Not Here, Not There,

Not Anywhere

As more and more European countries ban or move away from fracking, the European Central Bank continues to support oil and gas companies whose fracking in Vaca Muerta, Argentina, is utterly devastating to the health and livelihoods of vulnerable local communities.

 

Take action now

Open letter

This is an open letter from people and civil society organisation all across Latin America, to the European citizens of the world –  calling on them to not let European banks and financial institutions continue to support destruction in the Global South. Together we can stand up and say: No fossil finance. Not here, not there, not anywhere.


Open letter to the European citizens of the world: 

We find ourselves connected by mother earth, history and, in many cases, the same blood that flows throughout the length and breadth of the American continent. This is not the only thing we share: we also have the same hopes, fears and uncertainties. That is why we are writing to you: because we fear for our future and you have the power to give us back hope.

We need you to know what is happening in Argentina, as well as in other countries of the Global South that rely on investment from European financial institutions such as the European Central Bank, ABP, HSBC, The Bank of England, ING, Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse to function. We need you to act today to change our destiny. Only together we can get over this crisis and achieve a just recovery.

Fracking is an activity that turns gas and oil into a profitable business for a few large corporations, who are making poor countries like ours agree to subsidies, relax controls and pay for the infrastructure necessary for extraction. In exchange, our countries obtain a flow of money that is barely enough for subsistence. Fracking puts the health of our communities, the sustainability of our land and livelihoods, the future of our economies, and the safety of our water at risk.

Vaca Muerta – the site of fracking in Argentina – is not the synonym of progress shown in the international media. We have seen sick families living a few meters away from the wells. We have seen houses shaking in Sauzal Bonito and Añelo, in the province of Neuquén, in a region with no earthquakes before fracking. We have experienced oil spills, contamination of aquifers, neglect of waste treatment, wells in protected areas and native lands. We also see massive mobilizations in defense of the water.

Between 2015 and 2018, the oil companies themselves admit that there were 3,368 «environmental incidents» in Vaca Muerta. During 2018 there were 934. Many of them are hidden under the cover of simulations so that the population does not complain. Nobody does anything about it because people in power who should be controlling the industry too often have connections to it.

In Luján de Cuyo, in Mendoza, we know that there are high rates of leukemia around a refinery, which mainly affects children living near the wells. In Allen, Río Negro, we see people going in and out of the first aid room as if it were rush hour at a train station. We see workers with lung conditions. Numerous cases of cancer. Children with serious asthma problems due to the invisible and highly toxic gases that come from the wells and that, once outside, remain at a short distance from the surface, in the air they breathe.

However, we do not have statistics on fracking-related diseases, because after the first consultation, patients are referred so that the case doesn’t appear on their medical records. People are getting sick and we have no resources to help them.

The neighbors have to drink expensive bottled water, because they can no longer take it from the wells in their own homes. «It’s not good enough for the plants» they say. Some cannot afford to pay for water, putting their health at risk.

As there is no investment in the extension of the local natural gas and water networks, the oil companies hand out firewood at the beginning of winter to keep people quiet. In Allen, until a few years ago there was not even a bus terminal: to get in and out of the city, it was necessary to wait at a gas station.

Although Neuquén is the province with the most wells and the most emblematic of fracking in Argentina, it is also one of the provinces with the highest per capita debt, since in all these years of exploitation it has not been able to generate a reserve of economical resources. Neuquén continues to operate on the basis of debt, and continues to lack infrastructure and services. This is fracking.

Our desperation is great, because we see how the lives of our communities are being destroyed by a predatory activity.

UK companies had intended to invest billions in clean energy in Argentina, but switched their investment to fracking. Why, if we still have great potential to develop renewable energies? We could generate much more solar power than Germany! We want to reactivate our local economies, take care of our water, and say «no» to activities that harm us because we have other possibilities.

That is why we ask for your help. Don’t let institutions such as the European Central Bank, ABP, HSBC, The Bank of England, ING, Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse use your money to finance things you would not want for you or your children. In the UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, France, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic fracking has already been banned because of the risks it poses to their populations and to climate change, so why do fracking investments continue in remote places? Fossil fuel companies believe that our cries will not be heard from afar. But, even if they ignore us, the damage produced by their industry will reach all parts of the planet.

You have the power to choose how you want to invest your money, whether in fracking or in a real opportunity for the countries from the Global South. We need to work together for a just recovery before the places affected by the industry become a barren land where nothing good can grow.

Let’s say «No to fracking»: not here, not there, not now, not ever. And instead, let’s work together for a just recovery.

Signatory organizations:

350.org América Latina | 350.org Argentina | 350.org Bolivia | 350.org Brasil | Comité Nacional de Lucha Contra el Cambio Climático – CNLCC (República Dominicana) | Confederación Mapuche de Neuquén (Argentina) | Corporación Defensora del Agua, Territorio y Ecosistemas – CORDATEC (Colombia) | CRY-GEAM (Colombia) | El Puente – Enlace Latino de Acción Climática (Puerto Rico) | Extinction Rebellion Bogotá (Colombia) | Extinction Rebellion Colombia | FUDEM – Fundación para el Desarrollo Estratégico de Mendoza (Argentina) | Fundación CAUCE (Argentina) | Fundación Gaia Pacha (Bolivia) | Fridays For Future Argentina | Grupo de Financiamiento Climático para Latinoamérica y el Caribe (GFLAC) | Leave it in the Ground Initiative – LINGO (México) | Organización Equilibrium Global | Primero Angostura – Bloque Político – Villa La Angostura (Argentina) | Programa de Extensión «Por una nueva economía, humana y sustentable» de la carrera de Comunicación Social – UNER (Argentina) | Rebelión o Extinción Argentina (XR Argentina) | Red Antifracking – Entre Ríos (Argentina) | TierrActiva (Perú) |

Members of civil society:

Mario Álvarez – Ex Concejal General Roca – Río Negro (Argentina) | Dina Argueta – Diputada de la Asamblea Legislativa (El Salvador) | Andrea M. Blandini – Senadora Provincial por Mendoza (Argentina) | José Luis Bonomi – FUDEM (Argentina) | Marcelo Cossar – Diputado Provincial por Córdoba (Argentina) | Aroa De la Fuente – Coordinadora de Estrategias y Fortalecimiento Institucional GFLAC (México) | Jorge Andrés Difonso – Diputado Provincial por Mendoza (Argentina) | Juan José Dutto – Ex Concejal y Ex Defensor del Pueblo de Neuquén (Argentina) | Luis Lafferriere – Profesor Titular de Economía (Argentina) | Gabriela Lena – Diputada Provincial por Entre Ríos (Argentina) | Gustavo Majstruk – Diputado Provincial por Mendoza (Argentina) | Pablo Micheli – Secretario General de CTA (Argentina) | Jorge Nawel – Coordinador de la Confederación Mapuche de Neuquén (Argentina) | Agustina Vaca Arenaza – Concejal Villa La Angostura (Argentina) | Ignacio Zavaleta – Coordinador Legisladores x el Ambiente (Argentina)

TAKE ACTION!

The European Central Bank (ECB) and other banks in Europe are providing financial support to European coal, oil and gas companies, such as Shell and Total, whose polluting projects around the world are bringing us ever closer to the brink of climate breakdown. One of those projects is Vaca Muerta, a fracking site in Argentina which is devastating the local community’s health, livelihoods and environment.

As Europeans, we have a responsibility to respond to this call to action coming from the people of Argentina. We want to show our solidarity – and then use our collective power to put pressure on the European Central Bank and its leaders and demand they stop funding the climate crisis.

Together we stand side by side with the Vaca Muerta community.

Send my message!

Not Here, Not There, Not Anywhere

Respond to the open letter with a message of solidarity with the people of Vaca Muerta:

"I stand in solidarity with the people who are protecting Vaca Muerta, our climate and our future. I will do what I can to help stop European banks and companies from profiting from the destruction of your land. Not here, not there, not anywhere."

After you hit "Send my message", we'll redirect you back to this page so you can scroll down for next steps -- no need to send your message twice.

READ FULL OPEN LETTER

Send a message of solidarity:


https://350.org/ecb_vacamuerta/#openletterOpen letter to the European citizens of the world: 

We find ourselves connected by mother earth, history and, in many cases, the same blood that flows throughout the length and breadth of the American continent. This is not the only thing we share: we also have the same hopes, fears and uncertainties. That is why we are writing to you: because we fear for our future and you have the power to give us back hope.

We need you to know what is happening in Argentina, as well as in other countries of the Global South that rely on investment from European financial institutions such as the European Central Bank, ABP, HSBC, The Bank of England, ING, Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse to function. We need you to act today to change our destiny. Only together we can get over this crisis and achieve a just recovery.

Fracking is an activity that turns gas and oil into a profitable business for a few large corporations, who are making poor countries like ours agree to subsidies, relax controls and pay for the infrastructure necessary for extraction. In exchange, our countries obtain a flow of money that is barely enough for subsistence. Fracking puts the health of our communities, the sustainability of our land and livelihoods, the future of our economies, and the safety of our water at risk.

Vaca Muerta – the site of fracking in Argentina – is not the synonym of progress shown in the international media. We have seen sick families living a few meters away from the wells. We have seen houses shaking in Sauzal Bonito and Añelo, in the province of Neuquén, in a region with no earthquakes before fracking. We have experienced oil spills, contamination of aquifers, neglect of waste treatment, wells in protected areas and native lands. We also see massive mobilizations in defense of the water.

Between 2015 and 2018, the oil companies themselves admit that there were 3,368 «environmental incidents» in Vaca Muerta. During 2018 there were 934. Many of them are hidden under the cover of simulations so that the population does not complain. Nobody does anything about it because people in power who should be controlling the industry too often have connections to it.

In Luján de Cuyo, in Mendoza, we know that there are high rates of leukemia around a refinery, which mainly affects children living near the wells. In Allen, Río Negro, we see people going in and out of the first aid room as if it were rush hour at a train station. We see workers with lung conditions. Numerous cases of cancer. Children with serious asthma problems due to the invisible and highly toxic gases that come from the wells and that, once outside, remain at a short distance from the surface, in the air they breathe.

However, we do not have statistics on fracking-related diseases, because after the first consultation, patients are referred so that the case doesn’t appear on their medical records. People are getting sick and we have no resources to help them.

The neighbors have to drink expensive bottled water, because they can no longer take it from the wells in their own homes. «It’s not good enough for the plants» they say. Some cannot afford to pay for water, putting their health at risk.

As there is no investment in the extension of the local natural gas and water networks, the oil companies hand out firewood at the beginning of winter to keep people quiet. In Allen, until a few years ago there was not even a bus terminal: to get in and out of the city, it was necessary to wait at a gas station.

Although Neuquén is the province with the most wells and the most emblematic of fracking in Argentina, it is also one of the provinces with the highest per capita debt, since in all these years of exploitation it has not been able to generate a reserve of economical resources. Neuquén continues to operate on the basis of debt, and continues to lack infrastructure and services. This is fracking.

Our desperation is great, because we see how the lives of our communities are being destroyed by a predatory activity.

UK companies had intended to invest billions in clean energy in Argentina, but switched their investment to fracking. Why, if we still have great potential to develop renewable energies? We could generate much more solar power than Germany! We want to reactivate our local economies, take care of our water, and say «no» to activities that harm us because we have other possibilities.

That is why we ask for your help. Don’t let institutions such as the European Central Bank, ABP, HSBC, The Bank of England, ING, Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse use your money to finance things you would not want for you or your children. In the UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, France, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic fracking has already been banned because of the risks it poses to their populations and to climate change, so why do fracking investments continue in remote places? Fossil fuel companies believe that our cries will not be heard from afar. But, even if they ignore us, the damage produced by their industry will reach all parts of the planet.

You have the power to choose how you want to invest your money, whether in fracking or in a real opportunity for the countries from the Global South. We need to work together for a just recovery before the places affected by the industry become a barren land where nothing good can grow.

Let’s say «No to fracking»: not here, not there, not now, not ever. And instead, let’s work together for a just recovery.

Signatory organizations:

350.org América Latina | 350.org Argentina | 350.org Bolivia | 350.org Brasil | Comité Nacional de Lucha Contra el Cambio Climático – CNLCC (República Dominicana) | Confederación Mapuche de Neuquén (Argentina) | Corporación Defensora del Agua, Territorio y Ecosistemas – CORDATEC (Colombia) | CRY-GEAM (Colombia) | El Puente – Enlace Latino de Acción Climática (Puerto Rico) | Extinction Rebellion Bogotá (Colombia) | Extinction Rebellion Colombia | FUDEM – Fundación para el Desarrollo Estratégico de Mendoza (Argentina) | Fundación CAUCE (Argentina) | Fundación Gaia Pacha (Bolivia) | Fridays For Future Argentina | Grupo de Financiamiento Climático para Latinoamérica y el Caribe (GFLAC) | Leave it in the Ground Initiative – LINGO (México) | Organización Equilibrium Global | Primero Angostura – Bloque Político – Villa La Angostura (Argentina) | Programa de Extensión «Por una nueva economía, humana y sustentable» de la carrera de Comunicación Social – UNER (Argentina) | Rebelión o Extinción Argentina (XR Argentina) | Red Antifracking – Entre Ríos (Argentina) | TierrActiva (Perú) |

Members of civil society:

Mario Álvarez – Ex Concejal General Roca – Río Negro (Argentina) | Dina Argueta – Diputada de la Asamblea Legislativa (El Salvador) | Andrea M. Blandini – Senadora Provincial por Mendoza (Argentina) | José Luis Bonomi – FUDEM (Argentina) | Marcelo Cossar – Diputado Provincial por Córdoba (Argentina) | Aroa De la Fuente – Coordinadora de Estrategias y Fortalecimiento Institucional GFLAC (México) | Jorge Andrés Difonso – Diputado Provincial por Mendoza (Argentina) | Juan José Dutto – Ex Concejal y Ex Defensor del Pueblo de Neuquén (Argentina) | Luis Lafferriere – Profesor Titular de Economía (Argentina) | Gabriela Lena – Diputada Provincial por Entre Ríos (Argentina) | Gustavo Majstruk – Diputado Provincial por Mendoza (Argentina) | Pablo Micheli – Secretario General de CTA (Argentina) | Jorge Nawel – Coordinador de la Confederación Mapuche de Neuquén (Argentina) | Agustina Vaca Arenaza – Concejal Villa La Angostura (Argentina) | Ignacio Zavaleta – Coordinador Legisladores x el Ambiente (Argentina)

Send a message of solidarity:

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2. Make a sign

Fracking for fossil gas involves huge environmental, social and climate-related risks. It’s the local people in Argentina who are paying the price, while European fossil fuel companies, with the support of European banks and the European Central Bank, are making huge profits.

Together we must use our voices to speak up for climate justice and make the message from Argentinian communities impossible to miss for the European Central Bank’s leaders.

How to take action:

  1. Make your own sign saying “Not here, not anywhere” – you can use pencils, markers, cardboard, fabric… anything you want!
  2. Click or tap the button below to send a message and a photo of you holding the sign to Christine Lagarde and the European Central Bank on Twitter.

Tap to share your sign on Twitter

 

Don’t have Twitter?

Share the photo on Instagram by following the steps below (you’ll need to be on a phone or tablet that has the Instagram app installed):

  1. Copy this message: Dear @christinelagarde & @europeancentralbank: Why are you continuing to fund companies whose fracking in Vaca Muerta, Argentina, is devastating to the health and livelihood of local communities? This is unacceptable. No fossil fuels, #NotHereNotAnywhere 🚫 #JustRecovery #PeopleNotPolluters
  2. Open the Instagram app and create a new post
  3. Paste the text and add the photo of your post – and hit share!

Tap to share your sign on Instagram

Note: This button only works on a phone or tablet that has the Instagram app installed)

If you don’t have Twitter or Instagram, you can send us the photo via email or WhatsApp, and we’ll share it on our Twitter account on your behalf. Please include your first name and location, and give us consent to use your image. Writing “I consent to 350.org using this recording in the scope of the ECB campaign action” in the body of the email is enough! The 350 Europe WhatsApp number is +49 15127969484.

Tap to send us your sign via email

Tap to send your photo via WhatsApp

three people on transparent background holding signs saying "Not here, not anywhere"

3. Send a video message

Here’s a quick example of a solidarity video message.

 

We want to use these recordings to create a short video, in which people in Europe express solidarity with Argentinian communities affected by fracking, and call on the European Central Bank to break their ties with polluting fossil fuel companies which profit from fracking for fossil gas in places like Vaca Muerta in Argentina.

We will translate it into Spanish to share with the frontline environmental defenders in Vaca Muerta.

We’ll also make sure Christine Lagarde and other leaders of the European Central Bank see it!

Here are simple instructions, and a short script to help you:
  1. 📹 To record a video: hold your phone in landscape mode (horizontally). Look directly into the camera. Make sure you’re in a quiet spot – if you’re outdoors, watch out for wind or traffic noise. Speak clearly.
  2. Note down what you want to say, practice your message, or just hit record and speak from your heart!
  3. Here are some key points and message you might want to include:
    – Fracking for fossil gas is now banned in many places in Europe because of its negative impacts on people’s health and the environment.
    – But European fossil fuel companies, such as Total, Shell and BP, keep fracking outside of Europe, in Latin America and Africa.
    – These fossil fuel companies keep receiving financial support from European banks, including via bonds bought by the European Central Bank.
    – I’m standing in solidarity with people in the Vaca Muerta region in Argentina, who have been suffering disastrous impacts of fracking on their lands.
    – Argentinian people have called on the European Central Bank and other European financial institutions to stop funding fossil fuel companies which destroy their lands with massive fossil gas extraction projects.
    – The ECB and its President Christine Lagarde cannot stand by and keep funding European fossil fuel companies whose dirty business causes destruction to indigenous lands, the natural environment, and the global climate.
    – We demand the European Central Bank stops supporting polluters.
    Not here, not there, not anywhere.
  4. Please record your message in English, Spanish, French or German. Or, if you’d like to speak in another language, please send over a transcript and translation for subtitles.
  5. Ready? You can record your video and send your file via WhatsApp or email (our number is +49 15127969484), or simply open WhatsApp on your phone using the button below, and record in the app.

Please note: We won’t be able to answer questions that come to us via WhatsApp but if you email us with your query, we’ll do our best to respond. Together with your recording, please send your name, and a short message giving us permission to use your recording in our campaign video and action. “I consent to 350.org using this recording in the scope of the ECB campaign action” (either verbally as a voice message, or written down) is enough!

 

Tap to send your own video message via WhatsApp now!

(f you prefer, you can email us your video instead at [email protected])

What is Vaca Muerta?

Vaca Muerta is the name of a huge oil and gas field in Argentina, the size of Belgium. Since 2011, the region has been under siege by the fracking industry – including European oil giants such as Shell and Total.

Fracking in Vaca Muerta causes massive harm to local communities and land. Since 2011, earthquakes have started to occur regularly, in an area which never had them before. Contamination of air, water and soil has had a devastating impact on farmers in the region, destroying their livelihoods because they can’t grow or sell their crops, while also posing a serious threat to human health.

All of this is being done against the wishes of the Mapuche indigenous community, whose ancestral lands these are. The fracking industry like to say that their drilling will benefit the region – but in fact the profits are flowing out to huge multinational companies, while the people who actually live in Vaca Muerta are just left to deal with the destruction that is left behind.

You can find more information about the project’s social and environmental impacts here.

Here are some of the messages of support and solidarity by 350 community members:

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