BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA — Legislators, church and civil society representatives, environmental experts, climate scientists, indigenous and community leaders from countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Ecuador and Colombia will meet in Buenos Aires to discuss the threats posed by the use of fossil fuels in Latin America, particularly the technique of hydraulic fracturing for the extraction of unconventional oil and gas – better known as fracking.
The international conference “Climate Change and Environmental Crisis: The Dangers of Fracking and Alternatives for Latin America”, which will be held on December 1st in the House of Representatives of Argentina, also aims to set out joint strategies for action on the continent.
The guests attending the event are part of the Latin American Coalition Against Fracking, a regional expansion initiative by COESUS – No Fracking Coalition Brazil for Climate, Water and Life. The main goal of the coalition is to prevent the expansion of hydraulic fracturing through public policies and legislation, and to promote independent, inclusive, clean energy solutions from a sustainable, fair and competitive economic base.
“The Coalition aims to contribute technically and to support those countries taking a global lead in developing low-carbon-emission economies. Its members recognize the opportunities and synergies between all of their countries, and are committed to climate protection and conservation”, affirms Nicole Figueiredo de Oliveira, 350.org Director for Brazil and Latin America. According to Nicole, “if society and governments do not mobilize to prevent the introduction and advancement of fracking in their respective countries, local communities will not be the only ones to suffer the impacts of climate change, the rest of the world will suffer as well”.
The first meeting, held on September 19th in Montevideo, Uruguay, brought together representatives of the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino), and was part of the parallel program of the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (Eurolat), which provided a useful forum to exchange experiences about fighting fracking, and resulted in the formation of a broad front to develop joint strategies. Dozens of national and provincial legislators have confirmed that they will attend this second Conference. They will be joined by representatives of the environmental movement and activists against fracking, demonstrating the importance and urgency of halting the advance of the fossil fuel industry.
“Considering that agriculture forms the basis of these countries’ economies, it is essential to ensure that agriculture in Latin American remans free from contamination. Thus, a ban on fracking across the continent will not only protect the health of humans, animals and the environment, but also ensure product competitiveness in the international market, since many countries are already placing import restrictions on food produced in areas where shale gas is extracted,” pleaded Juliano Bueno de Araújo, Climate Campaigns coordinator at 350.org and founder of COESUS.
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CONTACT: Silvia Calciolari, Press Officer, COESUS – No Fracking Brazil Coalition for Climate, Water and Life, [email protected] / +55 41 99967-3416
To learn more, visit: https://www.peligrosdelfracking.org/