Support the Resistance
This blog post is a living, growing document where I list and continously add current fundraising initiatives by grassroots groups of people resisting extractive industries. If you feel enraged, yet powerless, about the climate crisis and the destruction of the planet, and you have some money to spare, this page is for you! One way to contribute to the resistance is to donate to the indigenous and local communities on the frontlines, who are trying to stop pipelines, mines, or large-scale logging operations, to protect Mother Earth against the immense destructiveness of greed, often against all odds. They can use all the financial support they can get for organizing, for raising awareness, for civil disobedience actions, and for legal support. For transparency, I will myself donate €10 to every fundraising link I list here. I will also share the projects I list on my Instagram, Linkedin, and Twitter pages, so please feel free to share and amplify.
26 March 2024: Adani's Carmichael Coal Mine, Australia
Many people must have heard one thing or another about the Adani mine in Australia in the past years. It has become a symbol of the Australian government's obsession with ongoing coal mining despite the country being incredibly susceptible to the consequences of climate breakdown, particularly in the form of droughts and fires. The Carmichael coal mine was announced in 2010 and approved by the government in 2014. The initial plan was to produce 60 million tons of coal per year and the open cut mine would cover 447 km2 of land.
These plans were cause for grave concerns about impact on the climate and the environment through emissions, destruction of ecosystems, and pollution of land and waterways. There was also complete disregard for the rights of local indigenous communities and their historical cultural connection to the land. These Traditional Owners, as well as environmentalists from all over the country and abroad, organized powerful opposition to the mine through administrative and legal procedures, and through direct action, street protests, and pressure on banks and insurers supporting the mine. This opposition has been successful in seriously complicating the implementation and scope of the mine. Construction did start in 2019 and actual mining did begin in 2021, but production was downsized from 60 to 10 tonnes of coal per year.
Of course, opposition is ongoing and activists still aim to shut the mine down. Adani is already causing environmental damage in breach of regulations. In February 2024, a group of Traditional Owners, the Wangan & Jagalingou Nagana Yarrbayn Cultural Custodians, launched a litigation against the Queensland Government through the Supreme Court for failing to protect the Doongmabulla Springs from water extraction and pollution by Adani as is required by the Environmental Protection Act. These kinds of legal proceedings are of course expensive, so they can use all the help they can get. PLEASE DONATE HERE or HERE (for general support through their own website via credit card or PayPal) or HERE (specific support for their legal defense fund through Chuffed).
More background info:
The Wangan & Jagalingou Nagana Yarrbayn Cultural Custodians: website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
The Stop Adani Movement: website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
Man reveals why he moved next door to massive Queensland coal mine (Yahoo News, 23 August 2023)
The Guardian news page about Carmichael coal mine
People Power Vs Adani - The Fight of Our Times (Stop Adani, 15 December 2020)
21 January 2024: Coastal GasLink Pipeline, Canada
The Wet'suwet'en people in British Columbia, Canada, have been fighting the Coastal GasLink Pipeline cutting through their unceded territory for well over a decade. The 670 km pipeline for fracked gas is part of a CAD 25 billion project by LNG Canada, a consortium of five investors led by Shell with 40%, that also includes an export facility at the coast. Construction of the pipeline started in 2018 and was finalized in October 2023. Throughout the process, there has been complete disregard of indigenous rights by the companies involved, by the British Columbia and Canadian governments, by the courts, and by the Canadian police.
The concerns Wet'suwet'en people and many others have had about the pipeline since the beginning have only been proven to be valid. Construction has led to serious environmental damage, especially where the pipeline was dug underneath waterways, and to the destruction of important cultural sites that are crucial for Wet'suwet'en indigenous identity, history, and ongoing practices. Additionally, of course, actually operating the pipeline will contribute to significant greenhouse gas emissions and worsening of the climate crisis, not to mention the potential for dangerous leaks.
The Wet'suwet'en people have challenged the pipeline on all levels, through administrative and legal procedures, through various direct actions by blocking the path of construction, and by building public solidarity and pressure on politics and financial institutions. The strong opposition has not actually resulted in the halting of the pipeline, but efforts to prevent it from ever becoming operational are ongoing. In the meantime, the resistance has contributed to major delays in construction, an immense increase in costs from CAD 6.2 to 14.5 billion, and scaring off investors from pipeline projects more generally! In response, however, Wet'suwet'en people have been systematically harassed by RCMP and their desperate actions to try to stop the pipeline been criminalized through arrests and prosecutions.
At this point in time, Wet'suwet'en land defenders and their allies are facing various criminal charges for participation in blockades. Just last week, three of them were found guilty of criminal contempt for breaching a 2019 injunction granted to Coastal GasLink, prohibiting interference with pipeline construction. The three defendents have filed abuse of process applications, alleging excessive force by RCMP during arrests in November 2021, and suggesting this should lead to a staying of the charges or reduction of the sentences. The hearings for this will continue in June, after which the judge will decide. In the meantime, a civil suit is also being pursued against the RCMP, Coastal GasLink, and their security company for harassment, intimidation, and collusion. They can obviously use all the support they can get! PLEASE DONATE HERE!
More background info:
Gidimt'en Checkpoint: website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
Honest Government Ad: Visit Canada (The Juice Media, 6 September 2023)
The complicated truth about pipelines crossing Wet'suwet'en territory (The Narwhal, 5 October 2022)
Coastal GasLink Blasted Again by Province for Environmental Damage (The Tyee, 11 October 2021)
4 January 2024: Mountain Valley Pipeline, United States
The group Appalachians Against Pipelines has engaged in direct action against the Mountain Valley Pipeline since 2018 (see also their Instagram). The pipeline is a fracked gas pipeline running 488 km from northwestern West Virginia to southern Virginia, and could possibly be extended for another 121 km into North Carolina. There are concerns about the impact of the pipeline on important natural areas, wildlife, and waterways due to destruction and pollution during construction as well as leakages, explosions, and the overall exacerbation of the climate crisis. In addition, private land was taken through eminent domain, which is a way for the US governments to appropriate land for public use with fair compensation but without the owner's consent, even though it hard to see how a for-profit pipeline could be categorized as "public use".
The construction of the pipeline has met with many obstacles, including penalties due to their own regulatory violations (they made 300 water violations in 2018 alone), various legal challenges, and multiple short and long-term blockades by activists. One of the tree-sit actions even lasted for 932 days, between September 2018 and March 2021, with activists rotating to occupy two tree platforms in the path of the pipeline, supported by a base camp. As a result of all the resistance, the project has been delayed with several years (planned to be finalized in 2019, now running into 2024), and is now billions of dollars over budget (from an initial €3.5 billion, now set to exceed €7 billion).
The pipeline is currently engaging in a viscious repression campaign to intimidate and paralyze activists through SLAPPs (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) and other strategies. In one of their Instagram posts, Appalachians Against Pipelines state: "MVP is suing more than 40 activists across multiple jurisdictions in central Appalachia for millions of dollars. More than 20 pipeline fighters have been arrested on a variety of charges since this summer, including ludicrous abduction felonies. People have been denied bail, received ridiculously high bonds, and been sentenced to months in jail. We know why state and private forces are doing this--because they are terrified of the communities we have built, the fight we are waging, and because they know that we are unafraid and that we won't back down."
Of course this means there will be immense legal costs and they can use all the support they can get. PLEASE DONATE HERE!
More background info:
Protect Our Water, Heritage, Rights
Appalachian Voices: Mountain Valley Pipeline
18 November 2023: Trans Mountain Pipeline (TMPL), Canada: part 2
Last week I posted about the TransMountain Pipeline (TMPL), or more particularly the TransMountain Expansion Project (TMX), and the Tiny House Warriors. This week I found out that another group of Secwepemc people has been fighting the pipeline as well and is dealing with similar legal procedures. In fact, matriarch Miranda Dick and her 72-year old father Chief Saw-ses expect to each spend three weeks in jail for criminal contempt for their actions to stop construction of the pipeline on unceded Secwépemc land back in 2020. They decided not to appeal the jail time because of the process dragging on three years already while being on probation. They will still be appealing the convictions of criminal contempt though and are looking for financial support to cover their legal fees. PLEASE DONATE HERE!
More background info:
10 November 2023: Trans Mountain Pipeline (TMPL), Canada: part 1
The Trans Mountain Pipeline is an existing pipeline in Alberta and British Columbia that has existed since the 1950s. It transports crude oil and since the 1980 also refined petroleum products. In 2013, an expansion project was proposed for a pipeline to run parallel to the existing one in order to increase overall capacity. First Nation groups and environmentalists have opposed this expansion from the beginning because of environmental damage and violation of indigenous rights. However, construction has proceeded and it is now more than 75% completed. A group of indigenous Secwepemc people organized themselves as the Tiny House Warriors and has been building tiny houses in the path of the pipeline route through their unceded territory as protest camps. The Secwepemc people never signed a treaty to cede control over their land and they never gave free, prior, and informed consent for the construction of the pipeline. Pipeline security has confronted, assaulted, and harassed the group. Several members were arrested and are now facing criminal charges, while they are also launching a civil suit against the security organizations for assault and battery. They can use your support for their legal fund, PLEASE DONATE HERE.
More background info:
Canada’s Other Rebellion Is Being Fought By These Women (Al Jazeera YouTube video, 2 March 2022)
Canada’s Trans Mountain Pipeline Inches Forward, But Opposition Intensifies (DeSmog, 14 August 2020)
10 November 2023: East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), Uganda
The EACOP will be a 900 mile heated oil pipeline that is planned between Lake Albert in Uganda and the Tanzanian Coast. The environmental and social impact of this project is already devastating. TotalEnergies has drilled hundreds of oil wells drilled (including 100 in Murchison Falls National Park) and pushed tens of thousands of people off their land with insufficient compensation and/or long delays in compensation being paid out. Opposition to the pipeline faces intimidation and violence from police and the army.
Members of the Justice Movement Uganda were recently arrested and beaten into the hospital by police, even handcuffed to the hospital bed... They have organized a fundraiser in collaboration with Extinction Rebellion Netherlands to raise money for hospital bills and safety measures. They have already reached their fundraising goal at time of writing, but surely can use a little extra support. PLEASE DONATE HERE.
Ugandan students have also organized as Stop-EACOP Uganda to inform and mobilize people against the pipeline. You can SIGN THEIR PETITION HERE. Their donate button is currently not (yet) functional.
More background info:
Resisting Fossil Fuel Development in Uganda (Human Rights Watch Linkedin, 6 November 2023)
Counting the cost of Uganda’s east Africa oil pipeline – in pictures (The Guardian 24 February 2023)