Watch Resisting Mining and Fossil Fuel Projects Webinar

Last Wednesday, Earth Day, ourselves and Not Here Not Anywhere co-hosted a webinar to explore the challenges faced and lessons learnt when resisting mining & fossil fuel projects.

We heard from Esteban who is campaigning against fracking in Argentina, Fidelma who is working with a group called Save our Sperrins against the onslaught of gold mining in Northern Ireland, and Aideen who is part of Not Here Not Anywhere who are pushing for an end to fossil fuel exploration both in Ireland and abroad.

Fossil fuel and mineral mining industries are some of the most polluting and most damaging to health in the world, as well as being a huge driver of climate change. Many of these projects have not been halted due to COVID-19 - in fact, many have intensified. For example, the Coastal Gas Link pipeline under construction in Canada, which would transport fracked gas to an LNG export terminal on the coast, threatens land, water, air, and people in indigenous Wet'suwet'en territory.

The company behind the pipeline, TC Energy, also operates pipelines transporting fracked gas in the Appalachian Basin in Pennsylvania, where LNG imported into Shannon LNG would originate.

You can watch the webinar back in the video below, or here at this link.

We hosted this event to highlight that the people most affected by mining and fossil fuel projects are those living in rural and impoverished communities, and indigenous and communities of colour. This dynamic also plays out in Ireland, where extractive projects like fracking and gold mining are often proposed in rural, more excluded communities.

And as in Ireland and in other Global North countries we mobilise against extractive projects and win important victories like Ireland’s fracking ban, we’re also seeing a rise in fracking and other extractive projects in the global South, many carried out by transnationals listed on European stock exchanges. It's imperative that our efforts don't result in offshoring injustice.

Ireland has had important victories - including putting obstacles in the way of state and corporate plans to import fracked gas through the construction of liquefied natural gas terminals - with many lessons to be learned from these campaigns. It’s important that we share those lessons and continue to work with those who are still facing extractive projects on their lands and territories - in the Global South, within Ireland, and in other Global North countries.

We hope you enjoy it!

P.S. The next webinar will be all about food sovereignty - keep an eye on your email and our social media for a link to register over the coming days!