Biden has put his foot down on the Keystone Pipeline, which is a huge win for the Indigenous-led climate movement. This also blows a punch to the US fossil fuel industry, which is the world’s largest contributor to pollution.

While this news is endearing, there are still some downsides to kicking Keystone to the curb. For example, the union of workers were temporary construction jobs. There were about 10,000 people working on the pipeline, which would result in a huge loss for those people. But even then there is still a silver lining. The Native Americans’ land that would have been taken from them will now be under their responsibility, and if I may add, it is not a lot to ask for considering the toll they have taken from the Trump administration. Tribes with land on the Keystone Pipeline are hoping to see a domino effect take place. This could result in shutting down many other harmful fossil fuel contributors on Native land. Biden’s plan to shut down the Keystone Pipeline is a two-sided fight, and winning that fight is a reward for civil rights and climate change.

“It makes the United States once more part of the global climate solution, not the problem” asserted Mitchell Bernard, President of the Natural Resources Defense Council. Hopefully, this is the start of a chain reaction resulting in Native American success and helping fight climate change.