Categoria: Colectiu de moviments

MidCat/STEP gas pipeline between France and Spain was just cancelled!

People power has won another victory against fossil fuels: the MidCat/STEP gas pipeline between France and Spain was just cancelled!

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Yesterday the French and Spanish energy agencies announced that the pipeline, which was meant to link the two countries, was scrapped. The controversial fossil fuel project would have damaged communities and the environment, and was terrible news for the climate.

This is a HUGE win for the local communities in Catalonia and France, who have been campaigning and protesting for years.

Scrapping MidCat is also a victory for the climate movement across Europe and the world, and a painful blow to the fossil fuel industry – and their false claims that fossil gas can be a “transition fuel”. It throws into question other new gas infrastructure projects being pushed and financed by the European Union.

We urgently need an energy transition – to a system that is just, fair, and powered by 100% renewable, distributed, community-led energy. To keep global temperature rise below 1.5C, there’s no more room for any new fossil fuels, including gas.

So today, we are celebrating, but the fight against gas goes on, and gathers more and more momentum. From gas fields in Groningen in the Netherlands, to the Tuxpan-Tula pipeline in Mexico, the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline in Italy and Greece, to activists trying to raise awareness of gas extraction plans in Zanzibar, communities and activists are resisting fossil fuels.

The story of MidCat shows us that we are powerful, and we are already winning. Our movement swells in moments of celebration, so please watch and share this video to help spread the news: on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

Together, we can stop all new gas projects. It’s not only possible, it is already happening.

Los reguladores español y francés tumban el proyecto del gasoducto Midcat

Las autoridades reguladoras nacionales de España y Francia, la Comisional de los Mercados y la Competencia (CNMC) y la Comisión de Régulation de l’Energie (CRE), respectivamente, tras la evaluación conjunta del requerimiento de inversión presentado por los transportistas de ambos países, Enagás y Teréga, han decidido de forma coordinada tumbar el proyecto de la nueva interconexión de gas Midcat, por Cataluña.

Concretamente, su primera fase, denominada Step, que uniría Martorell con la frontera gala y contemplaba una inversión de 400 millones de euros (150 millones en la parte española y el resto, en la francesa…

El mercado no ha mostrado ningún interés comercial por la nueva capacidad de interconexión, según se desprende de distintos test de mercado realizados por los promotores y la Comisión Europea, así como dos Open Seasons desarrolladas por Enagás, GRTgaz y Teréga en 2009 y 2010 para evaluar los compromisos vinculantes de los usuarios de la red para la construcción de nueva capacidad de interconexión.

çbarcelona-catalonia-spain-12th-dec-2017-journalist-and-activist-bruno-knjrh1

Otra razones a las que se aluden son que la actual interconexión entre Francia y España, por el País Vasco, no está congestionada; que “el coste del proyecto es elevado en comparación con los estándares europeos” y resultaría muy gravoso para los consumidores europeos del suroeste y que el el proyecto no garantiza el acoplamiento de precios entre los mercados (hubs) de gas francés e ibérico.

La inversión de la primera fase del proyecto, entre Martorell y la frontera gala, ronda los 400 millones

Unidos Más Allá del Gas – Gira de Talleres y Acciones – 24/5 a 2/6

United Beyond Gas” speaker tour – Lanzamiento  #UnitedBeyondGas

Desde el 24 de mayo hasta el  2 de junio, se llevarán a cabo en Europa una serie de eventos para conectar, fortalecer y ampliar la resistencia al gas. Desde las calles de Barcelona hasta los olivares de Italia, únete a nosotros para el “United Beyond Gas” speaker tour.
La gente en México, Cataluña, Francia e Italia se resisten a la infraestructura impuesta de combustibles fósiles. Únase a nosotros en dos semanas en el speaker tour “United Beyond Gas” para conocer y apoyar la resistencia contra estos gasoductos. https://unitedbeyondgas.org/ #UnitedBeyondGas
[ENGLISH] United Beyond Gas speaker tour – Launch
From 24 May –  2 June, a series of events to connect, strengthen and amplify the resistance against gas will take place in Europe.
From the streets of Barcelona to the olive groves of Italy, join us for the “United Beyond Gas” speaker tour.
[FRANÇAIS] “United Beyond Gas” speaker tour – Lancement
Du  24 mai au 2 juin, une série d’événements pour connecter, renforcer et amplifier la résistance au gaz aura lieu en Europe.
Des rues de Barcelone aux oliveraies d’Italie, rejoignez-nous pour le “United Beyond Gas” speaker tour.
 
[DEUTSCH] “United Beyond Gas”-Speaker Tour – Start
Von 24. Mai bis zum 2. Juni wird eine Reihe von Veranstaltungen in mehreren europäischen Ländern stattfinden, die es zum Ziel hat, den Protest gegen fossiles Gas zu stärken. Von den Straßen Barcelonas bis zu den Olivenbäumen in Italien – kommt zur “United Beyond Gas”-Speaker Tour!

The Tour

From Friday 4 May – Saturday 2 June, a series of events to connect, strengthen and amplify the resistance against gas will take place in Europe.

From the streets of Barcelona to the olive groves of Italy, join us for public events, workshops and activities.

The Speakers

The spokesperson of the Consejo Regional de Pueblos Originarios in Defensa del Territorio de Puebla y Hidalgo, an organisation representing the indigenous communities of Totonacos, Nahuas and Otomíes resisting the Tuxpan-Tula gas pipeline in Mexico.

Members of the Plataforma Reposta al MidCAT , a local group based in Girona spearheading the resistance against the MidCat/STEP gas pipeline crossing Spain to France.

Members of the Collectif contre le Gazoduc Transfrontalier local group also resisting the MidCat/STEP gas pipeline, based in Perpignan.

Members of the Comitato NoTAP, the community fighting the Trans Adriatic gas pipeline (TAP) in southern Italy.

A Mexican journalist part of the editorial team of Expreso-La Razón and Aristegui Noticias who researches corruption and human right issues in northeast México

The Dates

4th May – Cologne, Germany

Workshop about the resistance against gas in Europe and how the anti-coal movement in Germany and anti-gas movements can support each other. The workshop will be followed by an information event about Code Rood, the Dutch climate camp. More details here.

5th May – Ghent, Belgium

Workshop about the resistance against gas in Europe and the banks and companies based in Belgium that are fueling the construction of gas pipelines in Europe.

The workshop will be followed by an information event about Code Rood, the Dutch climate camp. More details here.

17th May – London, UK

Public event with activists from the frontlines of BP extraction in Argentina and Columbia. The event will look to connect the anti-fracking resistance between UK, Argentina and Colombia and challenge imperialist fossil fuel extraction. We will share the stories of resistance to fossil fuel giants and discuss how to offer practical solidarity. More details here.

19th May – Manchester, UK

Public event with activists from the frontlines of BP extraction in Argentina and Columbia. The event will look to connect the anti-fracking resistance between UK, Argentina and Colombia and challenge imperialist fossil fuel extraction. We will share the stories of resistance to fossil fuel giants and discuss how to offer practical solidarity. More details here. 

24th May – Barcelona, Catalonia

Public event with an indigenous speaker from Mexico resisting the Tuxpan-Tula pipeline, an investigator from the Observatorio Petrolero del Sur and a Mexican journalist researching human rights issues in Mexico. The event will look at mega-projects in Mexico and link them to the resistance in Catalonia and the existing solutions.

MidCAT 25th May – Perpignan, France

Public event with an indigenous speaker from Mexico resisting the Tuxpan-Tula pipeline, local speakers resisting the MidCAT/STEP pipeline and decision-makers. The event will look at the connections between the gas resistance in Mexico, Catalonia and France.

26th May – Perpignan, France

In-depth workshop on how to strengthen mobilisation for your campaign and the creative use of non-violent direct action.

26th May – Girona city, Catalonia

Public event with an indigenous speaker from Mexico resisting the Tuxpan-Tula pipeline, local speakers resisting the MidCAT/STEP pipeline and decision-makers. The event will look at the connections between the gas resistance in Mexico, Catalonia and France.

27th May – Girona region, Catalonia

Walk along the planned route of the MidCat/STEP pipeline in the region of Girona with the local resistance.Plataforma Reposta al MidCAT

29th May – Geneva, Switzerland

Public event, University of Geneva, with an indigenous speaker from Mexico resisting the Tuxpan-Tula pipeline and a mexican journalist researching fracking. The event will look at the connections between the gas resistance in Mexico and Europe.

30th May – Geneva, Switzerland

Closed meeting between an indigenous speaker from Mexico resisting the Tuxpan-Tula pipeline and the UN Special Rapporteurs on Human Rights and Indigenous Rights.

30th May – Geneva, Switzerland

Workshop about the resistance against gas in Europe and the banks and companies based in Switzerland that are fueling the construction of gas pipelines in Europe. The workshop will be followed by an information event about Code Rood, the dutch climate camp.

30th May – Geneva, Switzerland

Evening Artistic event and time of sharing co-organized with the latino american community. Place : Sillure, Jonction.

31st May – Geneva, Switzerland

Public event with an indigenous speaker from Mexico resisting the Tuxpan-Tula pipeline and a Mexican journalist researching fracking. The event will look at the connections between the gas resistance in Mexico and Europe.

2nd June – Lecce, Italy

Workshop about the resistance against gas in Europe and the banks and companies based in Italy that are fueling the construction of gas pipelines in Europe.

The workshop will be followed by an information event about Code Rood, the dutch climate camp.

2nd June – Lecce, Italy

Public event with an indigenous speaker from Mexico resisting the Tuxpan-Tula pipeline and local speakers resisting the TAP pipeline. The event will look at the connections between the gas resistance in Mexico and Italy.

Our message

We refuse the construction of new fossil fuel infrastructure projects because we refuse to be locked into decades of fossil fuel use.

Communities are standing up against imposed gas pipelines in Europe, Latin America, Africa, North America. They are protecting their land, their agriculture, their livelihoods, and their right to decide where public money goes. They are fighting against corruption, against unnecessary projects and against climate impacts.

We all have a role to play in this resistance – even if we live hundreds of miles away from infrastructure projects. The companies building and the banks funding these new fossil fuel infrastructure projects are located in many cities in Europe and the North America. We can build pressure against them to cut the funding going towards these new projects and to remove the social license of the companies behind them.

Find out more about the banks and companies behind European fossil fuel projects and how to get involved.

The Resistance

Our collective resistance against new gas pipelines is linked to struggles against extractivism and its neocolonial agenda, against the corruption of our political representatives, and against land-grabs of communities’ land.

Below you can read more about each of the pipeline struggles we’ll be hearing from during the United Beyond Gas tour.

 Tuxpan-Tula Pipeline

The Tuxpan-Tula pipeline, currently half-built, is one of a dozen new gas pipeline projects in Mexico. It is part of a wider network of pipelines that would bring USA fracked gas to Mexico.

Photo: Oliveria Montès

A 30-year lease for the Tuxpan Tula was awarded to TransCanada, which delegated the construction to Bonatti, an Italian company already known in Mexico for provoking repression and criminalization.

The Tuxpan Tula pipeline has been met with strong resistance, particularly from the traditional communities in the mountainous regions of Hidalgo and Puebla. Despite the threats and manipulations of the authorities, they have already won five legal cases and physically blocked the entrance of the pipeline promoters on their land.

They organise through the Consejo Regional de Pueblos Originarios in Defensa del Territorio de Puebla y Hidalgo, an organisation representing the communities resisting the pipeline.

Why are people resisting?

Photo: Daniela Gar / Consejo Regional de Pueblos Originarios en Defensa del Territorio de Puebla e Hidalgo.

The pipeline would be an ongoing threat to people, water and the environment spanning 263 kilometers (in a region prone to fires and landslides), affecting 459 Aboriginal communities: Nahua, Otomi, Totonac and Tepehuas peoples in the states of Hidalgo and Puebla. Of these, only 15 were considered entitled to be consulted on the project. The pipeline would cross their lands, sacred sites and water sources, threaten their cultural integrity, and involve the forced displacement of dozens of families.

Opponents know that this pipeline is only the tip of the iceberg, because its route corresponds to other mega-projects linked to fracking gas and mining. The indigenous peoples of this region know that they have nothing to gain and everything to lose.

MidCat/STEP Pipeline

The MidCat is a projected gas pipeline that would link the Spanish and the French gas systems through the regions of Catalonia and Midi Pyrénées. A part of the pipeline was built in 2011, but the project was then set in stand-by. The construction of the first part of the Midcat pipeline was highly controversial due to severe environmental and social impacts in the areas involved. Spanish company Enagas and French company Téréna (formerly TIGF) are the project promoters behind the pipeline.

The resistance against the pipeline is rooted in Girona, Catalonia, where Plataforma Reposta al MidCAT, a platform representing 70 organisations, was created to stop the construction of the pipeline. From there, local groups in Barcelona have been supporting their fight and were joined by the Collectif contre le Gazoduc Transfrontalier in France, Perpignan. This transborder resistance has been engaging with local decision-makers and creative actions against the pipeline.

Why are people resisting?

The pipeline would affect the land, the livelihoods and the environment of this stunning region, that will already be particularly affected by climate change.

Local people know they will not benefit from the project and that there is no need for extra gas capacity. Gas projects in Spain, such as the Castor project, are rooted in corruption and unrelated to the energy needs of the population.

Building a new pipeline would encourage more gas extraction in other countries, such as Algeria where fracking is being forwarded by french companies and impacting local communities. As the region successfully fought fracking, the know its impacts and fight against it everywhere.

Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP)

The Trans Adriatic Pipeline is part of the “Southern Gas Corridor”, a chain of proposed mega-pipelines that would pump billions of cubic meters of gas from Azerbaijan to Europe every year. The TAP pipeline specifically connects Turkey to Italy, crossing Greece and Albania. The construction is currently ongoing with important military and police presence.

The resistance against the pipeline lead by the Commitado NoTAP is strong and diverse. In Italy, local mothers, teachers, health workers, grandparents and olive farmers have been leading a peaceful and determined resistance to protect their land and their community from TAP, despite facing a violent response by the police and individual fines of up to €10,000.

Why are people resisting?

The area where the pipeline is due to be built is home to local olive farms, aquifers, pristine forest and stunning coastline. By impacting the local environment, it is also going to affect the livelihoods of agriculture and tourism that are central along the pipeline.

The local community would not benefit from this pipeline, as the gas supply network in Italy is already fully secure. The italian mayors of the affected region have all publically stood against the project, but it is still being imposed on them.

Beyond the affected area, groups in the UK, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium are also resisting the TAP pipeline by targeting the companies and banks supporting it. They are standing up against a project at odds with Europe’s climate goals, and that supports the Azeri regime’s human right abuses.

Get involved!

Join the stops of the United Beyond Gas tour

Everyone is welcome to join the stops of the tour, meet the people resisting the gas pipelines and get involved in the resistance.

Spread the message

Follow the tour on social media using the hashtag #UnitedBeyondGas and spread the message. Raising awareness about the resistance, the companies and banks behind the pipelines is a key way to show that we, the general public, are not supporting these new projects. It puts pressure on political decision-makers to withdraw their support and on banks to withdraw funding.

Save the dates:

Code Rood

This 24- 31 August 2018, a climate camp will be held in Groningen, the Netherlands, to support local communities affected by gas extraction. Code Rood is calling out to international groups to join the camp and stand up with the local community.

Global Gasdown

On Saturday the 13th October, a call for a day of action against fracking and gas has been made globally. Join the day by organising your own action or joining an existing one.

Join a local group resisting or start your own

Many groups in Europe are resisting new gas and coal infrastructure or supporting the resistance by targeting their local banks and companies behind such projects.

Find out more about them below :

Code Rood in the Netherlands

Fossilgasfallan in Sweden
Krk LNG terminal in Croatia
Ausgeco2hlt in Germany

Plataforma Reposta al MidCAT in Catalonia
Reclaim The Power and Frack Free groups in the United Kingdom
Not Here Not Anywhere in Ireland
System Change Not Climate Change in Austria
Break Free in Switzerland
Fossil Free networks in Germany, Belgium, and many other countries.
LimityJsmeMy in Czech Republic
The Gastivists Collective

no mes gas in Barcelona

This is an incomplete list, surrounded by many more local groups, organisations and global networks.

Destacat

Qui Som?

No + Gas és una plataforma d’informació crítica i debat sobre el model gasífer, les seves infraestructures i falses solucions tecnològiques com el fracking. També és el nom d’un col.lectiu barceloní i una campanya contra el gasoducte Midcat/Step. Us animem a participar i alimentar aquesta web amb informacions i notícies. Contacte: @NoMesGas (Twitter)

Tothom contra el MidCat

EL gasoducte MidCat se esta construint a Catalunya i a França per a importar gas des del Marroc i Algeria. NoMèsGas esta intentant parar aquest projecte que sería altament contaminant, amès de promoure un model energetic mortifer i obsolet, pagat per nosaltres i ja votat com projecte per el interes común per la Comisio Europea.