For a Future without Fracking!
Statement of Anti-fracking groups at the Cupula Dos Povos
Gathered in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday 22nd June 2012 during the Peoples’ Summit, groups of activists have made a declaration against fracking activities worldwide. Fracking, short for “hydraulic fracturing”, is an environmentally damaging mining method, a combination of wellbores and pressurized fluids, that is among others applied in France, Poland and Bulgaria.
For a Future without Fracking! Statement of Anti-fracking groups at the Cupula Dos Povos
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 low carbon transition fuel, 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), ACSUR-Las Segovias (Spain), OMAL (Spain), Ekologistak Martxan (Basque Country), ISF (Spain), Alianza “¿Economía Verde? ¡Futuro imposible!” (Spain), Polaris Institute (Canada)