Campaigners urge UN to endorse global fracking ban, Emma Thompson and Mark Ruffalo among signatories of open letter to secretary general by Jillian Ambrose, Sept 19, 2019, The Guardian
A global campaign backed by 450 activist groups and celebrities, including actors Emma Thompson and Mark Ruffalo, is calling on the UN to endorse a global end to fracking before the industry torpedoes efforts to tackle the climate crisis.
The open letter to UN secretary general António Guterres includes signatures from individuals representing global environmental movements, universities and faith groups.
… The open letter to the UN comes seven years after the UN Environment Programme issued a global alert on fracking, which concluded it may have adverse environmental impacts even if done properly.
Above slides from Ernst presentations
The letter also points to the “overwhelming scientific documenting” of the fracking industry’s negative impact on the environment, public health and the climate crisis. The activist signatories include members of Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth.
Robert Howarth, a professor at Cornell University in the US and one of the letter’s signatories, said fracking for shale gas is a climate disaster because the process releases huge amounts of methane into the atmosphere.
He said: “Over the past decade, methane levels have been rising rapidly in the atmosphere, contributing significantly to the unprecedented global climate disruption seen in recent years.”
Methane is a far more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide and threatens to accelerate the pace of global heating.
Howarth added: “Over 60% of the increased global methane emissions are from the oil and gas industry, and shale gas development in North America is responsible for one-third of the increased emissions from all sources.”
Emma Thompson, who also supported the climate protests led by Extinction Rebellion in central London earlier this year, said: “Fracking is the fossil fuel world’s worst idea to date” and called it “an affront to common sense, common health and the safety of the planet”.
She added: “It’s pointless, expensive, doesn’t create jobs that will serve a community, but it does pollute, damage and contribute to wrecking the climate. Its poisonous presence in our green and pleasant land is an as a whole.”
“Heart on the hill’ placed on Benbo Mountain in recognition of the Global Climate Strike by oceanfm, Sept 16, 2019
A team of volunteers including students from the St Claire’s secondary schools have erected Love Leitrim’s “Heart on the hill’ on the Benbo Mountain in recognition of the Global Climate Strike which is taking place on Friday September 20th.
The heart is set to encourage and support students coming out on strike on Friday in the global movement led by teenager Greta Thunberg.
With a live application for fracking in Fermanagh currently a live issue it’s hoped the sign will refocus the public’s interest in Climate issues and of course the ongoing battle against Fracking.
Jamie Murphy is the Chairperson of the Love Leitrim movement, he says with Ireland becoming a gateway for fracked gas into Europe from America it’s important it’s effects on the climate are highlighted at every opportunity.
Refer also to:
2019 06 28: Jessica Ernst Submission to “No Fracking Fermanagh” (Northern Ireland) Petition
2018: From Jamie Gorman’s presentation for his PhD Thesis on Community Resilience, using Love Leitrim as a case study:
Photo of Jamie’s poster by Love Leitrim
2017:
October 14: Love Leitrim’s Frack Ban Celebration at The Rainbow Ballroom of Romance, Glenfarne
2017 10 14: Left to right: Blaine Gaffney, Kate Ruddock, Tony McLoughlin TD (The Irish politician who introduced the bill that criminalized frac’ing in Republic of Ireland), Eddie Mitchell, and Jessica Ernst attend Ireland’s Frac Ban Celebration, Rainbow Ballroom of Romance, Glenfarne
The Heart on the Hill was also installed for the frac ban celebration and visible from the Ballroom parking lot and area. Photo by Andi Christine Bednarzig, Oct 14, 2017.
Left to right: Andi, Ger and Jessica at the frac ban celebration
2017 Jessica Ernst UK Speaking Tour, above Ernst presenting in Malton, N Yorkshire, UK
2013:
Film premiere ‘Fracking in Fermanagh outlines ‘devastating’ effects of fracking on rural communities
2012:
Photo below from: Jessica Ernst packs hall at Ballroom of Romance
But this was no social outing that saw a full house of up to 350 people on Friday 24th February spilling out the door. … The men at the door were straining as if there lives depended on it, because it did. …
Slides below from Ernst’s 2012 presentation in Glenfarne, Co Leitrim
2004: Encana illegally fracs Rosebud’s drinking water aquifers, enabled and covered-up by Alberta’s “Best-in-the-world” regulators:
Encana’s data above for the 5-14 gas well, filed with Alberta’s energy regulator.
The water regulator refused to look at this data during their investigation of the subsequent community-wide drinking water contamination because the regulator claimed – without any evidence – that Ernst altered all Encana’s data.
Encana data above on file with Alberta’s Groundwater Database, shared with the water regulator, proves the company intentionally perforated into 6 fresh water aquifer zones that the company later frac’d.