Climate Activism News Roundup #3
A two week curated collection of climate activism news, protests, public marches, direct actions, and related court-cases. We are regularly inspired by the creative and courageous resistance we see around the globe, and we hope that gathering the stories here will keep you motivated, informed and connected. The fight at Standing Rock is all but lost, but the struggle against other pipelines continues and a renewed resistance against fossil fuel infrastructure is being born.
DAKOTA ACCESS PIPELINE (ND, SD, IA, IL)
Thousands of Dakota Access Pipeline Activists Came to Washington
Mother Jones / March 10, 2017 –
Thousands of demonstrators, including members of dozens of indigenous tribes, marched through the streets of the nation’s capital on Friday morning, capping a four-day protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline and President Donald Trump.
‘The Fight’s Not Over’: Water Protectors Pitch Tipis Within View of White House
DC Media Group / March 8, 2017 –
Indigenous tribes from across the country have set up a camp of seven tipis right across from the White House. Led by the Standing Rock Sioux, who have been in a battle with the federal government over the placement of a pipeline on their ancestral lands, the tribes says they are here to demand that rights of indigenous people everywhere be respected.
Dakota Access Pipeline Could Open Next Week after Activists Face Final Court Loss
Earth First! / March 8, 2017 –
A federal judge declined Tuesday to temporarily stop construction of the final section of the disputed Dakota Access pipeline, clearing the way for oil to flow as soon as next week. The Standing Rock and Cheyenne River Sioux had asked the US district judge James Boasberg in Washington to direct the Army Corps of Engineers to withdraw permission for the Texas-based developer Energy Transfer Partners to lay pipe under Lake Oahe in North Dakota.
VIDEO: North Dakota Dismantles #NoDAPL Oceti Camp
Unicorn Riot / Feb 24, 2017 –
The water protector #NoDAPL camp that for months formed a beachhead against Dakota Access Pipeline construction was destroyed midday Thursday, February 23rd by a heavily militarized eviction force.
The Sabal Trail Pipe-Sitters
Sabal Trail Resistance / Feb 23, 2017 –
Early on the morning of February 22, two protestors climbed 250 feet inside a stretch of the Sabal Trail Pipeline. They refused to come out until the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Sabal Trail (and the whole Southeast Market Pipelines project) was revisited to fully include an assessment of impacts on environmental justice communities and school children along the route and in the blast zone for accidents. They were met with threats of tear gas and K-9 dog attacks, and ultimately were dragged out and arrested. They are currently out on bail and awaiting court.
Initial Thoughts on Honoring the Life and Death of a Pipeline Saboteur
Sabal Trail Resistance / March 1, 2017 –
The story is still unfolding about a man who lost his life to police bullets after an act of sabotage that disabled a section of Sabal Trail pipeline construction in Marion County on February 26, 2017.
Atlantic Coast Pipeline (VA, NC):
Activists Begin 200-Mile March against Atlantic Coast Pipeline
Earth First! /March 7, 2017 –
Dozens of North Carolina residents and supporters from nearby states began a two week long march along the proposed route of the controversial Atlantic Coast Pipeline this past weekend. Starting on March 4, the walkers gathered at the Virginia/North Carolina border and began their 200 mile long journey south where the pipeline ends on Lumbee Indian territory in Pembroke, NC. The walk is organized by the North Carolina Alliance to Protect Our People And The Places We Live.
South Africa: Legal Victory against Proposed Coal-Fired Power Station
Earth First! / March 11, 2017 –
The South African government has lost the country’s first climate change lawsuit after the high court ruled against its plans for a coal-fired power station, the latest in a rising tide of international climate litigation. Environmental NGO EarthLife Africa challenged the government’s approval of the proposed Thabametsi coal-fired power station on the grounds that it should have been preceded by an evaluation of its climate change impacts. The North Gauteng high court agreed and ordered the government to reconsider its approval, taking into account a full climate change impact assessment.
Nicaragua: Francisca Ramírez and The Anti-Canal Movement
Intercontinental Cry / March 3, 2017 –
For those who have not yet heard of Nicaraguan activist, Francisca Ramírez, that is about to change. The apolitical, movement-focused leader of the growing anti-canal mobilization in Nicaragua is not backing down from state intimidation tactics, and is – self -professed – ready to die for the cause.
Children’s Climate Lawsuit Aims to Unearth Documents from Oil Group API
Inside Climate News / March 1, 2017 –
Attorneys representing 21 children who are suing the federal government over its responsibility to slow climate change are seeking answers from the oil and gas industry. The plaintiffs want to uncover what role fossil fuel interests played in shaping government climate policies and in attempt to sow doubt about the emerging consensus that global warming is caused by emissions from fossil fuels.
Three people blockade entrance to Citizens Bank headquarters building over pipeline concerns, as grassroots leaders call for divestment
The Fang Collective / Mar 2, 2017 –
Three people with The FANG Collective blockaded the main entrance to the Citizens Bank global headquarters building in downtown Providence, RI to protest the Bank’s financing of Sunoco Logistics, a pipeline company behind several controversial projects, including the Dakota Access Pipeline.
Honduras: Farmers Sue World Bank Group for Human Rights Violations
Earth Rights / Mar 8, 2017 –
EarthRights International (ERI) filed a federal lawsuit today on behalf of Honduran farmers charging two World Bank Group members with aiding and abetting gross violations of human rights. The suit arises out of two World Bank entities invested in Honduran palm-oil companies that have been at the center of a decades-long and bloody land-grabbing campaign in the Bajo Aguán region of Honduras.
Republican Lawmakers Introduce Bills to Curb Protesting in At Least 18 States
Washington Post / Feb 24, 2017 –
Since the election of President Trump, Republican lawmakers in at least 18 states have introduced or voted on legislation to curb mass protests in what civil liberties experts are calling “an attack on protest rights throughout the states.”
Groups Seek End to Factory Farm Pollution Loopholes Dating Back to 1970
Inside Climate News / March9, 2017 –
35 advocacy groups are calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to close loopholes that they say have allowed massive factory farms to continue polluting waterways with animal waste. The groups are asking the agency to fix its rules for permitting Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, or CAFOs, which can house tens of thousands of animals and have become one of the most significant sources of water pollution in the nation. The effort is part of a broader one aimed at forcing stronger oversight of CAFOs, including their contributions to greenhouse gas emissions.
Brazil: Samba Parade Spotlights Threats to Rivers, Forests and Indigenous Rights at Rio’s Carnival
Amazon Watch / Feb 28, 2017 –
In a colorful and highly energized samba parade at Rio de Janeiro’s world-famous Carnival on Monday morning, Imperatriz Leopoldinense, one of Brazil’s most traditional and respected samba schools, paid a special tribute to indigenous peoples of the Amazon’s Xingu River, highlighting threats to their territories, livelihoods and rights. The parade’s message angered the agri-business lobby, but provided an important opportunity for participants to highlight the importance of indigenous rights and environmental protection.
