SEPT 28-29, 2006
ANOTHER ENERGY FUTURE IS NECESSARY –
ALTERNATIVES EXIST
STOP OIL AND GAS EXPLORATION NOW!
Member groups of Friends of the Earth
International (FoEI ) from 51 countries
including Nigeria's Environmental Rights
Action (ERA) and other national and
international civil society groups,
representatives of Niger Delta Communities
and journalists gathered for the
International Conference on Climate Change in
Abuja from 28th – 29th September 2006 . The
conference with the theme: “Minimizing
Climate Change Impact and Curbing Global
Energy Chaos” is one of the activities of the
Biennial General Meeting of the Friends of
the Earth International.
Observations
Following presentations and robust
discussions at the conference, participants
observed that:
1. All struggles, whether social,
economic or environmental are interlinked
with political struggles. Therefore, there is
the need to link the different messages from
around the world and adopt broad strategies
that clearly address the issues of Climate
Change and Energy Sovereignty, since it is
the flawed and exploitative international
economic system that drives the climate
change phenomenon.
2. There is the need to synchronize
the various energy struggles around the world
by adopting a global strategy for resisting
environmental degradation, destruction of
local livelihoods, and rights abuses
associated with corporate controlled energy
sourcing and consumption globally.
3. There exist attempts by
corporations to promote other sources of
energy primarily nuclear as an alternative.
Nuclear expansion must be resisted it has
inherent and irreversible negative impacts.
4. Alternative energy production must not
lead to further impoverishment of
peoples.
5. The extraction of crude oil has
led to unprecedented human rights abuse,
environmental problems, fostering political
and social conflicts in the Niger Delta and
in other communities globally, which have
been responded to by the militarization of
community lands and sovereign states. In this
militarized condition, women in particular
have been victims.
Resolutions
Arising from the observations,
participants resolved that:
Another energy future is necessary based
upon:
* Abandoning the belief in
export led growth in favour of servicing
local (basic) needs;
* Restructuring the price and
production of energy
* A new approach to
restructuring ownership of the energy
regimes; and
* Abandoning the mistaken
dichotomy between “development and
environment”.
We therefore:
1. Endeavor to work with and
support community struggles towards energy
sovereignty and democratic control of natural
resources that will be the basis for
alternative fair and just trade regimes that
link producers with consumers eliminating
corporate led control of our energy systems.
It is essential that women are fully involved
in all negotiations over energy production
and allocation of natural resources.
2. Call for fair trade and just
direct deals between producers and consumers,
built upon energy sovereignty and the
transition to alternative energy that cut out
the oil middlemen, oil companies and oil
speculators. These direct deals in oil can
involve barter (as in Venezuela with Cuba,
Argentina, and Uruguay) thereby avoiding the
use of the US Dollar.
3. Call on Governments across the
world to declare a global moratorium on new
oil and gas exploration and development until
full eco-restoration and reparations is
implemented in communities already impacted
by extractive industries.
4. Call on Governments in both
South and North to focus more on responsible
energy consumption and the development of
decentralized democratically controlled
technology for easy utilization of clean
energy like wind and solar energy.
5. Call on Governments of the South
to develop gender responsive and clear
policies toward attaining ‘Energy
Sovereignty'. Such policy should promote
sustainable energy, local community control
of energy along with the protection of the
environment and local livelihoods from
corporate and state abuse.
6. Recognize the alliance between
the Nigerian and other governments and the
oil multinationals in the form of Joint
Venture Agreements that negate communities'
interests. The terms of these JVA must be
made public and repudiated. These JVA must be
replaced with democratically controlled
government and local community
agreements.
7. The Niger Delta crisis should be
resolved through dialogue and
democratic/political interventions. Such
interventions must include communal control
of communal resources, protection of local
political interests and strict enforcement of
environmental standards and codes.
8. Neo-liberal trade agreements and
economic policies that have the effect of
stripping people of their entitlements to
basic resources for a just and human
existence and increase the impoverishment of
peoples' must be terminated; finally
9. The super profits of the oil
multinationals must be redirected towards
clean-up reparations, and the transition to
safe energy alternatives under democratic
control.
Signed:
Meena Rahman, *Chair, Friends of the
Earth, International
Nnimmo Bassey, *Executive Director,
Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the
Earth, Nigeria
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