Author: sparki

Argentinians Against Agrofuels and Al Gore

THE GULEGUAYCHU DECLARATION

At the Conference on the Impacts of Monocultures in
the town of Gualeguaychíº on the 27th and 28th of
April, the following organisations have joined forces
to offer our strongest support to the popular
demonstration “Embrace the Uruguay River” in protest
against the installation of the proposed Finnish
cellulose pulp mill. We also propose to support each
other and to strengthen our campaign. We state that:

We are not convinced by the deluge of national and
international advertising promoting the expansion of
the agricultural industry and the production of
agrofuels. This will only serve to make the current
environmental situation even more unbearable, and will
contribute to the degeneration of the air, water and
soil, to which everyone has a right.

We reject the imposition of global market strategies,
which take our produce and dictate our destiny,
resulting in devastating consequences for our
communities and our environment.

We denounce Al Gore, ex-Vice President of the USA, as
a new coloniser and publicist for global markets, and
we also denounce his film “An Inconvenient Truth” for
half- revealing the reality in order not to unsettle
his financial backers – the oil, seed, and motor
industries.

We refuse to be subjugated to the neo-colonial role
assigned to us by global capitalism or any other model
which makes us dependent on international markets and
reduces our food sovereignty. We will resist the
cellulose pulp mills, and the production of ‘food’ for
North American and European cars. We will fight
against the shameless wastefulness of consumerism
which is jeopardising our heritage and environment and
leaving us to face the future defenceless and
vulnerable.

We will not allow another hectare to be given over for
monoculture!

Signed on the 29th April 2007 in the town of
Gualeguaychíº, Province of Entre Rios, Republic of
Argentina by:

-GRR, Grupo de Reflexión Rural.
-RENACE. Red Nacional de Acción Ecologista.
-Asamblea contra el saqueo y la contaminación de Gral.
Roca, Prov. de Rí­o Negro.
-SER, Sociedad Ecológica Regional El Bolsón.
-Movimiento de mujeres en lucha de Rí­o Negro.
-Vecinos de los pueblos fumigados de Entre Rí­os.
-Centro de Acción popular Olga Márquez de Aredez de
Jujuy y Salta.
-Foro Social Mundial, comité Paraná. La Tierrasinmal,
noticias de ecologí­a.
-Compañí­a Teatral Antes de la Ciudad de La Plata
-Cátedra Libre de Soberaní­a Alimentaria de la UN de La
Plata.
-Agrupación Poner el Hombro de La Plata, Berisso y
Ensenada.
-Taller Ecologista Chacabuco Sustentable Provincia de
Buenos Aires.
-Comité La Paz del Foro Social Mundial, Entre Rí­os.
-Grupo López Jordán FTNyP de Entre Rí­os.
-Centro de Estudios Históricos Arturo Jauretche de la
Prov. de Entre Rí­os.
-CeProNat, Centro de Protección a la Naturaleza de
Santa Fe.
-Periódico virtual El Norte del Bermejo, Tartagal,
Prov. de Salta.
-Comisión 4 y 5 de Derecho Agrario de la Facultad de
Ciencias Jurí­dicas y Sociales de la Universidad
Nacional de La Plata
-Autoconvocados por la Nacionalizació n del Petróleo y
el Gas. Ing. Mario Cafiero
-Grupo de Ecologí­a y Ecumenismo de la Parroquia del
Valle de Buenos Aires.
-Chaya, comunicación alternativa
-Asoc. Civil por la Reserva Vecinos Autoconvocados
www.porlareserva. org.ar
-Diputada Nacional Marta Maffei

More signatures are following

For further information please write to
contacto@grr.org.ar

From Aotearoa (New Zealand) indymedia: http://indymedia.org.nz/index.php

The Save Happy Valley Coalition has begun a blockade of the main rail line
that coal miner Solid Energy uses to transport coal between the West Coast
and Christchurch. There are two people locked into the railway tracks in
prelaid concrete, much like a blockade in 2005, and they have thus far
resisted efforts by police to remove them.

The blockade began around midday, and about 20 protesters clambered over the
first stopped coal train and displayed a 22 metre banner reading "Solid
Energy: Govt Sponsored Climate Chaos".

From their media release: "Solid Energy is ever increasing its production,
leaving decimated ecosystems and waterways in its wake. Already, they are
responsible for annual carbon dioxide emissions approximately equivalent to
New Zealand's entire transport fleet. Saying "no" to new coal mines would be
an easy first step in actually addressing climate change," said Simon
Riddel, one of the activists locked to the tracks.

Update
2.30pm: The blockaders have been declared prisoners, and a police line has
formed around them. Their support person has been arrested for communicating
with prisoners while trying to get water to them.
3:15pm: After about 3 and a half hours, police managed to dig a large enough
hole and drag one of the blockaders through, and have since managed to cut
open the lockbox Three arrests in total..

Climate activists from around the East Midlands managed to stop some operations at Radcliffe on Soar Power Station after climbing onto convear belts and dumper trucks inside the plant yesterday. The power station is located just outside Nottingham and is the 3rd biggest emitter of CO2 emissions in the UK. The owner of the plant, E-On, said operations ran as normal and that their environmental record is good with aiming to be a clean coalfired power station. A spokeswoman for the protesters said: “Putting pressure on individuals to reduce emissions when companies like E.ON are profiting from this polluting industry is obscene and irresponsible. We should not be burning coal in the 21st century.”

The blockade lasted for 3 hours and 11 people were arrested all of which were later released. The action was part of ‘Spring Into Action’ – a week of workshops, entertainment and actions around the issue of Climate Change in Nottingham. Activists from around the UK came together to get clued up on practical solutions to climate change. From workshops on bike maintenance, local food production, community compost projects and strawbale building to concerts and performances, it was an action packed week. For the occasion and old lace factory was occupied and turned into a climate action centre.