As people across Canada fight fracking in their communities, it is inspiring to know that there is a thriving international movement fighting fracking along side them. The following statement was signed by nearly 100 organizations from France, Spain, the United States, Australia, New Zealand and other countries around the world at the People’s Summit in Rio de Janeiro.
Statement of Anti-fracking groups at the Cupula Dos Povos
June 22nd 2012, Rio de Janeiro
For a Future without Fracking!
Gathered in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday 22nd June 2012 during the Peoples’ Summit, we, activists and campaigners engaged in the struggle against shale gas and shale coal and shale oil from around the world, including France, Spain, the United States, Canada (& Quebec), Australia, New Zealand and other countries, affirm our determination, our categorical opposition against all extraction of shale gas and shale oil and every use of hydraulic fracturing and other associated extractive industries such as frack-sand mining on our territories.
As many examples indicate in the United States, Canada, England and elsewhere, the exploitation of shale gas has lead to countless cases of chemical and toxic pollution, violations of human rights, health consequences for the populations, the wasting of drinking water, destroying lands, earthquakes, hazardous air pollutants leading to poor air quality and major greenhouse gas emissions. In order to deal with the energy crisis, fracking is not only being promoted as a method to transition to a low carbon energy mix, but is one of the “false solutions” of the Green Economy.
We reject shale and coal seam gas & shale oil here and everywhere, today and tomorrow.
We must substantially reduce our reliance on dirty, non-renewable sources of energy and call on our governments to invest in the deployment of energy efficiency and support the development of clean, renewable sources of energy alternatives.
Following the civil society mobilisations, especially the protests of local people most directly concerned, victory has been gained across the world with hydraulic fracturing being forbidden in hundreds of places on our planet.
To amplify these mobilisations, we engage ourselves to:
· Reinforcing the coordination of our actions at international level;
· Strengthen the alliances and solidarity between international, national and local movements;
· Work on a process at the international level to hold frackers legally accountable;
· Coordinate a global joint calendar;
· Build a day of international mobilisation as well as supporting all national action days against fracking.
Signatories in Rio:
Gabriella Zanzanaini (Food & Water Europe), Maxime Combes (Attac France), Samuel Martin-Sosa (Ecologistas en Accion, Spain), Vincent Espagne (Collectif Plaines du Languedoc, France), Darcey O’Callaghan (Food & Water Watch, USA), Jacqueline Balvet (ATTAC France), Terran Giacomini (Friends of the Earth Canada), Terisa Turner (Friends of the Earth Canada, Ecosocialist Horizons), Patrick Bonin (Association Québécoise de lutte contre la pollution atmosphérique – AQLPA, Québec) Antonelle Risso, Mariann Lloyd-Smith (National Toxics Network, Australia), Fanny Simon (Aitec, France), Juliette Renaud (Amis de la Terre, France), ACSUR-Las Segovias (Spain), OMAL (Spain), Ekologistak Martxan (Basque Country), ISF (Spain), Alianza “¿Economía Verde? ¡Futuro imposible!” (Spain), Polaris Institute (Canada), Shiney Varghese (Institute For Agriculture and Trade Policy, IATP, USA), Michel Lambert (ALTERNATIVES, Canada), Nathalie Seguin (Freshwater Action Network), Beatrice Olivastri (Friends of the Earth Canada, Canada), Elizabeth Peredo Beltran (Campaña Octubre Azul, Bolivia), Antonio Tricarico (Re:Common, Italy), Mary Church (Friends of the Earth Scotland, UK), Romain Porcheron (Friends of the Earth, France), Hector de Prado (Amigos de la Tierra, Spain) Paul de Clerk (Friends of the Earth Europe), Rebecca Sommer (Earth Peoples International), René Lachapelle (Groupe d’économie solidaire du Québec – GESQ, Québec), Diego di Risio (Observatorio Petrolero Sur, Argentina), Maryam Adrangi (Council of Canadians, Canada), Lyda Fernanda Forero (TNI), Anabela Lemos (JA!Justiça Ambiental/ FOE Moçambique) National Association of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE), Danilo Urrea (CENSAT-Amigos de la Tierra, Colombia), Palle Bendsen (NOAH Friends of the Earth Denmark, Denmark), Oilwatch Sudamerica,
Supporting Organisations:
Dr. Kathleen Burns (Sciencecorps, USA), Ted Schettler (Science and Environmental Health Network, USA), Alberto Zoratti (Fairwatch, Italy), Dr Meriel Watts (Pesticide Action Network, Aotearoa New Zealand), Judith Robinson (Environmental health Fund, USA), Divine Ntiokam, Cameroon, Morna Cornell (Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology & Research, South Africa), Ko van Huissteden (Stichting Schaliegasvrij Nederland, the Netherlands), Gary Cranston (Climate Justice Aotearoa, New Zealand), Soumya Dutta (Beyond Copenhagen Collective, India), Vijay Pratap (South Asian Dialogues on Ecological Democracy, India), Ajay Jha (Public Advocacy Initiative for Rights & Values in India), Marion Heap (University of Cape Town, South Africa), Ian Perrin (www.fractual.co.za – South Africa), Carl Piper (Heaven or sHell, Sweden), (Climate Justice Taranaki, New Zealand), Richard Moore (Los Jardines Institute, USA), Ted Glick (Chesapeake Climate Action Network, USA), Paul Kaufman (Green Faith, USA), Georgina Shanley (CURE- Citizens United for Renewable Energy, USA), (Harmony with our Planet, USA) Maya van Rossum (Delaware Riverkeeper Network, USA) Judy Braiman (Empire State Consumer Project, Inc., USA), Serge Fortier, Regroupement interrégional sur les gaz de schiste de la Vallée du St-Laurent (RIGSVSL), Mike Buckthought (Ecology Ottawa, Canada) Lucie Sauvé (Collectif scientifique sur la question du gaz de schiste au Québec et Centre de recherche en éducation relative à l’environnement et à l’écocitoyenneté de l’UQAM), Karen Tam Wu (ForestEthics, Canada), Christian Simard (Nature Québec), Johanne Dion (Fondation Rivières, Canada), Les Ami(e)s du Richelieu, Canada, Mikael Rioux (Échofête, Canada), Michel Fugère (Mouvement vert Mauricie, Canada), Philippe Giroul (Mouvement Sortons le Québec du Nucléaire – MSQN), Martin Poirier et Stéphane Poirier (NON à une marée noire dans le St-Laurent, Québec), Amanda Nesheiwat (New Jersey Sustainable Collegiate Partners, USA), Lois Marie Gibbs (Center for Health, Environment & Justice, USA), Clare Donohue (Sane Energy Project, USA), Dana Patterson (Edison Wetlands Association, USA), Wanda Guthrie (Environmental Justice Committee, USA), Lynn Carroll (TEDX, The Endocrine Disruption Exchange, USA), Residents Against Fracking Tioga (USA), Coalition to Protect New York (USA), FrackBustersNY (USA), SAVE Spencer-Van Etten (New York USA), Cecile Lawrence, USA, Stewards of the Land, USA, Ben Wiley (Davidson, USA), John P. Duffy Jr. (Duffernutter Photography, USA), Kathy Maher (Bus for Progress, USA), Jenny Lisak (Pennsylvania Alliance for Clean Water and Air, USA), Edward Nizalowski (Newark Valley, USA), Abram Loeb (Frack Free New York, USA), Frack Free Nation, Inc., USA, Kaye Lindsay (Frack-Free Aotearoa NZ – Canterbury Branch, New Zealand), Stephanie Merrill (CCNB Action, Canada), Barbara Heywood, BARTON, NY USA, D.E. Bassett, Ph.D, USA, Joellen Lundy (NJFC, USA), Rhoda Schermer (North Jersey Public Policy Network, USA), Terri Supowitz (Pittsburg, USA), Boyce Thorne Miller (Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance, USA), Bruno Herail (Le Mas Gauzin, France)
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