messages of solidarity

BRICS governments often use radical rhetoric alluding to anti-imperialism, and in this year’s summit, they will undoubtedly impress upon the rest of Africa that their corporations offer better investments in infrastructure, mining, energy, and agriculture than traditional Northern multinationals. In the brics-from-below! civil summit, hosted by groundWork (Friends of the Earth South Africa) [1], the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) [2] and the University of KwaZulu Natal Centre for Civil Society (UKZN CCS) [3], civil society will play two major critical roles: firstly, acting as a watchdog of the claims, processes and outcomes of the BRICS summit, and secondly, providing a platform for civil society organisations in these countries to share experiences and create networks.

The prospect that South Africa “presents a gateway for investment on the continent” [4] could leave Africa overwhelmed by BRICS corporations and is indicative that the trajectory of the 21^st century ‘scramble for Africa’ has already begun. Africa’s ‘Resource Curse’ will attract billions of dollars worth of BRICS infrastructure developments. In this light, the BRICS Summit in Durban is set to be the next successor to the initial carving up of Africa, which took place in 1885 in Berlin.

Africa’s survival, however, is largely at the mercy of climate change.  Climate change is driven by increased greenhouse gas emissions, which is fuelled by South Africa and other BRICS countries that continue to rely on and supply their Northern counterparts with dirty, non-renewable sources of energy, or the products created from dirty energy. The United Nations COP17 hosted in Durban in 2011 resulted in a weak, non-binding deal, which neglects the historic responsibility of Northern countries and promotes a rising average temperature for the continent at 1.5 degrees higher than the rest of the world.

The major focus of this year’s summit is the new BRICS Bank, despite the growing world financial crisis clearly not boding well for this. Austerity scenarios continue to play themselves out in Greece, Spain, Portugal and Ireland, as a result of IMF bail-out of banks – which in 2012 included $75 billion of BRICS countries’ capital. The proposed BRICS Bank will exacerbate the chaos in our and our neighbour’s social, economic and environmental spheres already caused in part by multilateral financing. Existing development finance institutions in BRICS countries – like South Africa’s Development Bank of Southern Africa – offer mainly negative lessons.

Along with these issues, people in BRICS countries face numerous serious socio-economic, political and civil rights violations. Inequality, lack of adequate infrastructure, increased levels of violence, state repression, and the exploitation of resources to the detriment of people’s livelihoods and their ability to live in a healthy relationship with their environments, are all symptoms of development not oriented towards people but rather government and corporate profit.

The brics-from-below! civil society summit will take place from 22 to 27 March at different venues around Durban and is open to all journalists to participate.

To follow the brics-from-below! summit on social media:

• @groundWorkSA and @SDCEA_ngo
• www.facebook.com/groundWorkSA and www.facebook.com/SDCEAngo

CONTACTS

Megan Lewis, Media and Information Campaigner at groundWork (Friends of the Earth, South Africa): +27 (0) 83 450 5541 or megan@groundwork.org.za

Desmond D’Sa, Coordinator at South Durban Community Environmental Alliance: +27 (0) 83 982 6939 or desmond@sdceango.co.za

Patrick Bond, Director at University of KwaZulu Natal Centre for Civil Society: +27 (0) 83 425 1401 or bondp@ukzn.ac.za

FOOTNOTES

[1] groundWork is an environmental justice organisation based in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu Natal, working with community people from around South Africa, and increasingly Southern Africa. groundWork assists civil society on issues relating to environmental justice and human rights, focusing particularly on Air Quality, Climate and Energy Justice, Waste and Environmental Health. groundWork is the South African member of Friends of the Earth International http://www.groundwork.org.za

[2] The South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) is an alliance of 16 organizations concerned with environmental justice and human rights, particularly relating to industrial pollution in the south Durban Basin, an area which is home to more than 285 000 people living in settled communities http://www.sdcea.co.za

[3] The Centre for Civil Society (CCS) was established at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) in July 2001, with the mission of promoting the study of South African civil society as a legitimate, flourishing area of scholarly activity. The CCS’s objective is to advance socio-economic and environmental justice by developing critical knowledge about, for and in dialogue with civil society through teaching, research and publishing http://ccs.ukzn.ac.za/

[4] Department of International Relations and Cooperation, Deputy Minister, Marius Fransman. 2012. Roundtable Discussion held at the University of Stellenbosch on the theme “South Africa: A strong African Brick in BRICS” on 21 November 2012 http://www.dfa.gov.za/docs/speeches/2012/frans1121.html

Mute Schimpf, food campaigner at Friends of the Earth Europe said: "This campaign aims to stop further genetically modified crops from being licenced in the European Union. Experience shows that this way of farming leads to an increase in pesticides and the further industrialisation of the countryside. If this happens any more in Europe then our landscapes will be poorer, our nature damaged and our food contaminated."

The campaign launches with a new film documenting GM-crop cultivation and extensive pesticide use in Latin America, and the negative environmental and human health issues experienced by local communities.

Nina Holland, campaigner at Corporate Europe Observatory said: "Currently, the EU imports soy from large-scale monoculture plantations in South America, causing not only deforestation and displacement of people, but also a public health disaster among rural communities living nearby. In those areas, citizens have taken legal action and have brought soy farmers and agribusiness companies to court."

The introduction of patented GM-crops has increased the corporate control of the food chain. Moreover, contamination of other fields is unavoidable. In the USA Monsanto has so far sued 410 farmers and 56 farm companies for patent infringements; a situation that could be repeated in Europe if GM-crop cultivation is expanded.

The campaign also claims that the push for GM crops draws attention away from sustainable alternatives, while failing to find real solutions to alleviate hunger or poverty.

Mute Schimpf continued: "GM crops are unnecessary, risky and profit large multinational companies at the expense of small scale and sustainable farming. The public clearly demands greener farming that doesn't include genetically modified crops or foods. It's time to plough all our resources into making farming really sustainable and to stop pandering to the biotech industry and their empty promises of reducing hunger or feeding the world."

Visit the campaign site: Stop the Crop

Photo Credit: Peter Blanchard via Compfight cc

VIDEO NEWS RELEASE AND MATERIAL

ITN Productions have produced a video news release (VNR), including interviews with farmers, researchers, campaigners and politicians on the upcoming authorisations. The VNR is available in English, French and German, in different sizes, as well as scripts for translation into other languages. Longer interviews and other materials are also available. All materials are open-source and are available here:

http://www.itnproductions.co.uk/CEO/

What would the world look like if men and women around the world had the same opportunities in life? What would politics look like if half of the world's leaders were female? What would development look like if men and women had equal access to and control over the natural resources they depend upon? We are convinced that the world would be a better place if at least half of the seats at all negotiating tables were occupied by women. Women are not only primary care takers of their families and their communities, they also form the majority of small-scale farmers and are the guardians of biodiversity worldwide.

They have a wealth of experience and knowledge on how to use and manage the world's resources in a sustainable way and have often come with innovative ideas. In our view, female visions and knowledge are indispensable for making balanced management decisions on a local, national or international level. But what do female leaders in developing countries have to say about this themselves? What role do women already play? To mark International Women's day 2013, we asked these and other questions to six female leaders from around the world.They all express their own vision on the role of women in sustainable and fair development. Six visions from strong women on the female contribution to a green and fair world.

Odey Oyama, director of the Nigerian Rainforest Resource Development Centre (RRDC)  is facing threats to his life due to his advocacy on behalf of communities and against Wilmar International, one of the world’s largest palm oil corporations.  Wilmar has recently established a 50,000 hectare palm oil plantation in Cross-River State, Nigeria; Odey and RRDC say that the lands claimed by Wilmar belong to local farmers and lie within the boundaries of protected forests. The company has begun planting palm oil seedlings without conducting a proper Environmental Impact Assessment, and without consent from locals who claim rights to the land.

RRDC is on the eve of launching a lawsuit against both the company and the government due to Wilmar’s failure to comply with Nigerian laws. As a result of his advocacy, Odey has been placed on a government watch list – a recognized signal that his life could be under threat – and has been forced to flee his home.

Please click here to join us in calling for an end to threats against Odey Oyama and other Nigerian environmentalists. Alert Nigerian government officials that the world is watching: Odey Oyama’s safety must be guaranteed, and the company must comply with national and international law.

When FoE APac visited the Four Rivers Project construction sites on the South Han River on 30th of June, 2011, it was clear that the project had damaged the river ecology, blocking the river flow by constructing dams, and making the serpentine river a straight one.  Despite the  information circulated by the Korean government, we believe the dams cannot prevent floods or provide clean water.

Construction went ahead despite requests from FoE APac for the suspension of the project.  We learned that the Korean government is now chasing another contract for a similar water management project in Thailand, despite the ecological impact of the  Four Rivers Project.  The Four Rivers Project was nothing but the destruction of the river ecosystem due to unnecessary construction, which was obfuscated by supposed benefits such as flood control, improvement of water quality, securing water supply, job creation and so on.

Thailand is our neighbor in Asia Pacific, with high riverine biodiversity, and we are concerned that the model of the Four Rivers Project may cause severe damage to Thailand’s  rivers and ecosystem, and neighboring countries on the Mekong.

FoE APac is also worried about the suppression of civil society voices in Korea in this regard. Last January 15th when there was a Cabinet meeting, President Myeongbak Lee said that it is obviously "unpatriotic" and "anti-state" for some NGOs to hinder efforts by Korean companies to win the Thailand contract.  This is an attempt to politically constrain our collaborative response – the natural duty of environmental organizations – to environmental problems, whose impacts spread beyond national borders.

We further request that the Korean government stop citing the Four Rivers Project as a great achievement and stop promoting this ecosystem-destruction model to other Asia Pacific countries.  We appeal to the President of South Korea not to block the voice of civil society who are searching for the truth. FoE APac stands with Korean civil society.

The arrest comes as Palestinian popular resistance against the onslaught of Israeli settlement construction and expulsion of Palestinian communities is gathering pace.

Hassan Karajeh is youth coordinator of Stop the Wall, a coalition of Palestinian NGOs and popular committees that mobilizes and coordinates efforts aimed at stopping and dismantling the wall erected by the state of Israel along and within the West Bank, and resisting Israeli occupation and colonization. Friends of the Earth Palestine (PENGON) is member of the coalition.

Hassan is a young human rights activist, well-known both at the local level and across the Arab world. He served as youth ambassador for Palestine at the Arab Thought Forum and has represented various Palestinian organisations at international conferences and seminars.

Stop the Wall calls on all human rights organizations, international solidarity movements and human rights defenders to support them in mounting a powerful and effective campaign for the release of Hassan Karajah. Specifically, the coalition urges you to

• use your government’s influence to pressure the Israeli authorities for the immediate and unconditional release of Hassan Karajeh and to seek assurances from Israeli authorities that his rights as a detainee will be fully respected for as long as he remains in custody;
• ensure consular representatives are following the case of Hassan Karajah;
• raise the case of Hassan Karajah and the issue of Israeli repression of Palestinian human rights defenders at the upcoming EU Foreign Affairs Councils.

Send a message to your consulate

Miguel Ángel was last seen on October 31 2012. The environmental federation Friends of the Earth International, composed of environmental groups from 76 countries, learned of his disappearance during their Biennial General Assembly in El Salvador.

Please take part in our action in solidarity with Friends of the Earth Colombia and Miguel Ángel Pabón Pabón!

Miguel Ángel, a 36 years old father of two girls, is a dedicated and notable environmentalist, defender of the River Sogamoso and of the fisherfolk and peasant communities in the area. He created the Social Movement for the Defense of the Sogamoso River, together with other leaders of the region in 2008, which has contributed to building awareness among the communities about the terrible consequences of local hydro-electrical projects. He has also participated in demonstrations against the company ISAGEN, denouncing the negative social and environmental consequences that have hurt fisherfolk and peasant communities, and the terrible labour conditions of the workers that are building the hydro project.

In 2011, he was instrumental in the creation of the Columbian Movement in Defense of the Territory and Affected People by Dams “Ríos Vivos”.

Since his disappearance, members of the settlements, peasants and fisherfolk of the region who closely know Miguel, have organized groups (brigades) to search for him in the surrounding areas, including Municipalities of Sabana de Torres, San Vicente, Betulia and Barrancabermeja.

Unfortunately, this is not the first time that such a tragedy has happened to the members and leaders who defend the rights of communities in the region. The Observatorio de Paz Integral reported that 11 people have already disappeared in 2012, 6 of whom were subsequently found dead. Several social leaders have been assassinated in the region of the Sogamoso River since 2009. These crimes have been committed with total impunity, with no consequences for the perpetrators.

Friends of the Earth International requests that the Colombian authorities - particularly the Magdalena Medio Police, the National Attorney General, the Ombudspeople, the Municipality of San Vicente, the Regional Attorney, and other entities of Public control - to do everything in their extensive powers to prevent a major tragedy, and to make sure that Miguel Ángel Pabón Pabón is found and returned to his home in good health.

San Salvador, November 9 2012.

Please take part in our action in solidarity with Friends of the Earth Colombia and Miguel Ángel Pabón Pabón!

Seventeen years ago,  environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others were executed under the Abacha dictatorship in Nigeria.

It was widely alleged that oil giant Shell interfered in the trial that led to his death sentence. Shell has been drilling in Nigeria for 50 years and its operations in the Niger Delta continue to have massively negative impacts on the population there.

Friends of the Earth International commemorates Ken Saro-Wiwa's death on November 10 as a day of solidarity with victims of mining, oil and gas activities and a celebration of the activists who continue to resist. 

Since the release of the 2011 report 'Memory, truth and justice for heroes' (1) the death toll and level of persecution of community leaders defending their territories against abuses by the extractive industries has continued unabated. (2)

The destruction of communities and ecosystems caused by extractive industries has generated a global resistance movement struggling for justice and the defense of life, land, resources, biodiversity, livelihoods and cultures.

Extractive industries have caused some of the world's worst environmental disasters and displaced tens of thousands of local people from their traditional homelands. Abuses perpetrated by the extractive industries have cost the lives of many environmental advocates and communities.

This year Friends of the Earth International  marks this anniversary during its biennial general assembly in El Salvador in November by reflecting on its work with environmental defenders across the globe.

Fifteen international delegates will visit communities negatively affected by mining in Guatemala and El Salvador as part of a solidarity tour following the general assembly, from 13-20 November. (3)

Friends of the Earth International reiterates its support for communities resisting destructive extractive projects, in their struggles against social injustices, and in bringing about environmental and economic justice.

On 11 October 2012, Friends of the Earth and four Nigerians brought Dutch oil giant Shell to court in The Hague for damage caused in Nigeria; a milestone in the decades of struggle of the people of the Niger Delta and a fitting testament to the struggle of Ken Saro-Wiwa. (4)

Notes:

(1) For more information see the report  published on November 2011: http://www.foei.org/en/resources/publications/pdfs/2011/memory-truth-and-justice-for-heroes/view

(2) For more information on activists at risk see http://www.radiomundoreal.fm/Luchadores-sociales-en-riesgo

(3) Full coverage of the tour can be followed at http://www.radiomundoreal.fm/?lang=en

(4) For more information see http://www.foei.org/en/media/archive/2012/30-january-verdict-expected-in-court-case-on-oil-giant-shells-nigerian-oil-pollution

Jagoda has extensive experience in environmental research, activism and conservation. She joined Friends of the Earth Croatia as a volunteer in 1997 and was president of the group from 2001 to 2007. She has degrees in biology; library and information sciences; and pollution and environmental control. She has led successful biodiversity research projects and public advocacy campaigns, including a campaign on Genetically Modified (GM) crops, which resulted in Croatia adopting one of the strictest GM laws in the world. Jagoda has served as FoEI's Treasurer on the executive committee since 2004.

Outgoing chairperson Nnimmo Bassey said, “Jagoda's commitment and experience will inspire the wider Friends of the Earth federation. Her appointment gives Friends of the Earth International a charismatic and talented new chair.”

Friends of the Earth International is deeply grateful to Nnimmo Bassey for his visionary and invaluable leadership. Nnimmo has demonstrated incredible dedication and passion for his work and the work of Friends of the Earth International.

Every two years, Friends of the Earth International's Biennial General Meeting elects FoEI's Executive Committee. 

Read the interview with Jagoda at Radio Mundo Real

All these commitments are legally non-binding and they are hence inefficient: while companies enjoy benefits in terms of the image they project to their shareholders, customers and citizens, they only engage in some general overall principles which are not very operational, and they are not accountable for their actions in case of non-compliance to this voluntary adherence. Although supported at the highest level by public governments that often favour the competitiveness of multinational corporations to Human Rights and environmental protection, these types of voluntary adherence have now largely proven ineffective.

Multinationals companies are taking advantage of legislative loopholes to conduct their activities to the detriment of respect of social, societal and environmental rights in the countries of the South.

Read more >

At this very moment we are supporting communities in Uganda and Argentina who are struggling to stop companies from taking their lands in order to reap heavy profits instead of healthy harvests. Fertile farmland and lush forests are being converted into soy and palm oil monoculture plantations. Crops are being grown and flown across the globe to feed cars and animals, rather than to feed local communities.

Make a gift to Friends of the Earth International today and help support our campaign to help communities in Uganda, Argentina and around the world keep control of their land.

Also on World Food Day, Friends of the Earth International released our latest Food Sovereignty Report. This year we take aim at the industry-supported myth of “sustainable intensification,” another name for the environmentally destructive corporate concentration of food production.
More >

Read the Report >

Learn more about our food sovereignty work >

For the first time in history, a European company, Anglo-Dutch oil giant Shall, has been brought to court in The Netherlands for damages it caused abroad. The plaintiffs are four Nigerians whose livelihoods and communities have been massively impacted by Shell's operations.

Plaintiff Alali Efanga takes Shell to court for pollution in Nigeria

The court case against Shell's oil spills in the Niger delta has been filed by the four Nigerian plaintiffs in conjunction with Friends of the Earth Netherlands and supported by Friends of the Earth Nigeria.

Plaintiff Chief Erich Dooh

The plaintiffs are demanding that Shell cleans up oil pollution in their villages and compensates them for damages they incurred. In this interview, Alali Efanga from the village of Oruma describes how he and his community have been affected by the oil spills.

Lawyers for both parties pleaded at a key hearing in The Hague on October 11, with a verdict expected on January 30, 2013.

On 4 October 2012, these actions resulted in a massacare that caused the death of eigth indigenous people and dozens of injuries during a peaceful demonstration organised by 48 Cantones de Totonicapán, the ancient Maya people's organisation.

We are deeply concerned about Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina's repressive security policy. President Otto Perez Molina is a retired Army General and a graduate of Escuela de las Américas, who condones the militarization of indigenous territories and insists on constitutional reform to guarantee the involvement of the army in public safety.

Likewise, we condemn the strategy of repressing and criminalising social protests in Guatemala. The massacre in Totonicapán follows a crackdown in Santa Cruz Barillas' – where a community leader was killed and ten people were detained on political grounds – in early May this year and the subsequent state of emergency in the municipality.

This “security” policy goes hand-in-hand with unsustainable large scale development projects, involving indigenous territories without the consent of the people affected. This issue was also one of the demands of the thousands of indigenous people who joined the demonstration on 4 October.

We sympathise with the families of the victims and join the call of our sister organisations to speak out against the violations of indigenous peoples' human rights in Guatemala. We call on the international community to stay vigilant and to express solidarity with the people of Guatemala.

We demand that the government of Guatemala will acknowledge its responsibility, and reconsider its policies to ensure respect to the freedom of expression, security, life, freedom of thought, and human rights of the Mayan communities.

In solidarity,

Nnimmo Bassey

President

Friends of the Earth International

For more information

….............................................................

Please use this declaration of solidarity as a model to express your concerns to the Guatemalan authorities:

Presidente de la República de Guatemala Sr. Otto Pérez Molina

Secretaria Privada de la Presidencia

6ta Avenida 4-46 de la Zona 1, Guatemala, Guatemala.

Teléfono: (502) 2230-1650.

Informacion@secretariaprivada.gob.gt

https://www.facebook.com/ottoperezmolina

Secretaria de Comunicación Social de la Presidencia

Palacio Nacional Guatemala, Guatemala 01001 Guatemala

Tel: (502) 2251-4016 / (502) 2339-2502.

http://www.guatemala.gob.gt

Ministerio Público

Fiscal General del Ministerio Publico Dra. Claudia Paz y Paz Bailey.

Dirección: 15 Av. 15-16 Zona 1, 2º. Nivel, Ciudad de Guatemala.

Teléfonos: (502) 2411-9262 / (502) 2411-9174

https://www.facebook.com/mpguatemala

Ministerio de Gobernación

Mauricio López Bonilla, ministro de Gobernación.

Dirección: 6ª. Av. 13-71 zona 1 Guatemala.

Teléfono: (502) 2413-8888.

https://www.facebook.com/mauriciolopezbonilla

Procuraduría de los Derechos Humanos PDH

Jorge De León Duque, Procurador.

Dirección: 12 ave. 12-72 Zona 1, Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala.

Teléfono: 24241717, Call Center: 1555

https://www.facebook.com/JorgeEduardoDeLeonDuque

Oficina del Alto Comisionado para los Derechos Humanos de las Naciones Unidas para Guatemala

Alberto Brunori, representante de la OACNUDH

Dirección: 5a Av. 5-55 Zona 14 Edif Europlaza, Torre III, Nivel 14, Ciudad de Guatemala, 01014, PBX: (502)

2382-3400, Fax: (502) 2382-3410

informacion@ohchr.org.gt

https://www.facebook.com/OACNUDHGuatemala

Brussels, September 20 – Europe risks side-lining its vision for a more sustainable, low-carbon energy future, according to a new report from Friends of the Earth Europe [1], unless it permanently closes its doors to unconventional and unwanted fossil fuels like shale gas [2].

In the week of two European parliamentary votes on shale gas [3], the report, ‘Unconventional and unwanted’ says that shale gas could lock Europe into continued dependency on fossil fuels, at the expense of renewable energy, energy savings and significant reductions in climate-changing emissions.

Increasing evidence shows ‘fracking’, the process used to extract shale gas, is an unambiguously high-risk activity that threatens human health and the wider environment. The high risk of water contamination, and air pollution with hazardous chemicals, are both recognised in a recent European Commission study [4].

Antoine Simon, shale gas campaigner for Friends of the Earth Europe said: “Fossil fuels like shale gas are unconventional and unwanted – they threaten the health of local communities, and the environment. They also threaten to lock Europe into fossil fuel dependency, side-lining renewable energy developments, energy savings and Europe’s commitment to a low-carbon future."

The environmental impacts of shale gas and other unconventional fuels (such as coal bed methane) are being underplayed in the debate on Europe’s energy future [5], and rely upon unproven technologies like Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), and gaps in current European legislation to make them attractive to investors and decision makers, the report finds.

Local opposition to the threat of shale gas continues across Europe, with a global day of action against fracking this Saturday (September 22) [6]. Bans on fracking are already in place in France and Bulgaria, and there are moratoria in regions of Germany and Czech Republic, and in the Netherlands.

Antoine Simon continued: “Concerned communities and organisations across Europe are taking action against shale gas development. People see what’s happening in the US and don’t want to see the same dangerous experiment on health and the environment conducted in Europe.”

Friends of the Earth Europe is campaigning for European member states to suspend on-going activities, retract permits, and place bans on any new projects, whether exploration or exploitation. Europe must embrace a low-carbon energy model, based on renewable energy and improved energy savings – the only genuine path towards an environmentally sustainable and healthy future.

‘Unconventional and unwanted: the case against shale gas’ is available to download here:
http://www.foeeurope.org/foee-unconventional-and-unwanted-the-case-against-shale-gas-sept2012

***

For more information please contact:

Antoine Simon, shale gas campaigner for Friends of the Earth Europe,
Tel: +32 (0) 2 893 10 18, Mob: +32 (0) 486 685 664, email: antoine.simon@foeeurope.org

Sam Fleet, communications officer, Friends of the Earth Europe, (EN)
Tel: +32 (0) 2893 1012, Mob: +32 (0) 470 072 049, samuel.fleet@foeeurope.org

***

NOTES:


[1] http://www.foeeurope.org/foee-unconventional-and-unwanted-the-case-against-shale-gas-sept2012

[2] Shale gas is a form of unconventional gas found in shale reservoirs. To extract the gas a process known as hydraulic fracturing, or 'fracking', is required. Fracking involves the injection of millions of litres of water, sand and chemicals – known as 'fracking fluid' – into the shale reservoir, at high pressure, to fracture the rock and release the gas.

[3] Two European Parliament committees – working on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) and Environment (ENVI) – voted this week on their respective reports on the impacts of shale gas development in Europe. The outcomes of the votes are ambiguous: on the one hand recognising the serious risks shale gas poses to health and the environment while still promoting it as “necessary fuel for our energy security”.

Friends of the Earth Europe’s reaction to the vote on the ITRE Report, September 18th:
http://www.foeeurope.org/shale-gas-risks-side-lined-by-industry-interests-180912

[4] The DG Environment risk assessment of shale gas operations can be found here:http://ec.europa.eu/environment/integration/energy/pdf/fracking%20study.pdf

[5] A short video from the European Greens, in collaboration with Fiends of the Earth Europe, explaining the environmental and health impacts of shale gas: http://bit.ly/ban_fracking

[6] Friends of the Earth groups in France, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland will organise events this Saturday, September 22nd, as part of Global Frackdown day. For more information: http://www.globalfrackdown.org/

Jmaktik buch’utik sk’anik spojik jkuxlejaltik (Defend life)

by Jose Manuel Martín Pérez (translated from Tzotzil - original below)

What does the forest mean for a local community?
Food
water
building materials
safe space for animals
medicine
pollinators
firewood
honey
respite
the forest means life
And what happens with a plantation?
The water runs out
there is no food
nor safe spaces
nor medicine
nor pollinators
nor firewood
nor honey
nor respite
there is no life
What is there to do?
Stop the plantations!

Jmaktik buch’utik sk’anik spojik jkuxlejaltik

¿K’uyun lek k’alal oy a’mal te ta jlumatik?
Mi oy a’mal, oy ve’lil
Oy o’
Xu’ jva’antik jnatik xchi’uk k’usi oy ku’untik te ta a’mal
Oy svayeb chon-bolometik
Oy vomol-poxil
Oy epal mutetik
Oy si’
Oy pom
Oy bu’ lek nichim ko’ontontik jkotoltik
Me oy a’mal oy jkuxlekatik
¿Mi ech xa na’ k’alal sts’unik yansba ko’ol te’tik?
Mo’o, mauk ech sjam. Chlaj o’
Chlaj te ve’lile
Ch’ay batel svayeb chon-bolometik
Chlaj vomol-poxil
Chlaj ch’ul-balamil
Chlaj si’
Chlaj snichimal ko’ontontik
Solel chlaj jkuxlejaltik
¿K’usi xu’ chapas o’ote yu’un mu chlaj skotol?
MAKO BUCH’U SK’AN STS’UN YANSBA KO’OL TE’TIK.

In the Czech Republic an information campaign will buzz around Middle Europe through facebook and email campaigns. Want to help out? Find Friends of the Earth Czech Republic on Facebook

In Mexico, the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation Governors Climate and Forest Task Force (REDD - GCF) will meet in San Cristobal de las Casas in Chiapas between 25 – 27 September. Amigos de la Tierra Mexico is conducting parallel activites, including a press conference, daily forums for public debate, guests from FoE USA (Jeff Conant) and AdT Brasil (Lucia Ortiz), and representatives of the Lacandon jungle who are fighting REDD and oil palm plantations. The period around September 21 will be covered in a blog

Amigos de Terra Brasil  will be at the University de Espirito Santo for a book launch (La Ambientalizacion de los Bancos y La Finacerizacion de la Natureleza) with Red Alerta Contra el Desierto Verde and the Brasilian Network of IFIs. They also plan community visits.

Amigos de la Tierra Costa Rica plans an action in front of the Constitutional Court, protesting the advance of monoculture pineapple plantations and their impacts on forests.

In Mozambique a workshop about the community forest project underway there will be taking place on the 20 and 21 of September. On the 21 they will release a short documentary about one of these projects and the invasion of plantations in the area. A petition to the national government to halt their plans to turn Mozambique into a mega plantation is also planned.

Argentina will conduct outreach activities and workshops.

Uganda will also mark the day with workshops and press releases.

Read a poem about Monoculture Tree Plantations by Jose Manuel Martín Pérez

Fracking is a relatively new and highly destructive way of extracting oil or gas from the ground. It involves injecting millions of gallons of water mixed with sand and chemicals into hard shale rocks at high pressure to release the gas or oil that is trapped inside.

Gas from fracking (known as ‘shale gas’) is being promoted as ‘clean energy’, but the reality is very different. Fracking threatens our air, water, communities and climate. Fracking:

• taps into a new and vast source of high carbon fossil fuels - one of the main causes of climate change and irreversible and catastrophic climate impacts

• uses enormous quantities of water, an already scarce resource

• involves highly toxic chemicals which can escape and pollute local drinking water supplies

• will very likely lead to the forced displacement of communities and small farmers like other forms of fossil fuel extraction

• releases dangerous levels of methane, another potent greenhouse gas that can also leak into nearby water supplies and cause explosions

• can cause earth tremors

Fracking is just one aspect of the corporate-controlled global dirty energy system which we need to transform if we are to avert catastrophic climate change and improve the health, wellbeing and livelihoods of communities around the world. Dirty fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal, and other dirty energies like agrofuels and energy from destructive mega-dams and waste incineration harm communities and the environment whilst mostly serving the energy needs of corporations, not ordinary people.

We need to replace this unsustainable and exploitative energy model with energy systems based on appropriate, clean, renewable energy under real democratic and community control.

Around the world hundreds of communities are organising to protect their land and water and resist fracking. Communities and campaigners have managed to stop fracking in Bulgaria and France. Campaigners in South Africa won a temporary moratorium, but saw this lifted last week showing that more pressure and global solidarity is needed.

Global Frackdown will unite concerned citizens everywhere for a day of action on September 22, 2012.

Some more information from Friends of the Earth Groups on Fracking

background information

On September 21 every year, environmental and social groups from all over the world mark the International Day against Monoculture Tree Plantations. While multilateral organisations persist in telling the world that plantations help the environment and the economy, the reality is that timber plantations almost always have a negative impact on communities, local economies and biodiversity. These plantations are not a solution to climate change nor to biodiversity loss.

Monoculture tree plantations have a serious impact on the communities and eco-systems around them. Many people who depend on forests for their livelihoods have been evicted or relocated to make way for plantations. The impact on biodiversity can be severe as plantations are not similar to forests in the diversity of life that they can host. Hydrological cycles are disrupted and ecosystems hurt by the widened use of pesticides.

That's why on September 21st -- the International Day Against Monoculture Tree Plantations-- Friends of the Earth groups plan various activities around the world, including calling attention to and challenging the expansion of palm oil tree plantations destined for agrofuel production, challenging eucalyptus and other monoculture tree plantations grown for export, and exposing over-consumption and consumerism.

• Watch the video 'Silent Occupation'
  
• Read 'Why Tree Plantations Are the Problem, Not the Solution,' an opinion piece by Isaac Rojas on AlterNet
• Learn about some actions Friends of the Earth groups are taking to mark the day around the world
• Read a poem about Monoculture Tree Plantations

Image: Edge of Plantation by Hanna Nikkanen. Used under CC License

Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) was invited by Friends of the Earth Palestine (Pengon)* to observe the environmental consequences of the Israeli occupation. The Observer Mission took place between August 26 – 29. Bobby Peek of South Africa and Eurig Scandrett of Scotland represented Friends of the Earth International (FoEI).

For two days, Peek and Scandrett met with local mayors, administrators and communities in the West Bank. They witnessed the environmental impact of the Israeli occupation throughout the West Bank. Untreated Israeli sewage and industrial waste contaminates Palestinian land. Water from the West Bank is denied to Palestinians so that Israeli settlers can live on Palestinian land. They also heard stories of the use of military force to destroy Palestinian cisterns and wells.

“The theft of resources and the pollution of land and water are designed to serve only the interests of the apartheid state of Israel. This is nothing short of an environmental nakba**.” said Eurig Scandrett.

See more images from the Solidarity Mission to Palestine

FoEI's vision is of a peaceful and sustainable world, where societies live in harmony with nature; a society founded on social, economic, gender, and environmental justice, free from all forms of domination and exploitation. What the FoEI observer mission witnessed in the West Bank was almost the opposite of this vision.

The occupation of Palestinian lands by military might has resulted in the formalisation of the unequal relationship between the peoples of Israel and Palestine. Injustices damaging the health and wellbeing of Palestinian people and their environment will continue as long as this abnormal societal structure exists.

* The Palestinian Environmental NGOs Network- Friends of Earth Palestine (PENGON- FoE Palestine) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization established in 1996 to serve the Palestinian environment by coordinating the scattered efforts of the different Palestinian NGOs working in the field of environment. Pengon has 14 organisational members

** The word nakba is an Arabic word meaning catastrophe. Since the Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948 and the consequential displacement of Palestinians, Palestinians mark Al-Nakba Day on 15 May every year.