The newly released global tuberculosis (TB) report from World Health Organisation (WHO) is reporting the grim reality that more people are dying of TB than previously thought.
A TB patient
According to the report, there was a 50 percent increase in deaths of children from TB, with 210,000 reported to have died of the disease in 2015. This increase, from 140,000 in 2014, reflects the result of improved disease estimates, shedding new light on a disease whose impact on children had been underestimated and ignored. The higher child mortality numbers come after improved data collection doubled the estimated incidence of childhood TB, to one million annually in 2014.
In the past, children with TB had been the neglected of the neglected. However, improved TB medicines for children are now available. With country-level estimates of childhood TB available for the first time, countries should be even better prepared to act and rapidly accelerate the introduction of and ensure access to child-friendly TB medicines, and that no child dies of TB.
The report also notes that, in 2015, the number of people who died from TB grew to 1.8 million, from 1.5 million in 2014. Worryingly, 50 percent of all multi-drug resistant TB patients are either not completing or not being helped by the current two-year treatment regimen. These sobering statistics remind us of our urgency to continue the fight to develop the better, faster and affordable treatments that will finally bring this pandemic under control.
TB Alliance is working to advance several promising regimens to tackle TB in all its forms. However, there is a commensurate need for funding. Only in providing the funding needed can we hope to transform the promise in the pipeline to millions of lives saved.
TB Alliance is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to finding faster-acting and affordable drug regimens to fight TB.
Campaigning with former vice president and climate champion Al Gore in Miami on Tuesday, Hillary Clinton didn’t hold back about drawing a connection between a changing climate and Hurricane Matthew, which has killed more than 20 Americans and more than 1,000 people in Haiti thus far.
Rivers swollen by Hurricane Matthew have caused widespread flooding in North Carolina, USA
“Hurricane Matthew was likely more destructive because of climate change,” Clinton said. “Right now the ocean is at or near record high temperatures, and that contributed to the torrential rainfall and the flash flooding that we saw in the Carolinas. Sea levels have already risen about a foot, one foot, in much of the southeast, which means that Matthew’s storm surge was higher, and the flooding was more severe.”
Gore went into even more scientific detail when he took the stage to emphasise what he said were two messages – climate change is a core issue at stake in the election, and every vote counts (he should know).
“It spun up from a tropical storm into a category 5 hurricane in just 36 hours. That’s extremely unusual,” Gore said of Matthew. He later added: “Just since Hurricane Andrew, the sea level, and the waters around Florida, have gone up three inches.” Hurricane Andrew struck South Florida in 1992 as a Category 5 storm (but a small sized one).
The back-to-back assertions suggest that it has become less politically treacherous to talk about extreme weather events in a climate change context than it was during, say, the time of Hurricane Katrina 11 years ago. And at the same time, Gore’s appearance reinforces that the Clinton campaign views the climate as a winning campaign issue.
That is especially the case in Florida and especially Miami, surrounded by the rising ocean. Neither Clinton nor Gore mentioned Jill Stein, the Green party candidate who threatens to siphon votes away from Clinton in Florida. Yet a subtext of the event was to signal to Bernie Sanders supporters, who might be thinking of voting for Stein, that Clinton takes climate change very seriously – and that such a vote could help elect her opponent, who does not.
But what about these claims about a linkage between some aspects of Hurricane Matthew and climate change?
One climate scientist whom I quickly reached, Michael Mann of Penn State University, called Clinton’s quotation above “absolutely” accurate. Mann added that it “mirrors” remarks he gave in a recent interview with Democracy Now on the subject (link here).
Gore and Clinton are probably on the safest ground when talking about sea level. There’s a broad scientific consensus that the seas are rising, and that a warming climate is responsible. And while there are regional variations in how the oceans are distributed across the Earth, the fact remains that on average, this means a hurricane that strikes Florida or the U.S. East Coast today will be doing so atop higher seas, with more potential to hurl the water inland.
As for Matthew’s rapid intensification, Gore is right to note that it is “unusual,” although he may have pushed it a bit far. As Atlantic hurricane expert Philip Klotzbach noted for Capital Weather Gang, “Hurricane Matthew underwent a remarkable rapid intensification of 80 mph in 24 hours, intensifying from a Category 1 hurricane to a Category 5 hurricane. This was the third-strongest rapid intensification in a 24-hour period for any Atlantic hurricane on record, trailing only Hurricane Wilma (2005) and Hurricane Felix (2007).”
In other words, Matthew’s rapid intensification is certainly noteworthy, but not unprecedented. It’s the kind of feature that is worrisome, but it is hard to say it is definitive proof of anything at this point.
If there’s anything wrong with Clinton’s and Gore’s remarks, it’s what they didn’t say – there are many caveats and nuances to this issue. They didn’t note, for example:
That no storm is “caused” by climate change – a common misconception that scientists don’t consider supportable. Neither Clinton or Gore claimed this – but they didn’t debunk the misconception, either.
That while scientists expect hurricanes to become more intense, on average, as the world warms, overall storm numbers may actually decrease.
That scientists don’t fully understand what’s driving hurricane activity in the Atlantic, and whether the signal of a global warming influence is yet detectable in hurricane trends.
Most of all, the event demonstrated that Clinton, clearly, thinks the climate issue helps her win. “We cannot risk putting a climate denier in the White House,” Clinton said.
A new report from the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate has called on governments and finance institutions to scale up and shift investment for sustainable infrastructure as a fundamental strategy to spur growth.
Felipe Calderón, former President of Mexico and Chair of the Global Commission. He underlines the need to invest in sustainable infrastructure. Photo credit: mpiweb.org
“Investing in sustainable infrastructure is essential to solve all the world’s most pressing problems,” said Felipe Calderón, former President of Mexico and Chair of the Global Commission. “It’s key to reigniting global growth. It’s key to reducing poverty. And it’s key to meeting the Paris Agreement. Infrastructure can be the pillar on which we build a sustainable economy, or it can crumble beneath us. It all depends on whether we get financing right, only then will capital fully shift in the low-carbon direction.”
The Sustainable Infrastructure Imperative: Financing for Better Growth and Development identifies the main barriers to financing sustainable infrastructure and lays out an action agenda for unlocking the capital required. The report was launched by President Felipe Calderón and Lord Nicholas Stern as well as other Global Commissioners at an event hosted by President Luis Alberto Moreno at the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington, DC.
“The next couple of decades, and particularly the next two or three years, will be critical to the future of sustainable development,” said Lord Nicholas Stern, leading economist and co-Chair the Commission. “We can and should invest in and build cities where we can move and breathe and be productive, while protecting the natural world that underpins our livelihoods. We cannot continue with ‘business as usual’ which will lock in high-carbon infrastructure and create further congestion and pollution, while choking off development opportunities, particularly for poor people. This will require not only better policies but also a sea change in the financial system itself to make it fit for purpose for the scale and quality of investment we now need. The development banks, both national and international, should be at the center of this: the growth story of the future.”
The report finds that investments totalling about $90 trillion will be needed in infrastructure over the next 15 years, more than is in place in our entire current stock, even if we continue under business-as-usual development. The good news is that it does not need to cost much more to ensure that this infrastructure delivers a low-carbon economy consistent with the climate goals agreed in Paris, and fuel and other operational savings can fully offset any additional up-front investments.
Meeting these investment needs will require a combination of public and private investment, with public investment used strategically to help crowd-in or leverage further private investment. The report also breaks down future infrastructure needs by sector and country groupings. It finds that the global South will account for roughly two-thirds of investment, with energy and transport sectors dominating.
“Our action agenda in this report knits together sustainable growth with development gains,” said Commissioner Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, former finance minister of Nigeria. “It makes clear that the role of governments, the private sector, and development banks varies depending on a country’s stage of development. And it’s an especially exciting opportunity for the developing world, where we are just starting to build fundamental infrastructure, to show real leadership thanks to the opportunities to skip over the inefficient, polluting systems of the past.”
The report notes that a single infrastructure project can require dozens of financial institutions, all with their own demands, and take more than a decade to build. The cost of project preparation is substantial, typically 2.5–5% of total investment. And the risk-return ratio for sustainable infrastructure is often too high to attract private capital.
“Green finance and climate risk are two sides of the same coin. The finance sector is increasingly grasping the opportunity side of the low-carbon transition. But any prudent investor looks not only at the opportunities in the portfolio, but also the risks, especially of legacy investments,” said Commissioner Caio Koch-Weser, former Vice Chairman of Deutsche Bank. “Clear definitions of what counts as green on the one hand, and transparency requirements concerning carbon risk on the other hand would allow informed investment decisions and help ensure an efficient and smooth low-carbon transition.”
The Global Commission identifies four action areas to finance sustainable infrastructure at the scale required:
Tackle fundamental price distortions through fossil fuel subsidy reform and carbon pricing. Fossil fuel subsidies amounted to around $550 billion in 2014, skewing investment away from sustainable options.
Strengthen policy frameworks and institutional capacities. Better planning and governance can ensure the right projects are selected in the first place, and the right financing is used at the right time.
Transform the financial system through new tools like green bonds and green investment banking, and by greening the existing financial system, including through corporate climate risk disclosure.
Ramp up investments in innovation and deployment of clean technologies to reduce the upfront costs of sustainable infrastructure.
At the report launch on 6 October 2016, the IDB also launched NDC Invest, a one-stop shop for countries to transform their national commitments into investment plans.
The Board of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) has selected Howard Bamsey, an experienced Australian climate diplomat, as the Executive Director of the Fund’s Secretariat. The decision was taken by consensus during the Board’s 14th meeting, following an extensive global recruitment process to select a new head of the Secretariat.
Howard Bamsey, Executive Director of the Green Climate Fund (GCF)
Bamsey succeeds Hela Cheikhrouhou, a Tunisian, who was the Fund’s first Executive Director. She is credited with setting in motion GCF’s first resource mobilisation process and overseeing the establishment of the body’s headquarters in the Republic of Korea.
In between Cheikhrouhou’s stepping down and Bamsey’s selection, Javier Manzanares, GCF’s chief financial officer, was the Executive Director ad interim.
Bamsey, former Director-General of the Global Green Growth Institute, has a career spanning decades in international climate change, environment and sustainable development, both in the diplomatic service and academia.
He co-chaired the United Nations “Dialogue on Long-term Cooperative Action on Climate Change” from 2006 to 2007 and served as Australia’s Special Envoy on Climate Change and Deputy Secretary at the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency from 2008 to 2010. He has also served in a variety of senior government and executive positions.
The GCF was established to support low-emissions and climate-resilient development in developing countries in the context of sustainable development and poverty reduction. The Executive Director will lead the Secretariat of the Fund, headquartered in Songdo, Incheon City, Republic of Korea.
On 5 October 2016, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, announced that, on that day, the conditions for the entry into force of the Paris Agreement were met and that it shall enter into force on 4 November 2016.
Moroccan Foreign Minister, Salaheddine Mezouar, who has been designated by Morocco and the African Group to serve as the President of COP22 and CMP12, will also head the CMA1. Photo credit: AFP /Fadel Senna
As a consequence, the 1st Session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Agreement (CMA1) will be convened during the 22nd Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP22) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) scheduled to hold in Marrakech, Morocco, from 7 to 18 November 2016.
The session will take place in Bab Ighli, Marrakech, Morocco in conjunction with COP22 and the 12th Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP12).
The UNFCCC has unveiled a set questions and answers aimed at shedding some light on legal and procedural issues concerning CMA1 and to assist Parties in their preparations for the session without prejudging their views on these issues.
When will CMA1 take place?
CMA1 will be convened in conjunction with the 22nd Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP22) and the 12th Session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP12). The Executive Secretary is consulting the President of COP21/CMP11, as well as the Bureau and the President Designate of COP 22/CMP12/CMA1, on the arrangements for CMA1, including on the precise dates. The secretariat will provide further information to Parties in advance of the Marrakech Conference through formal notification and on the UNFCCC website.
What is the agenda for CMA1?
The Executive Secretary, in collaboration with the President of COP21/CMP11 and the President Designate of COP22/CMP12/CMA1, is currently consulting the Bureau on the provisional agenda. Following the consultations, the Executive Secretary will finalise the provisional agenda in agreement with the President of COP21/CMP11, and make it available to Parties in advance of the Marrakech Conference through a formal notification and on the UNFCCC website as soon as possible.
Is a separate nomination of delegates for CMA1 required?
No separate nomination for delegates is required.
By when should a Party to the Convention deposit its instrument of ratification, acceptance or approval of the Paris Agreement to be able to participate at CMA1 as a Party to the Agreement?
To participate in the proceedings of the CMA as a Party to the Agreement, a Party to the Convention should deposit with the Depositary its instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession at least 30 days in advance of the relevant CMA meeting. This will ensure that the Paris Agreement enters into force for the Party concerned prior to that meeting (see Article 21, paragraph 3, of the Paris Agreement). By way of example, to participate in a CMA1 meeting on Tuesday, 15 November 2016, the Party to the Convention should deposit its instrument at the latest on Friday, 14 October 2016, with entry into force on Sunday, 13 November 2016.
Also as a further example, to participate in decision-making on the presumed last day of CMA1 in Marrakech, on Friday, 18 November 2016, an instrument of ratification would need to be deposited at the latest on Wednesday, 19 October 2016. Parties to the Convention that deposit their instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession after the relevant deadline may participate and make interventions as observers (see Article 16, paragraph 2, of the Paris Agreement).
Do Parties to the Paris Agreement have to submit credentials for CMA1?
Yes. In addition to the instrument of credentials of representatives of Parties to the Convention and the Kyoto Protocol to be submitted for COP22/CMP12, Parties to the Paris Agreement are also required to submit a second instrument of credentials of representatives to CMA1. The credentials should be submitted to the secretariat no later than 24 hours after the opening of the CMA1, in accordance with rule 19 of the draft rules of procedure of the COP applied mutatis mutandis to the CMA. Only Parties to the Agreement with valid credentials will be able to participate in the adoption of decisions at CMA1.
Will Heads of State and Government participate in CMA1?
His Majesty Mohammed VI, King of Morocco, has invited Heads of State and Government to attend the Marrakech Conference on Tuesday, 15 November 2016, the first day of the high-level segment of the Conference. This will be an occasion to celebrate the entry into force of the Paris Agreement and the convening of CMA1.
Who will be the President of CMA1?
The Paris Agreement specifies that the President of the COP will serve as the President of CMA, provided he/she is from a Party to the Agreement. The President of CMA1 will be H.E. Mr. Salaheddine Mezouar, who has been designated by Morocco and the African Group to serve as the President of COP22 and CMP12.
President Muhammadu Buhari has nominated the Minister of Environment, Amina Mohammed, to serve in the African Union (AU) Reform Steering Committee.
Environment Minister, Mrs Amina J. Mohammed, delivering a speech at the High Level Segment of COP21 in Paris, France in December, 2015. She is to to serve in the AU Reform Steering Committee
The committee, headed by President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, is tasked with ongoing institutional reforms of the AU Commission and its organs.
The committee, which comprises eminent persons from the continent, will work on part-time basis to produce a report for presentation to the 28th African Union Summit in January 2017.
“A versatile and accomplished development practitioner in the public, private and civil society sectors with over three decades’ experience, Mrs. Mohammed had served as the Senior Special Assistant to the President of Nigeria on the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs), serving three Presidents over a period of six years,” a statement by presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu, said.
Until her appointment as a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in November 2015, Mrs. Mohammed was the Assistant Secretary/Special Advisor to the United Nations Secretary General on Post-2015 Development Planning.
Environmentalists have said that, in the cause of controlling use of Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) in Nigeria, some gaps were identified in the provisions of The National Environment Ozone Layer Protection Regulations of 2009, a promulgation of the Federal Government addressing the use of ODS in the country.
Dr. Lawrence Anukam, Director-General, National Environmental Standards and Regulations Agency (NESREA).
At a workshop in Abuja on Expert Review of the Draft Amended National Environmental Ozone Layer Protection Regulations (2009) organised by the Federal Ministry of Environment in collaboration with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), Dr. Lawrence Anukam, Director-General, National Environmental Standards and Regulations Agency (NESREA), identified some of these major gaps to include: the omission of best practices for the safe disposal, guidelines for ODS destruction, andsubstitutes of ODS in the regulations, among others.
These gaps, he said, have hindered effective compliance monitoring and enforcement, as well as deterred the ODS handlers from complying with the provisions of the regulations.
Dr. Anumka said that, as a signatory to the Montreal Protocol under which substances that deplete the ozone layer are addressed, and as the country tends towards the diversification of its economy through industrialisation, Nigeria cannot be a spectator in global trends on environment and climate change.
“Globally, the adverse effects of ODS have increasingly become a critical issue as a result of the several pollutants which attack the ozone layer. Chief among these pollutants is in the class of chemicals notably known as Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) – used as refrigerants and as propellants in spray cans”.
As the ozone layer plays major role in the protection of life on earth by acting as a blanket that prevent harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation of the sun reaching the earth, these pollutants, if not checked, would deplete the ozone layer and usher in more UV rays upon the earth and consequently, exposure to these rays could have serious impacts on human health and the environment.
Dr. Anumka said that it was therefore on that premise that the need to amend the National Environment Ozone Layer Protection Regulations of 2009 became imminent, and that the United Nations, through its agency, UNIDO Nigeria, is partnering with government to develop an effective standard for the safe disposal of the ODS in the country.
He told participants that the outcome of the expert meeting would help in the fulfillment of government’s obligations in the ODS phase-out regime geared towards eliminating the use of critical ODS for the protection of the environment and human health in Nigeria.
In his address, UNIDO Country Representative and Regional Director for ECOWAS, Dr. Chuma Ezedimma, said the United Nations remained committed to the promotion of an inclusive and sustainable industrialisation in developing countries and economies in transition.
Dr. Ezedimma explained that as nations across the world are evolving with measures to protect the environment, and as a partner on Montreal Protocol, it is important for Nigeria to reflect in its laws, disposal of ODS waste, and equally important for the country to begin the adoption and implementation of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) initiative in order to ensure that manufacturers take responsibility for the entire life circle of their products which should apply to refrigeration, air-conditioning and insulation products.
With that in hand he said, Nigeria would be sure to boost energy conservation and eventually the sustainability of the environment.
“Disposal of unwanted ODS has already been initiated in Nigeria through the Demonstration Project for Disposal of Ozone Depleting Substances which began implementation in November, 2013 after the Multilateral Fund of the Montreal Protocol approved some funding for the country with the objective of aggregating and disposing 84MT of CFC-12, already identified with companies and chillers. This is to promote a model to manage ODS in Africa and also showcase how ODS disposal can promote other environmental and climate change issues, like energy efficiency, and carbon market co-financing,” he concluded.
The government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia has assured the African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW) of its continued support towards strengthening the organisation in its quest to superintend the effective and efficient management of the continent’s water resources.
Ethiopian Minister for Water, Irrigation and Energy, Motuma Mekassa
Ethiopian Minister for Water, Irrigation and Energy, Motuma Mekassa, disclosed this in his office on Tuesday in Addis Ababa while receiving AMCOW’s new Executive Secretary, Dr. Canisius Kanangire.
Mekassa stated: “AMCOW’s unique role and relevance in the equitable and sustainable use and management of water resources for poverty alleviation and socio-economic development, regional cooperation and the environment in Africa cannot be overemphasised hence the need for all member-states to jointly support the organisation through the facilitation of easy access to data and timely remittance of all country obligations.”
The Ethiopian Water Minister further commended the diligence of the AMCOW Secretariat, its Donors and Partners for their respective contributions towards the operationalisation of the African Water and Sanitation Agenda as enshrined in the 2008 Sharm El-Sheikh Commitment on Water and Sanitation; and the 2015 N’gor Declaration on Sanitation and Hygiene which, according to him, “is boosting the capacity of our Regional Economic Communities and Member States to improve Water and Sanitation Sector particularly the Monitoring and Reporting System in Africa.”
AMCOW Executive Secretary, Dr. Canisius Kanangire, thanked his host for the show of support and warm hospitality accorded him and his team by the government and people of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia during the training workshop organised for stakeholders and African member-states on the web-based monitoring and reporting framework for the water and sanitation sector which held in Addis Ababa recently.
Dr. Kanangire further enjoined the Ethiopian government to deploy its weight as a founding member of AMCOW in engendering the support and cooperation of other member-states in the aggregated efforts at translating the vision of the Africa we want and the Africa Water vision 2025 into tangible reality.
The Sixth Conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa (CCDA-VI), the continent’s premier climate change conference, will take place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 18-20 October, bringing together diverse stakeholders to understand the implications, nuances, challenges and opportunities of implementing the Paris Agreement.
James Murombedzi, Africa Climate Policy Centre, Officer-in-Charge
The main theme of the CCDA-VI, organised under the auspices of the Climate for Development in Africa (ClimDev-Africa) programme, will be “The Paris Agreement on climate change: What next for Africa?”
The Paris Agreement on climate change, set to come into effect before the end of the year, aims to limit the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue more ambitious efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels in this century.
Implementation of the Paris Agreement has significant implications for Africa as the continent that will be most severely impacted by the adverse impacts of weather variability and climate change. The continent is already experiencing climate-induced impacts, such as frequent and prolonged droughts and floods, as well as environmental degradation that make livelihoods difficult for rural and urban communities. Increasing migration on the continent is both triggered and amplified by climate change.
Reviewing the Paris Agreement allows for a contextual analysis of what was at stake for Africa and what the Agreement offers, prior to COP22 in Marrakesh, Morocco 7-18 November 2016, thereby contributing to strategic orientation for African countries in moving forward with the implementation of the Agreement.
The basis of the Paris Agreement is the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) submitted by all parties in the lead up to COP21 as their national contributions to limiting global greenhouse gas emissions. INDCs became Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) subsequent to COP21.
James Murombedzi, Africa Climate Policy Centre, Officer-in-Charge, says: “The Paris Agreement heralds bold steps towards decarbonising the global economy and reducing dependency on fossil fuels. However, there are contentious nuances of the agreement that must be unpacked in the context of Africa’s development priorities, particularly in regard to the means of implementation which were binding provisions of the Kyoto Protocol and currently only non-binding decisions in the Paris Agreement.”
To better articulate the specific objectives and capture the implications of implementing the Paris Agreement for inclusive and sustainable development in Africa, the conference will be organised under the following sub-themes:
Unpacking the Paris Agreement and emerging challenges and opportunities for Africa;
Integration of the Paris Agreement into Africa’s development agenda and other global governance frameworks;
Linking African initiatives to the implementation of the Paris Agreement;
Emerging challenges from climate change.
CCDA-VI is expected to be attended by policymakers and researchers, young people, civil society organisations, negotiators and the private sector. The CCDA-VI will facilitate and enrich the sharing of lessons, key research findings, outreach and policy uptake, as well as stimulate investments.
Grassroots leaders from oil and energy-impacted communities across the country will on Wednesday gather at the Houston offices of Energy Transfer Partners for a prayer action in solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and thousands of water defenders mobilising against the Dakota Access Pipeline.
US President Barack Obama
In one of the largest environmental justice mobilisations in history, Standing Rock water defenders have drawn together more than 5,000 people representing over 280 Indigenous Nations and Tribes and forced a federal injunction against one of the largest oil pipeline projects in North America. Energy Transfer Partners has drawn national attention for driving both the Dakota Access Pipeline and the equally controversial Trans Pecos Pipeline, that has also violated the rights of Indigenous Peoples in West Texas, and poses significant threat to the water and land for many communities in Texas.
The Trans Pecos & the Comanche Trail Pipelines are being constructed to transport huge amounts of natural gas through the pristine Big Bend region under the sacred Rio Grande & into Mexico. Energy-impacted communities from Richmond CA, Chicago, Kentucky, Arizona, the Gulf Coast, New York, New Jersey, and national environmental organisations are all aligning with local organisers in Texas to oppose both the Trans Pecos Pipeline and Dakota Access Pipeline and call for a Just Transition to renewable energy alternatives.
Yvette Arellano, T.E.J.A.S. says: “Clean water is a basic human right that should be afforded to everyone. No treaty, law or structure should have to reinforce a necessity, yet we understand that we live in a world driven by corporate greed that sacrifices sacred lands, vulnerable populations and people of color.
“I am humbled by the solidarity and courage grassroots, big greens and supporting organisations from all over the country are demonstrating to face Energy Transfer Partners at their doorstep in the house of the largest petrochemical complex of the nation. Together we press forward, rise and demand a clean world for future generations in our struggle to survive.”
Juan Mancias, Tribal Chairman, Carrizo/Comecrudo Tribe of Texas: “It gives me great pleasure to see the networking that has arisen from finally deprogramming from forced and coerced corporate dependency on oil; to recognise the importance of Native Original People of Texas (NOPOT) as the intricate thread in holding accountable the oil super PACs for the destruction of humanity through the pollution of the four elements of life: Water, Air, Earth, and Fire. Please join us in this walk of sending our voices for Mother Earth. We call on the criminal Kelsey Warren and Energy Transfer Partners to stop the cycle of Genocide of NOPOT and Texas Tribal Ancestors by ending the Dakota Access Pipeline, the Trans Pecos Pipeline and the Comanche Trail Pipeline. AH’E YA’T PAYESE’L. Water is life!!”
Kim Wasserman, Little Village Environmental Justice Organisation (LVEJO), Chicago: “From Chicago to Houston we stand with all of our communities impacted by the oil and gas industry in fighting back. It took us twelve years to shut down the two coal plant in Chicago and we commit to fighting until our communities have justice. While these companies think they have only money and stocks to lose we have to remind them it’s our lives and world at stake.”
Jess Grady-Benson, Divestment Student Network: “The fossil fuel industry and their financiers have desecrated our land and communities for decades, deeming communities of color and poor communities sacrificial in their conquest for profit. Today they threaten our collective futures from the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline in ND to the Trans Pecos Pipeline in Texas. Yet, our universities remain invested in this violent industry. We stand with the Water Protectors and support the calls for divestment from Energy Transfer Partners and the Dakota Access Pipeline. The Divestment Student Network stands with Standing Rock for the protection of life, dignity, and self-determination.”
Ahmina Maxey, The Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA): “The Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives stands in solidarity with the indigenous freedom fighters and allies from Standing Rock to West Texas. Our “dig, burn, dump” economy has entrenched us in an unsustainable system that we must move away from.”
Everette R. H. Thompson, 350.org.: “There is no way to build these pipelines that will be safe or in ‘the public interest,’ as fossil fuel companies would like you to believe. Both the Dakota Access Pipeline and the Trans-Pecos Pipeline are dirty, large-scale fossil fuel projects that will put money in the pockets of high-paid executives while exploiting black and brown communities, releasing an enormous amount of greenhouse gasses and limiting our ability to leave a healthy world behind for generations to come. We need to end this cycle by keeping fossil fuels in the ground and putting resources towards the just transition to a 100% renewable energy economy.”
Jayeesha Dutta, Radical Arts and Healing Collective, New Orleans: We stand in deep solidarity with our Indigenous brothers and sisters banded together to resist the Dakota Access Pipeline. Our fights are quite literally one: the Gulf South is where that Bakken crude oil will eventually end up for refining and transportation. We are already on the frontline of environmental disasters, like the BP oil catastrophe, which we are still recovering from. It is time to put an end to extractive energy production, and the exploitation of our land and labor that comes along with that.”
