EarthAction

Anti-dam groups troop to NCIP over FPIC inconsistencies, conduct dam exposure tour

Filing of petition and complaints at the regional office of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples-Cordillera (NCIP-CAR)

Dam-threatened Kalinga tribes along with advocates trooped to the regional office of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples- Cordillera (NCIP-CAR) to petition the dams proposed along the Saltan river in Kalinga.
 

Indigenous peoples from the municipalities of Pinukpuk, Balbalan and Tabuk in Kalinga mark this year's International Day of Action Against Dams and for Rivers (IDAAD) with a petition filed against JBD Water Power Incorporated's (JWPI) hydroelectric power projects at the NCIP regional office in Baguio City today, March 14, 2023. Said petition seeks the nullification of the result of the Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) among the Limos tribe last February 9, 2023, whatever the results may be, on basis of inconsistencies in the process.

 

 

According to Elma Tuazon, representative from the Limos tribe and lead convenor of the Sumkad ti Umili para ti Matagoan, Karbengan, Aglawlaw, Daga ken Dayaw (SUMKADD), the petition submitted is nullifying "the decision-making process/meeting for the Limos Ancestral Domain activity on February 9, 2023 related to the Saltan Hydroelectric Power Project", proposed by the JWPI along the Saltan River in Kalinga. "We have sinced petitioned against these dam projects along the Saltan River since 2022, we are reiterating our opposition to these proposed dam projects."
 

Resolutions against the JWPI dams were adopted by several barangays in Balbalan and the municipality of Pinukpuk as early as February of 2022.
 

A dialogue with NCIP CAR Regional Director Atty. Atanacio Addog was also conducted, where the demands for NCIP's accountability and strict monitoring of the FPIC process were floated. Continuing talks between the petitioners and NCIP will soon determine the outcomes, but petitioners remain wary of NCIP's expected actions considering that Addog is one of the accused in the administrative charges including 158 counts of estafa, falsification, and use of falsified documents filed by the dam-threatened Isnag indigenous peoples of Kabugao on December 2022 and January 2023.

 

 

Dialogue with NCIP Regional Director Atanacio Addog at the NCIP Regional Office in Baguio City.

 

Dams Learning Exchange
 

Prior to the petition filing, the petitioners from Kalinga were accompanied by delegates coming from dam-threatened communities in Kabugao, Apayao for a two-days Dam Learning Exchange. The Indigenous peoples delegation conducted an educational tour at the Ambuklao Dam site in Bokod, Benguet.

 

 

Ocular visit of delegates to the Ambuklao Dam. Ptr. Virgil Aniceto of the Regional Ecumenical Council of the Cordillera (RECCORD), who spent a long time of service in Bokod, explained the parts of the dam and the resulting damages at the time of its construction and beyond.

 

Bokod town Mayor, Honorable Thomas Wales, in his message to the delegates during their courtesy call said, "Think of the next generation, not only the now. Consider them when you make your decision regarding those projects. Our decision should not limit the future generations' options for development as they see fit for them. This is for the sake of us all."
 

In the community exchange, Ambuklao Barangay Captain Monroe Galasgas related the experience of their community during the building of the then government-owned 75MW Ambuklao Dam through the National Power Corporation (NAPOCOR). "We had to leave our community. Some of our families were relocated to Nueva Vizcaya and Palawan however, our families eventually returned to Ambuklao because the relocation site was undeveloped," he said.
 

The dam was decommissioned in 1999 due to silt accumulation. It resumed operation in 2011 after it was rehabilitated by SN Aboitiz. It was since then upgraded to 105MW capacity. SN Aboitiz now owns and manages the facility, but last January this year, it was reported that Bokod indigenous peoples rejected the company’s bid to continue the said dam’s operation through a resolution of non-consent submitted to the provincial office of NCIP Benguet.
 

According to the community, a large portion of the lands covered by the dam compound are part of their ancestral domain. "We are still reclaiming some of our lands until now," Galasgas added.
 

"A lot of our questions have been answered regarding the long-term impacts of dam on the lives and livelihood of people," said Eusebia Luban, an Isnag woman from Kabugao, Apayao who attended the dam expo and tour.
 

"Balunen me dagitoy nga adal tapno ibingay mi met kadagiti kakailian mi," she added.
 

#OurRiversOursToDefend

#LetOurRiversFlowFreely

#DefendCordilleraPH

2021 EarthAction Project & Campaign Report

2021 EarthAction Project & Campaign Report

The following projects and campaigns were made possible with your support. Thank You.

2020 Action: Every month, 2020 Action educated and mobilized thousands of US citizens and encouraged them to communicate with US policymakers on critically important peace and environmental issues. Each month, 2020 produced a timely Action Alert with meaningful actions for citizens to take to protect our environment and security—usually to contact a policymaker facing a critical decision. For details, read 2020’s 2020 Action Report at 2020Action.org. 2020 Action just completed its 35^th year!

Strategies to Boost Fair Climate Action in the 2020-2030 Decades: EarthAction sponsored a Side Event at COP 26 UN Climate Conference held in Glasgow, Scotland, November 2021. We collaborated with The Group of Governance on Climate Change - Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. They presented an equity-based analysis of the current NDCs; Climate Scorecard reported on efforts to reduce emissions by 50% by 2030, and the Asociación Proteger described real cases of community driven improvement of housing and schools, based on local resources.

The American Friends of the Palestinian House of Friendship: EarthAction helped to raise over $100,000 to support the Palestinian House of Friendship (PHF) in Nablus, Palestine and their programs including: Summer Camps; a Skate Park; after school programs and e-learning for kids who were unable to go to school due to COVID; Girl Scouts (160 members) who served elders, needy families, and orphans in the community; an older women’s chorus and the formation of a younger women’s chorus called Zunnar; the Open Gate Music Studio that produced recordings throughout the year; the creation of a Little Free Library in Nablus; a cultural folklore festival in Asira with music, dance, and hand-crafts displayed which more than 2,000 people attended; and a new program called, “The Green Hands Initiative,” where children learn to love the land and to plant vegetables and fruits.

Support for Indigenous Peoples: In 2021, in collaboration with the Save Our Spirits (S.O.S.) Fund, EarthAction provided over $60,000 in much-needed support for indigenous and ancestral communities around the world. These projects included the following:

The Elders Project (TEP) in Colombia: We continued to work with and to provide assistance to the traditional authorities (Mamos) of the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta (SNSM) in Colombia. Rick Harlow, the Project Director, traveled to Colombia in August to distribute a new book of Kogui wisdom, published with TEP funding, to the pueblos of the SNSM. Rick returns to Colombia in December to coordinate the next Black Line Journey for the Kogui, Arhuaco, Wiwa and Kankuamos pueblos. These activities are of great help to the Elders in their efforts to strengthen their spiritual traditional practices.

TEP has also been working with the Hopi Elders.  In October Rick traveled to Arizona to assist the Hopi in realizing a 1,300 mile pilgrimage to 11 sacred sites that define their ancestral territorial boundaries. TEP will continue working with the Hopi in 2022 as they realize another pilgrimage next summer.

The Lalakea Foundation: We provided a grant to their Nā Wāhine ʻĀpapalani, Hawaiian women cultural practitioners who have been conducting ritual and ceremony on Maunakea for many years. They are dedicated to honoring the sacred Piko O Wākea through prayer, chant and ceremony that acknowledge Nā Kānaka o ka Mauna, Deities of the Mountain, and form connectivity with the sacred through space and time. Due to COVID, this project was extended into 2021.

Hopi Community: We provided support to several Hopi communities for their COVID-19 Emergency Response Hopi Contact Tracing Projects. They trained people within the community to carry out contact tracing in a number of Hopi villages that were being hard-hit by the pandemic.

Q’eros Ceremonial Terrace Project in Ecuador: Through the Wiraqocha Foundation, Fredy Flores Machaca & Hannah Rae, received a grant on February 1, 2021 to design and build a terrace as the first phase of creating a museum and center for the preservation of the Q’eros culture. The terrace will be a sacred place for the Q’eros to gather for communal ceremonies.

Restoring Ancestral Connection to the Environment— a Community-Led Project of the Moken People of Koh Surin. The Global Purpose Group, founded and directed by Bodhi Garrett, was the sponsor of this project. In February 2021 they received an S.O.S grant to provide cultural and ecological preservation, education for children, meaningful income for adults, and community empowerment for the Moken community at Koh Surin National Park. The islands are located in the Andaman Sea of Thailand.

Kaibeto Navajo COVID Relief: On the Dine' Nation, Sharon Claw-Watson organized a team of 12 volunteers (Kaibeto Covid Relief Team) that served the communities of Kaibeto, Inscription House, Shonto, Redlake (Tonalea), Navajo Mountain and Rocky Ridge on the Navajo Nation in Northern Arizona and Southern Utah. Our S.O.S. grant helped these communities to receive needed supplies including fresh food, healing herbs, water, medicines, vitamins, and boxes of food to keep the people in these communities, especially the elderly, healthy and safe from exposures to infection. Many of the volunteers used their own vehicles, traveling long rough unpaved roads to deliver supplies. Our grant provided food and needed supplies to 50 to 100 families for one to two months and paid for gas for the delivery vehicles.

Panina Makahiki/Closing Makahiki Ceremony 2021 in Hawaii: the project sponsor, Kohe Mālamalama O Kanaloa-Protect Kahoʻolawe Fund (PKF), received a grant for a closing ceremony in a series of ceremonies called, Makahiki Kaho‘olawe, that brought together their kūpuna (elders), kamaliʻi (children), kumu (experts/teachers) and ʻohana (families) from each island of Hawaiʻi to aide in their re-greening on the island and to secure blessings for Kahoʻolawe for the new year.

The Cordillera Peoples Alliance, Philippines received a grant to assist them with their response to the COVID-19 pandemic including the distribution of food relief consisting of rice, sugar, salt and cooking oil to a total of 500 families of indigenous people among the Ayangan tribe in the province of Ifugao. They also shared information on COVID-19 and held discussions on food security during the relief distribution in communities and conducted psycho-social sessions among vulnerable groups such as farmers, elders, youth, and informal workers.

Grass-Roots Organization for Women (GROW) Ghana: We provided support for Community-based Initiatives to address the impact of the Corona-19 virus in rural indigenous and local communities. They strengthened their outreach to prevent the spread of infection and addressed emerging public health issues that impacted vulnerable populations in rural areas who lacked access to essential services. This project went from June 2020 through May 2021.

NEW PROJECT Indigenous Solidarity Fund (ISF) In May 2021, EarthAction became the sponsor of ISF whose mission is to support elders, leaders, and wisdom-keepers of indigenous groups in Colombia and the Americas in their efforts to preserve and share their cultures and traditional practices. Click here to view a video made in 2021 by ISF Project Director Jesse Stammel of an urgent message from the revered Grandfather, Wisdom Keeper, Land Protector and Goldman Environmental Prize winner Werjayo Berito Kuwaru'wa of the U'Wa people in Colombia

Other Campaigns

Throughout 2021, EarthAction engaged in many other global campaigns for peace, justice and the environment through our website and social media. These included: the global launch of the Green Grids Initiative at the Climate Summit in Glasgow; COVAX, the global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines; the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons; The launch of the Youth Elders Fusion Initiative; For details visit: www.earthaction.org.

THANK YOU

EarthAction thanks all our Partner Organizations, members, donors and Board members for their ongoing participation and support. Special thanks to the Thomas D. Hormel Trust, the Stewart R. Mott Foundation, the Whatcom Community Foundation and the Save Our Spirits Fund.

Click here if you would like to make a donation to support our ongoing work.

Global Forum for Children and Youth: 7-9 December 2021

Dear colleagues and partners,

On December 7-9, UNICEF and partners will convene the Global Forum for Children and Youth (CY21), which includes leaders, experts, change-makers, and influencers together with children and youth to discuss and accelerate proven and new solutions, inspire commitments to create change and mobilize knowledge and resources to advance child rights to meet the SDGs by 2030. We encourage all our partners to follow the forum online. 
 
Ahead of the event, we would like to request you to please share the CY21 teaser video on your platforms. The video assets (with editable files) and suggested post copy are available to download here. 

The daily agenda during the event are found on the links below.

7 December
8 December
9 December
 
The Global Forum for Children and Youth convenes children and young people themselves, along with leaders across the United Nations, government, business, philanthropy, and civil society, as well as authors, artists, and influencers. You can find the list of speakers here.
 
You may also find other available resources to support you on the links below.

• Please find here Global Forum for Children and Youth top-level folder for multimedia and marketing and social media assets.
• Please find here a communications package, including key messages.

Here is the link to stream the forum online.

See the teaser video here.

2020 EarthAction Report

2020 EarthAction Report

A Brief Overview of EarthAction’s Projects & Campaigns

2020 Action

Every month, 2020 Action and the 2020 Action Education Fund, both projects of EarthAction, educate and mobilize thousands of US citizens encouraging them to communicate with US policymakers on critically important peace and environmental issues. Each month, 2020 produces a timely Action Alert with meaningful actions for citizens to take to protect our environment and security—usually to contact a policymaker facing a critical decision. For details, read 2020’s 2020 Action Report at 2020Action.org. This is 2020 Action’s 35^th year!

Support for Indigenous Peoples—Save Our Spirits Fund

In 2020, we expanded our collaboration with the Save Our Spirits (SOS) Fund to provide increased support for indigenous and ancestral communities around the world to help them preserve, strengthen, and pass on the spiritual practices and ceremonies and the wisdom of their elders.

This year, EarthAction made SOS grants to support the work of the following groups:

The Elders Project (TEP) in Colombia: We continued to work with and provide assistance to the traditional authorities (Mamos) of the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta (SNSM) in Colombia. Rick Harlow, the Project Director, made trips to Colombia to work directly with the traditional authorities to help strengthen their spiritual and traditional practices.

Indigenous Peoples Healing Fire at Assonet in Massachusetts was held on Saturday, November 28^th. It was organized by members of the Wampanoag Tribe. We hope this will help to lay the foundation for a permanent Indigenous Healing Ceremony Circle in the greater Boston area.

The Lalakea Foundation for their Nā Wāhine ʻĀpapalani, Hawaiian women cultural practitioners who have been conducting ritual and ceremony on Maunakea for many years and who are dedicated to honoring the sacred Piko O Wākea through prayer, chant and ceremony that acknowledge Nā Kānaka o ka Mauna, Deities of the Mountain, and form connectivity with the sacred through space and time. This project will extend into 2021.

Several Villages in the Hopi Community for their COVID-19 Emergency Response: Hopi Contact Tracing Project. This project will extend into 2021 and train people within the community to carry out contact tracing in a number of Hopi villages that are being hard-hit by the pandemic.

The Cordillera Peoples Alliance, Philippines to assist them with their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the distribution of food relief consisting of rice, sugar, salt and cooking oil to a total of 500 families of indigenous people among the Ayangan tribe in the province of Ifugao. They also shared information on COVID-19 and held discussions on food security during the relief distribution in communities and conducted psycho-social sessions among vulnerable groups such as farmers, elders, youth, and informal workers.

Grass-Roots Organization for Women (GROW) in Ghana, for support of their project: Community-based Initiatives to Address the Impact of Corona-19 Virus Pandemic in Rural Indigenous and Local Communities. They are strengthening outreach to prevent the spread of infection and addressing emerging public health issues that impact vulnerable populations in rural areas who lack access to essential services.

Kitanglad Integrated NGOs Inc. (KIN), in Philippines for support of their program: Indigenous Womens Relief Against COVID-19 by Nurturing Culture and Nature. From May through August, KIN provided food and other support to community members, especially women, mothers and youths and their families belonging to the Daraghuyan-Bukidnon Tribe of Dalwangan in Malaybalay City, and the Talaandig Tribe of Songco, Lantapan, and Mt. Nebo, Valencia City. These tribal beneficiaries are partners in forest protection, biodiversity conservation and cultural survival of the tribes of Mts. Kitanglad Range Natural Park and the Mt. Kalatungan Range Natural Park.

Samdhana Institute, Philippines to assist with a response to the COVID pandemic to provide food relief to Erumanen ne Menuvu tribe (Manobo) in Southern Bukidnon, Philippines. Four hundred selected Menuvu families received food relief, to help them survive through the difficult period of the pandemic until they are able to plant for their own food.

Other Campaigns

Throughout the year, EarthAction engaged in many global campaigns for peace, justice and protection of the environment through our website and social media. For example, working with others, we helped to end the construction of hundreds of dangerous dams in Bosnia & Herzegovina, thus protecting Europe’s last remaining wild rivers! For details visit: www.earthaction.org.

Thank You

EarthAction thanks all our Partner Organizations, individual members, donors and Board members for their ongoing participation and support. Special thanks to the Thomas D. Hormel Trust, the Stewart R. Mott Foundation, and the Save Our Spirits Fund.

UN Day of Diplomacy for Peace: April 24

The United Nations General Assembly decided in 2018 to establish an International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace to be held annually on April 24. (Click here for the UNGA resolution).
 
Although not as well-known as Earth Day (April 22), the day is very important in promoting international peace and an end to war through the use of diplomacy, international agreements and multilateral mechanisms.

The core objective of the day is to promote and advance the principle aim of the United Nations to ‘save succeeding generations from the scourge of war,’ and to achieve this through the ‘settlement of disputes through peaceful means.’
 
Multilateral mechanisms which can be used to assist this include the UN mediation service, UN special envoys, International Court of Justice, Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe and other dispute resolution bodies established by multilateral treaties such as the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.

Actions you can take:

1. Endorse the EarthDay 2020 statement.
   The Abolition 2000 statement for EarthDay specifically calls for ‘better implementation of the UN Charter prohibition on war and the utilisation of diplomacy and law to resolve international disputes,’ and calls for multilateral action to address ‘the triple threats of climate change, virus pandemic and nuclear oblivion.’ Click hereto endorse.
    
2. Replace law of force with the force of law. 
   Call on your country to accept the compulsory jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice (for international disputes unable to be resolved through diplomacy). Click here to see if your country has already accepted jurisdiction of the ICJ.
    
3. Take the Cooperative Security Initiative survey. 
   The Cooperative Security Initiative was established in June 2019 to generate ideas and shift momentum for cooperative security and multilateralism through the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Their survey seeks your thoughts on how to advance diplomacy and achieve security, including in the new political environment arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.
    
4. Support the UN Secretary-General’s initiative for a global ceasefire. 
   70 governments and over 2 million people have supported so far. UN Special Envoys in conflict zones are liaising with warring parties to advance the initiative. A number of warring parties have already laid down their arms in response, but others are yet to do so. Click here to endorse.

For more information see UN Secretary-General urges global ceasefire to enable management of coronavirus pandemic and Coronavirus: UN says warring countries have responded to ceasefire call.

Learn more at UNFOLD ZERO

Country Energy Sector Reform Efforts

For Global Spotlight Report #26, Climate Scorecard asked our Country Managers to describe the major energy sector reforms/changes that their countries had undertaken since 2015.

READ THE REPORT

Special attention was paid to changes in energy sources, the decrease or increase in fossil fuel sources of energy, the increase in renewables, and the use of nuclear power.

 

Country Managers were also asked to analyze the impact that their country’s energy sector reforms/changes have had (or hope to have moving forward) on their country’s overall level of energy production and consumption, overall emissions levels and the cost of energy.

 

2020 COUNTRY CLIMATE COMMITMENTS

 

View monthly updates of the short and long-term climate goals of leading greenhouse emissions countries. Learn More.

 

DONATE TODAY!

Every donation helps our work.

 

Our global, grassroots organization relies on the support of other committed individuals. Learn More.

 

Climate change is real. What governments do matters.

 

Learn more at Climate Scorecard

Country Climate Commitments Update

Dear Friends,

 

Climate Scorecard’s Country Commitment Tracking Update is intended to provide information on the degree to which 22 leading greenhouse gas emitting countries* are making commitments to near-term (2030) and more long-term (2040-2050) emission reduction goals.

 

View the Update

 

Download the PDF

 

Each month we will provide a summary graphic with supportive text with up-to-date information on how each of the countries we are tracking is answering the following 5 questions:

1. Has the country pledged to update its 2015 Paris Agreement pledge by 2020?
2. Does the updated pledge commit the country to making a 30-50% reduction in emissions by 2030?
3. Has the country submitted a plan for reducing its emissions by 30-50% by 2030?
4. Has the country committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2050 or sooner?
5. Has the country submitted a plan for becoming carbon neutral by 2050 or sooner?

Our goal in developing this tracking system is to publish information that can be used to put pressure on leading greenhouse gas emitting countries to strengthen their commitments to reducing emissions and supporting the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement.

 

We urge you to share our monthly updates with colleagues, and welcome your feedback on how we can improve this presentation by replying to this email.

 

Ron Israel

Director

Climate Scorecard

www.climatescorecard.org

Recent Significant Climate Change Events

Global Spotlight Report #24 we asked Climate Scorecard Country Managers to report on significant climate change events in their countries that occurred from October 2019 – January 2020.

READ THE REPORT

Around the world many countries struggled to cope with extreme weather events. Brazil and Australia battled forest fires that burned large acreage in the Amazon, killed more than a billion animals, and pushed many species to the brink of extinction in Australia. India and South Korea battled “fine dust” and intense air pollution. Japan was hit by two powerful typhoons. Delta regions in Nigeria were harmed by widespread floods.

 

2020 will go a long way to determining the ability of countries around the world to work together to meet the challenges of climate change. View the latest report for detailed Country Activity Reports and Action Alert Messages.

2020 COUNTRY CLIMATECOMMITMENTS

View monthly updates of the short and long-term climate goals of leading greenhouse emissions countries. Learn More

 

DONATE TODAY!

Every donation helps our work.

Our global, grassroots organization relies on the support of other committed individuals. Learn More

 

Read more at www.climatescorecard.org

Climate Scorecard Global Spotlight: National Climate Leaders of 2019

Climate Scorecard is pleased to announce our first annual National Climate Leader

Awards. These awards go to the men and women in leading greenhouse emitting countries

who are making a difference in the climate policies of their countries and the world. They

include wizened scholars, researchers, political leaders, and young climate change

activists. They are applauded for the work they are doing to prevent the catastrophe that

will occur if global warming goes unchecked.

 

Those on Climate Scorecard’s National Climate Leader Awards List were nominated by a

Climate Scorecard Country Manager in each of the 22 greenhouse gas emitting countries

that we cover. Our Country Managers tracked climate related events in their countries

over the past year and are well positioned to propose candidates for our list.

 

Read & download the full report here

 

 

The Cost of Climate Change

For Global Spotlight Report #18, Climate Scorecard asked our Country Managers to provide information on how climate change is impacting the most vulnerable population groups in the leading greenhouse gas emitting countries that we cover.

Read the Report

Extreme weather events, such as soaring temperatures, droughts, floods, and forest fires are the cause of much climate-related suffering among the vulnerable. From a health perspective, those most affected include the very young, the disables, and the elderly. The Climate Scorecard Country Reports paint a sobering picture of the impact of climate change on those most vulnerable in countries around the world.

Climate change is real and what governments do matters.

2020 Emission Reduction Campaign

Our Campaign is directed at getting governments to set new urgently needed short-term and long-term emission reduction targets. Learn More

Donate Today!
Every donation helps our work.

Our global, grassroots organization relies on the support of other committed individuals. Learn More.

Read more about Climate Scorecard here