Blog Categories: activism

More Than 30 MEPs Raise Their Voices Against a 23,000 Dairy-Cow Factory Farm in Spain

En Español

Madrid, Brussels, February 27th 2019 — Thirty-three MEPs from six different political groups and 11 countries endorsed a letter [1] sent today to Spanish national and regional governments urging them to stop a projected factory farm that would house more than 23,000 dairy cows [2]. It would be the biggest dairy farm in the European Union and opens the doors to a factory farm model imported from the US that has no place in Europe.

A coalition of environmental NGOs, local organisations and farmers [3] is opposing this project for its potential impacts on rural economies, the environment, local communities, water and air quality, as well as the global impact of factory farming on climate change.

David Sánchez, campaigner at Food & Water Europe, said: “The Spanish and regional governments shouldn’t allow this factory farm model to be imported from the United States into Europe. Its severe impacts in the US are well documented: it doesn’t help rural communities and it has nothing to do with the model of farming that citizens demand in Europe.”

Florent Marcellesi, Member of the European Parliament and co-signatory of the letter, said: “The EU must stop turning a blind eye on the worrying spread of mega factory farms like the one in Noviercas. This kind of factory farming is making Spain become Europe’s dump while it destroys employment, our health, the environment, the climate and the opportunities in the rural areas. We already brought this fight to Brussels and from here we’ll keep on working to ensure the EU turns as soon as possible to sustainable and healthy farming, which respects animal welfare and contributes to the development of rural areas.”

Notes

[1] The letter and the list of signatories can be found here in Spanish and English.

[2] More information about the project can be found here in:

English https://fweuro.pe/20000EN
French https://fweuro.pe/20000FR
Spanish https://fweuro.pe/20000ES

[3] The coalition includes, among others, Greenpeace Spain, Friends of the Earth Spain, Ecologistas en Acción, Food & Water Europe and farmers’ union COAG.

Contact

David Sánchez, Food & Water Europe, +32 (0) 2893 1045, +34 616206942, dsanchez(at)fweurope.org

Florent Marcellesi. +3222837743 [email protected]

 

Food & Water Watch’s Wenonah Hauter, Fashion Icon Vivienne Westwood, Hollywood Actress and United Nations Human Rights Champion Amber Heard Ask UN To Consider Fracking Affront To Women’s Rights In The UK

American Statistics Show Pregnant Women Living Near UK Fracking Sites Have A 40% Risk Of Premature Birth

Brussels/Washington/London/Geneva, 25 Feb 2019

A co-signed letter from a group of environmental organisations and human rights activists to The Convention of the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) recommends that the United Nations ban fracking in order to protect the health and well-being of women threatened by the dangerous drilling practice in the United Kingdom.

Representatives of the UK Government are meeting CEDAW in Geneva on Tuesday, 26th February 2019.

In the Summer of 2018, CEDAW asked the UK Government to provide information on the measures being taken to mitigate and address the health and environmental impacts of toxic substances on women and girls, in particular rural women, due to planned fracking activities.

The UK Government answered in November 2018 that it has: “a robust regulatory system which provides a comprehensive regime for exploratory activities,” and “tough regulations in place to ensure on site safety, prevent water contamination, and mitigate seismic activity and air pollution.”

Activists have argued that the UK government’s measures are not sufficient to protect women.

Dame Vivienne Westwood, Hollywood Actress and United Nations Human Rights Champion, Amber Heard and Wenonah Hauter, Founder and Executive Director of Food & Water Watch and Food & Water Europe have all signed a letter to the CEDAW along with environmental groups such as Food & Water Europe, Talk Fracking, #BreakFreeFromPlastic, Frack Free United; academics such as Dr. Damien Short, Co-Director of the Human Rights Consortium, London and Energy Policy Professor Peter Strachan, Aberdeen, together with the Concerned Health Professionals UK and the National Union of Students.

They also strongly disagree with the claims made by the UK Government.

The group believes women’s rights are compromised because:

– Fracking is linked to higher rates of cancer, nervous, immune and cardiovascular problems in women.

– Pregnant women who live near active fracking operations have a 40% increased risk of giving birth prematurely and 30% have obstetrician-labeled ‘high-risk pregnancies, according to a Pennsylvania study by the Concerned Heath Professionals of New York.

– Fertility and menstrual problems in women can be caused from exposure the fracking chemicals including benzene, toluene and xylene (BTX chemicals).

– Miscarriages and still births can be caused by the heavy metals found in fracking waste water.

Amber Heard said on Twitter, retweeted by Vivienne Westwood: “Only a comprehensive ban can protect women and human rights from the destructive impacts of fracking in the UK.”

Vivienne Westwood says: “We want to highlight the harm fracking causes pregnant women. Pregnant women who live near active fracking operations in Pennsylvania were at a 40 percent increased risk of giving birth prematurely and at a 30 percent increased risk for having obstetrician-labeled high-risk pregnancies. This is an example of the virulent, poisoning effect of fracking to all life and we therefore want to support Amber Heard and the group asking for CEDAW to demand that it stops.”

Wenonah Hauter, Founder and Executive Director of Food & Water Watch and Food & Water Europe. “We’ve experienced the negative impacts of fracking on rural women in the US. The UK Government still has the opportunity to prevent this and must ban fracking.”

The European Parliament Fails to Support the Human Right to Water

Brussels – In a vote in the Plenary in Strasbourg this afternoon, the European Parliament has failed to support the implementation of the Human Right to Water in the European Union. The vote on the Directive on the Quality of Water for Human Consumption watered down the measures proposed by the European Commission to ensure access to water for all in the EU.

David Sánchez from Food & Water Europe said in response: “Conservative parties at the European Parliament ignored, once again, the demands of the nearly two million citizens that supported the European Citizens’ Initiative for the Human Right to Water. The proposal from the European Commission was already weak, and today it has been watered down by the right-wing majority at the European Parliament.”

On the positive side, the European Parliament managed to pass some measures to tackle plastic pollution avoiding bottled water use by ensuring the provision of free tap water in public buildings and administrations, encouraging the installation of public fountains in streets and public spaces, and encouraging the provision of tap water in canteens and restaurants around Europe, although the right-wing majority introduced the possibility of charging a fee for it.

“We ask EU governments to improve this legislation in the Council. European citizens will watch closely the negotiations that will take place in the coming months to ensure that their voice is heard and that the human right to water is really implemented,” added Sánchez.

Contact:

David Sánchez, Food & Water Europe, +32 (0) 485 842 604, dsanchez(at)fweurope.org

International Civil Society Groups Ask the European Parliament to Support the Human Right to Water

Brussels – More than forty civil society organisations from all over the world sent a letter today to Members of the European Parliament encouraging them to support the Human Right to Water in the vote on the Directive on the Quality of Water for Human Consumption that will take place in the plenary in Strasbourg next week.

Marcela Olivera, coordinator of the Inter-American Network for the Defense and the Right to Water (La Red VIDA) said: “The vote at the European Parliament will have a huge impact on access to water for all in Europe, but will also contribute to shape global policies on water. The European Parliament has a great responsibility to push Europe to lead the way to implement the Human Right to Water and to show its commitment to achieve goal number 6 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.”

The signatory organisations asked members of the European Parliament to support the Alternative Compromise Amendments to article 13 of the mentioned directive that would result in a real commitment to provide access to water for all in the EU. The compromise amendments would also be a big step forward in the effort to stop plastic pollution, as they would encourage restaurants and bars in the EU to provide free tap water, encourage municipalities to install public fountains and encourage public administrations to stop selling bottled water.

Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director of Food & Water Watch added: “In addition to affirming the human right to water, members of the European Parliament can use this opportunity to move Europe closer to its goal of tackling plastic pollution from bottled water. Europe is importing US fracked gas to produce plastic, which is devastating the global environment and local communities alike. Avoiding bottled water in restaurants and public buildings like the European Parliament would be strong signal in the right direction.”

Note:

The letter can be found here

Contact:

David Sánchez, Food & Water Europe, +32 (0) 485 842 604 , dsanchez(at)fweurope.org

This is the Global Gasdown-Frackdown 2018: Thousands taking actions in over 50 cities

GASTIVISTS AND FOOD & WATER EUROPE – @Gastivists, @FoodWaterEurope

Email: [email protected]

Press Release En Espanol

See Photos

COMMUNITIES FROM SIX CONTINENTS TAKE ACTION AGAINST GAS AND FRACKING

On and around October 13th, over 90 groups from six continents came together in a united fight against the gas, fracking and plastics/petrochemicals industry for the Global Gasdown-Frackdown Day of Action.

Over a thousand people took action across North and South America, Africa, Europe, Asia and Oceania.

Different groups and organisations demonstrated the many ways in which gas and fracking harm air and water quality, communities’ health and the climate. Among many others, there were anti-fracking debates in Peru, a protest against a planned LNG terminal in Germany and a stunt against plastic pollution caused by hydrocarbons in the UK, actions in Indonesia against gas drilling, a health impact webinar series,  an anti-fracking carnival in the UK and rally against fracking in Western Australia. Groups across the world joined together in the international fight against gas and fracking, demanding real climate solutions – our communities and our climate cannot afford another generation of fossil fuels.

Communities across the world are suffering from aggressively imposed gas infrastructure. Local democracy is often overruled, land rights dismissed, water sources poisoned and the environment polluted. This is under the false pretence that gas is a climate solution, a ‘bridge fuel’. However, when the entire supply chain is taken into account, it is no cleaner a fuel than oil and coal.

On and around October 13th, communities across the world united to take action, demanding a fossil-free future and real solutions.

Quotes

Osazee Prince Edigin, from ASEC in Nigeria, says “Our connection to the global movement is to signal our government, the multinationals and their collaborators that our struggle to end gas and fracking and the need for transition to clean and renewable sources of energy is a global movement that is not peculiar to Nigeria. It will vibrate louder and stronger.”

“Having a global Gasdown-Frackdown shows we’re not alone. That other people as well are putting up a fight for what they love- be it their land, water, health or the climate. And that’s always encouraging” says a spokesperson from NoTAP Belgium, protesting against TAP a planned mega pipeline carrying gas from Azerbaijan to the EU.

One of the actions that took place was an event informing about socio-environmental impacts of fracking in Monterrey, Mexico. Teresa Garza, from Movimiento en Defensa de la Madre Tierra y de la Vida says: “I’ve seen the reaction of those who find out what fracking is and what it means. It is impossible to be indifferent. I think information is a good first step to fight against this horrid activity.”

In Brussels, several environmental NGOs met to show unity against gas. “The recently published IPCC report shows the urgency of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees and the need to phase out all fossil fuels, coal, oil and gas. We can’t afford to keep burning gas if we want to preserve a planet liveable for future generations. This action day, uniting different struggles across the world is a strong sign of resistance and hope”, says Frida Kieninger from Food & Water Europe.

GASTIVISTS AND FOOD & WATER EUROPE

Frida Kieninger

Food & Water Europe

+32 487 24 99 05

 Kjell Kühne

Gastivists

+52-1-9671053425

Notes:

Website for Gastivists:https://gasdown-frackdown.org/

Website for Food & Water Europe: https://www.foodandwatereurope.org/
Selection of images from actions in following pages

Activists constructed their own pipeline at the port in Barcelona – much less damaging to the environment!
Over 600 people gathered in Perth demanding a state-wide ban of fracking in Western Australia.
Action for Socio-Political and Economic Change (ASEC) walked through the streets in Benin, Nigeria, demanding a swift transition to renewable energy.
Samba band at the Gasdown Frackdown Carnival in Sheffield, UK, where hundreds of people came together for a day of workshops, music and dancing.
Cardboard Pipeline delivery to the Lisbon offices of the European Investment Bank to demand they stop financing gas infrastructure, by Climaximo.
Local farmers and activists gather at a rally in Bali, Indonesia.
Treetop Banner drop by ClimateJustice Greifswald in Germany, who stand up against the Nordstream 2 pipeline from Russia to Germany.

Miles de personas participan en acciones en más de 50 ciudades en el Global Gasdown-Frackdown 2018

GASTIVISTS y FOOD & WATER EUROPE – @Gastivists, @FoodWaterEurope

Correo electrónico: [email protected]

Comunicado de prensa en inglés

COMUNIDADES DE SEIS CONTINENTES SE MOVILIZAN CONTRA EL GAS Y EL FRACKING

Alrededor del 13 octubre, más de 90 grupos de seis continentes participarán en el Día Global de Acción Gasdown-Frackdown, mostrando una lucha unida contra la industria del gas, del fracking y petroquímica.

Se están organizando más de mil personas en acciones en América del Norte, América del Sur, África, Europa, Asia y Oceanía.

El Gasdown-Frackdown conecta luchas contra el gas y el fracking a nivel internacional, subrayando el daño que hacen a la calidad del aire y del agua, a la salud de las comunidades y al clima. Entre muchos otros, hubo una acción de víctimas de lodos tóxicos originados por extracción de gas en Indonesia, una manifestación en Australia Occidental, teatro callejero en Ámsterdam, una manifestación en Nigeria, un taller vía internet (webinario) sobre los impactos en la salud causados por la extracción de gas y un carnaval anti-fracking en el Reino Unido. Grupos de todo el mundo se han unido en una lucha internacional, exigiendo soluciones reales para nuestro clima – la gente y el clima ya no toleran una generación más de combustibles fósiles.

Miles de personas por todo el mundo sufren los impactos de infraestructuras gasísticas impuestas agresivamente sobre las comunidades locales. Con frecuencia no se respeta la democracia local, se anulan derechos sobre las tierras, se envenenan fuentes de agua y se contamina el medio ambiente. Todo esto con el falso pretexto de que el gas es una solución para nuestro clima, un combustible necesario a medio plazo. Sin embargo, considerando la cadena de suministro completa, el gas no es un combustible más limpio que el petróleo o el carbón.

Alrededor del 13 de octubre, comunidades en todo el mundo se han unido para realizar acciones descentralizadas, exigiendo un futuro sin combustibles fósiles y soluciones reales.

Citas

Osazee Prince Edigin, de ASEC in Nigeria, dice “Nuestra conexión con el movimiento global es una señal para nuestro gobierno, las multinacionales y sus colaboradores de que nuestra lucha para parar el gas y el fracking y la necesidad de una transición a fuentes de energía limpias y renovables es un movimiento global y no solo nigeriano. Se oye más fuerte.”

“Que ocurra un Gasdown-Frackdown global demuestra que no estamos solos en esa lucha. Nos muestra que otras personas también están luchando para cuidar lo que aman: sus tierras, su salud, o el clima. Y eso te da ánimo”, contó el portavoz de NoTAP Bélgica, grupo que protesta contra el TAP, un megagaseoducto que traerá gas desde Azerbaiyán hacia Europa.

Una de las acciones es un foro regional sobre los impactos socioambientales del fracking en Monterrey, México. Teresa Garza del Movimiento en Defensa de la Madre Tierra y de la Vida: “He visto la reacción de quienes se enteran de lo que es y lo que implica el fracking; imposible permanecer indiferentes.”

En Bruselas varias ONG ecologistas se juntarán para demostrar su unión contra el gas. “El informe del IPCC que acaba de ser publicado subraya la emergencia que existe en limitar el calentamiento global a +1.5 grados y la necesidad de eliminar la producción y el consumo de todas las energías fósiles, el carbón, el petróleo y el gas. No podemos seguir quemando gas si queremos preservar el planeta para las generaciones futuras. Este día de acción que reúne a varias luchas alrededor del planeta es una gran señal de resistencia y de esperanza”, afirmó Frida Kieninger de  Food & Water Europe.

 

GASTIVISTS y FOOD & WATER EUROPE

Frida Kieninger

Food & Water Europe

+32 487 24 99 05

 Kjell Kühne

Gastivists

+52-1-9671053425

Más información:

Página Web de Gastivists: https://gasdown-frackdown.org/

Página Web de Food & Water Europe: https://www.foodandwatereurope.org/

– Selección de imágenes de acciones en las páginas siguientes –

Más fotos disponibles en nuestra página de Facebook, o vía correo electrónico a: [email protected]

Activists constructed their own pipeline at the port in Barcelona – much less damaging to the environment!
Over 600 people gathered in Perth demanding a state-wide ban of fracking in Western Australia.
Action for Socio-Political and Economic Change (ASEC) walked through the streets in Benin, Nigeria, demanding a swift transition to renewable energy.
Samba band at the Gasdown Frackdown Carnival in Sheffield, UK, where hundreds of people came together for a day of workshops, music and dancing.
Cardboard Pipeline delivery to the Lisbon offices of the European Investment Bank to demand they stop financing gas infrastructure, by Climaximo.
Local farmers and activists gather at a rally in Bali, Indonesia.
Treetop Banner drop by ClimateJustice Greifswald in Germany, who stand up against the Nordstream 2 pipeline from Russia to Germany.