Preliminary Statement from the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal
Attached below is the Preliminary Statement the PPT judges and secretariat have issued now that the PPT Plenary Session on Human Rights, Fracking and Climate Change has concluded. This is only a preliminary statement, not the court’s final judgment, though it does provide some hints about how the judges are thinking about their work.
Again, thank you for your engagement with this Tribunal. I think a very powerful global event has been birthed into the world, and it is now the job of all of us to be its advocate, its nurturer, and to help amplify the powerful voices of those who courageously stood, spoke and gave public witness throughout all the stages of this Tribunal.
Extract from Statement:
“Given the overwhelming volume and comprehensiveness of the evidence received and the need to consider all of this carefully, the panel of ten jurors will necessarily take several months to formulate a precise and comprehensive Opinion, including recommendations.
Because the matters considered by the PPT are of great significance and public concern around the globe, especially to those affected negatively by the fracking industry, and generally speaking by the expansion of the fossil fuel extractive frontier, with all its consequences on the climate crisis, on the environment and on peoples’ rights, by industry role players themselves, and governments across the world insofar as they have responsibilities to abide by laws and to protect the public, human rights and the environment, this Preliminary Statement is issued now for public discussion and action to abate the negative effects of fracking.
The evidence clearly demonstrates that the processes of fracking contribute substantially to anthropogenic harm, including climate change and global warming, and involve massive violations of a range of substantive and procedural human rights and the rights of nature. Thus the industry has failed to fulfil its legal and moral obligations.
The evidence also shows that governments have, in general, failed in their responsibility to regulate the industry so as to protect people, communities and nature. In addition, they have failed to act promptly and effectively to the dangers of climate change that fracking represents.”
One Response
Well done everyone involved in this issue. We really need to “sock it to them” now that they have recognised it as a Human Rights violation.