At the Peoples’ Climate March, there was a big contingent focused on fracking and on Saturday, October 11, they will have their own event – 2014 Global Frackdown.
The goal is to send the message to politicians around the world that we want a future powered by renewable energy, not dirty, polluting fossil fuels.
That means an end to fracking, which unfortunately, isn’t likely to happen, given the strong commitment to it in the US and beyond. But the tenacious movement has so far kept it out of New York State and can take credit for bringing the many deleterious issues associated with it into public consciousness.
That’s made it harder for the natural gas industry to get away with flaring methane into the air, polluting the water and air, without government oversight.
Successes in the US:
- Over 400 measures against fracking, wastewater injection and frac sand mining have passed in communities across the US
- Vermont banned fracking, and New York, Maryland and the Delaware River Basin are still frack-free.
- Ballot measures banned or placed a moratorium on fracking in five Colorado towns: Longmont, Boulder, Fort Collins, Broomfield, and Lafayette; and in Oberlin and Broadview Heights, Ohio.
- Launched Americans Against Fracking – a national coalition to ban fracking – with strong statewide coalitions in New York, California, Colorado, Oregon, Ohio, and Maryland.
Successes in Europe:
- Bans in Bulgaria and France, and a moratorium in the Netherlands until 2015; 5 regions in Spain and one county in Ireland
- Blocked several sites in the UK, forced delays in eastern Romania and won recognition in court that local authorities can ban fracking
- Delayed fracking in Germany by requiring federal and regional governments to do comprehensive risk assessments
- Won recognition in the European Parliament for the right of local communities to be consulted about fracking in their area.
Latin America/ Africa
- Organized opposition in Argentina, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Egypt
- Passed more than 30 local bans in Argentina.
- Introduced a bill to ban fracking in Mexico.
- Spurred the introduction of new laws for assessing unconventional gas impacts in Australia.
- Delayed fracking in South Africa.
Find an event near you:
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