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Action Center
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Support Save the Mekong Coalition |
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Written by Sabrina Gyorvary
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Tuesday, 07 April 2009 |
More information is available
in English, Burmese, Chinese, Khmer, Lao, Thai and Vietnamese on the
coalition’s web site, www.SavetheMekong.org.
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The Save the Mekong coalition
was formed in response to growing public concern about the effects big dams
would have on the Mekong’s migratory fish
stocks, regional food security, and the livelihoods of millions of people. The coalition is open to non-government
organizations, community groups, academics, artists and ordinary citizens within
the Mekong region and internationally, anyone
who shares a concern about the future of one of the world’s greatest river
systems.
Save the Mekong
aims to do two things:
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raise public awareness about the risks associated with
damming such an important international river
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persuade policymakers to
adopt more sustainable and peaceful ways of meeting people’s energy and water
needs
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During March and April, Save
the Mekong will be collecting signed postcards from people in the Mekong countries and around the world, urging the
region’s political leaders to keep the Mekong
flowing freely as a precious source of food, income and life for present and
future generations.
IN THE NEWS: Thien Nhien News (in Vietnamese)
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ERI Joins Campaign to Stop Gas Flaring in Nigeria |
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Written by EarthRights International
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Friday, 16 January 2009 |
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Last year,
Global Response members urged the Nigerian government to speed up their
timetable to stop oil companies’ harmful practice of gas flaring. Instead of
speeding it up, they let their own December 31, 2008 deadline go by without
taking action to enforce the ban on flaring.
Now
EarthRights International is joining Global Response and Friends of the Earth
in a worldwide campaign to finally persuade the Nigerian authorities to take
action on behalf of their citizens’ health and economy. Please write your own
letter or use the model provided here.
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Gas is often
found naturally mixed with crude oil and therefore must be separated. The
cheapest way for oil companies to do this is also the most environmentally
destructive – by burning it – which releases toxic substances in densely
populated areas, damaging both the environment and the health of the people
living in the Niger Delta. In Nigeria, gas flares emit as much greenhouse gas
as 18 million cars.
“Major
oil companies are flaring gas in the oil-rich Niger Delta despite the fact that
a Nigerian judge stated that flaring is illegal. Led by oil giant Shell, they
have been burning gas for decades when they could be using it to provide energy
to the local population. The government must ensure that oil companies stop
this destructive practice now,” said Nnimmo Bassey, Friends of the Earth
International chair and Friends of the Earth Nigeria Executive Director.
RELATED: A separate, but related campaign from Friends of the Earth International is also demanding the end of gas flarings in Nigeria. Learn more and sign their petition here.
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