dirty, destroying the local environment for a very carbon-intensive fuel—is the sign of a terribly crazed addict."

Nov. 2012: Nearly 1,200 Coal-Fired Power Plants Proposed Globally, Report Finds

"Global Coal Risk Assessment: Data Analysis and Market Research," released on November 20, estimated there are currently 1,199 proposed coal plants in 59 countries. They noted that China and India together account for 76 percent of these plants. The United States landed seventh, with 36 proposed coal-fired power plants.

June 2011:  U.S. Climate Protests Shift to Blocking Keystone XL Pipeline Approval | Reuters

McKibben and his allies figure the $7 billion Keystone XL — which was barely on their environmental radar screen a year ago — could be a galvanizer because the 1,702-mile underground pipeline would be a "fuse to the biggest carbon bomb on the planet."

"If the tar sands are thrown into the mix it is essentially game over," Hansen, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration climatologist, explained about reclaiming a stable climate.