EarthAction

Moscow Forest Needs Your Help—Again!

Photo by Mikhail Metzel. Yevgenia Chirikova, an environmental activist, in the Khimki Forest.

In 2010, EarthAction campaigned to preserve the Khimki Forest and was successful in getting Russian President Medvedev to temporarily stop the logging. Now, the environmentalists in Moscow and the forest need your help again!

Russian human rights and environmental activists are fighting to save the Khimki Forest from the construction of a new motorway that will divide the forest in half. The planned $8 billion federal highway will connect Moscow and St. Petersburg, but at enormous environmental cost. It will destroy Khimki Forest, one of Moscow's last old-growth forests, which is a key part of the city's dwindling green belt, designed in the 1930s to minimize pollution and preserve wildlife. Ecologists believe that constructing the highway through the forest will lead to the destruction of an eco-system that is unique for Moscow (centuries-old oak trees, elk, boar, and many species of birds). It will destroy a site of special scientific interest, the mesotrophic cranberry swamp in the Khimki Forest and the floodplain of the Klyazma River, which is in its original state only in this area.

Over the years the fight to save Khimki Forest has become more then a fight over a forest, it has become a symbol for fighting against corruption and bribery among government officials, law enforcement, and an industry that ignores the environmental effects of its actions. The campaign to save Khimki Forest is now focused on Vinci, a French multinational construction company contracted to build the highway. The objective is to end Vinci’s involvement in this project until an alternative route that spares Khimki Forest is selected.

Take Action!

Take part in the International Week of Action for the Khimki Forest April 24th to April 30th and sign the petition to save Khimki Forest! Every voice counts.

Click here to sign the petition. THANK YOU.

 

Save the Mekong River!

The Mekong is one of the world’s great rivers. With its source in Tibet, the Mekong River runs through six Southeast Asian countries - China, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. The Mekong River, already heavily dammed, is under a severe threat as the governments of Thailand, Laos and Cambodia are planning to build 11 additional big hydropower dams on its lower mainstream. If built, the Xayaburi Dam­—the most advanced one—threatens to cause unprecedented damage to the river’s ecology and fisheries by blocking the migratory route of at least 23 fish species and threatening the extinction of 41 more, including the critically endangered Mekong Giant Catfish. This in turn will have devastating impacts on the livelihoods and food security of millions of people living along the river who depend on its natural resources.   

In September 2010, the Xayaburi Dam became the first mainstream dam to be submitted for approval by the four countries’ governments (Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam) through a regional decision-making process called the "Procedures for Notification, Prior Consultation and Agreement" (PNPCA), facilitated by the Mekong River Commission (MRC). For two years, communities, governmental officials and NGO representatives have been expressing their opposition to the construction of the dam. Despite this clear public opposition, the approval process continues to move forward. A final decision on whether the dam will be built will be made as early as tomorrow, April 22, 2011.

Visit www.savethemekong.org to learn more.

What you can do:

Click here to sign the Save the Mekong Coalition’s online petition that will be sent to the Prime Ministers of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.

Call Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong of Lao PDR, and urge him to cancel all plans to build the Xayaburi Dam.
Tel: +856 (0) 21 213664

Call Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva of Thailand, and urge him to cancel all plans to import electricity generated from the Xayaburi Dam.
Tel: +66 (0) 22814162

 

 

 

What Could We Do With $1.5 Trillion?

What could the world do this year with $1.5 trillion? This is what the nations of the world spent in 2009 on military budgets. On April 12th citizens around the world are taking action to tell governments where they would like to see this money directed—towards alleviating poverty, hunger, providing education and health care, and addressing environmental issues.

You, your organization, and your communites are invited to be a part of the April 12th Global Day of Action on Military Spending.  This Day of Action is being organized by the International Peace Bureau and the Institute for Policy Studies, to coincide with the April 12th release date of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s (SIPRI) new annual report on world military expenditures. The Day of Action will focus public, political, and media attention on the costs of military spending and the need for new priorities.

What will you do on April 12th? Hold an informational event, use street theatre, contact your policy makers (in the USA your Senators and President Obama,) pass out leaflets, reach out and build connections with other peace, human rights, or environment organizations, post on your Facebook page, or have conversations with friends and family. There are a limitless number of ways you can get involved on an organizational or individual level.

Go to Global Day of Action on Military Spending for information and resources you can use, including fact sheets, and for US citizens interactive tax day materials, that you can print and modify.  You can also find an event near you.

What will you do this coming April 12th to make your voice heard and to encourage a more peaceful, just and sustainable future? Let us know in the comments!

Save the Grand Canyon from Uranium Mining

From the folks at avaaz.org:

"The Grand Canyon, one of America's greatest treasures, is threatened by a huge wave of Uranium mining -- and the deadline for public comment is almost over.

For two years, a hard-won moratorium on mining has protected the Canyon, but the ban is now set to expire. If the federal government doesn't renew it, a "Uranium Rush" of mining would permanently scar the face of this unique and priceless land, devastate local communities, and endanger water supplies for millions who live nearby.