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Protecting
our environment
Last
week the Northern Executive took welcome and decisive action to protect our
environment, our health and jobs by committing to a ban on all forms of onshore
petroleum exploration and production, including fracking. This decision is part
of the Executive’s commitment to tackle our dependence on fossil fuels. Conor
Murphy, the Economy Minister announced that, following drafting and
consultation, he will be introducing legislation next year to block licensing
applications.
Ten
years ago I travelled through the border counties of Sligo, Cavan, Leitrim and
Fermanagh. It was part of a visit culminating in a speaking engagement at an
anti- fracking conference in the Lough Erne Hotel in Fermanagh.
At
the time there were efforts underway to promote fracking in the region.
An Australian shale gas exploration company was planning to drive a bore
hole over 700 feet into the underground rock. Local people were rightly angry
at this threat to their environment.
The
scenery of the west is striking and beautiful. There is a grandeur about the
landscape which catches the breath. I once had the pleasure of flying low over
this region in a helicopter. From the air the view is stupendous. The rolling
hills and loughs, the rocky inclines, the streams and rivers snaking their way
down mountain sides and through lush green glens.
Every
now and then you can spot a Neolithic fort or tomb – a prehistoric relic of
those who once lived here. There is a sparkle from the crystal clear waters of
the numerous waterways. Upper and Lower Lough Erne are dotted with scores of
islands. Cavan is said to have 365 loughs, one for each day of the year. It is
also claimed that the islands of Upper and Lower Lough Erne achieve the same
number - although in truth it’s around 200.
The
Shannon-Erne Waterway links the two rivers. The source of the Shannon, known as
the 'Shannon Pot', is just a few miles north of Dowra, on the Cavan Way.
The
importance of the water system to Fermanagh and Cavan and Sligo and Leitrim and
to the island of Ireland can be found by simply googling the tourist literature
for the region. The water system of this region services the population of
these counties and more with their drinking water. But it does more than that.
It sustains much of our tourism, business, and inland fishing industry.
The
above and below ground water system of these counties is an indispensable part
of this community. Its drinking water ensures life for the people and animals
and fauna and fish. Its presence provides leisure and tourism and jobs.
Take
all of that away and the social and economic cost to the people of that area
and of this island would be incalculable. This beautiful landscape does not
belong only to our generation. It was here before us and our duty is to ensure
that it is here after us and for our children and our children’s children.
That
is why we must oppose fracking which involves extracting natural gas
trapped in layers of sedimentary rock between one and two kilometres beneath
the surface. Horizontal wells are drilled and filled with a mixture of water
and sand and chemicals which are forced at high pressure. This fractures the
rock and allows gas to seep into the wells where it makes its way to the
surface for collection and distribution. An average well will use up to 20,000
cubic metres of water. About a third, containing treatments, sands
and other chemicals, is returned to the surface where it has to be disposed of.
Fracking
can cause serious environmental pollution, health risks for people, and
is a significant and dangerous threat to our countryside. It can damage
fish stocks. It poses a very real risk to our farming industry, and to the
health and safety of rural communities, as well as undermining our tourism
industry.
Fracking
or onshore petroleum exploration is not the answer to the energy needs of
the people of the island of Ireland. So, well done to Minister Murphy and the
Executive for this sensible decision.
Palestinians
treated as subhuman – Amnesty Report
Last
week Amnesty International published a landmark and damning report on
Israel’s genocide in the Gaza Strip. The report entitled, ‘You
Feel Like You Are Subhuman’: Israel’s Genocide Against Palestinians in Gaza, documents
how the Israeli state has “carried out acts prohibited under the
Genocide Convention, with the specific intent to destroy Palestinians in Gaza.”
The
report examines the results of investigations into Israeli “genocidal
acts of killing and causing serious mental and bodily harm.” These
acts include killings, causing serious bodily or mental harm and deliberately
inflicting on Palestinians in Gaza conditions of life intended to bring about
their destruction.
Amnesty
examined the context of dispossession, the Israeli apartheid regime and
unlawful military occupation of the occupied territories over decades.
Amnesty’s Secretary General Agnès Callamard described Israel’s objective: “Month
after month, Israel has treated Palestinians in Gaza as a subhuman group
unworthy of human rights and dignity, demonstrating its intent to physically
destroy them.”
The
Amnesty report determines that Israel is fully aware of the harm it is doing
and continues to do in defiance of “countless warnings about the
catastrophic humanitarian situation and of legally binding decisions from the
International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordering Israel to take immediate
measures to enable the provision of humanitarian assistance to civilians in
Gaza.”
Before
arriving at its conclusion Amnesty International examined the claims by the
state of Israel that it was targeting Hamas and other armed groups and not the
civilian Palestinian population. It also looked at Israeli claims that
the unprecedented destruction and denial of aid to the Palestinian people
were as a result of the actions of Hamas. Amnesty concluded that these claims
are not credible. On the contrary Its research found that Israel repeatedly
failed to ensure that all reasonable efforts are made to protect the civilian
population. It found that the Israeli state views “Palestinians as
disposable and not worthy of consideration” and this “in itself
evidence of genocidal intent.”
Amnesty’s
Agnès Callamard described the international community’s shameful failure to
press Israel to end its atrocities in Gaza, and the continued supplying of
weapons, “is and will remain a stain on our collective conscience.”
She
is right. Too many governments pretend that they are powerless to end the
genocide. They need to uphold international law and move beyond expressions of
regret and take decisive action. They also have a duty and responsibility to
respect the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrants for Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war
crimes and crimes against humanity.
There
is an onus on the new incoming Irish government0, to give a lead on this by
urgently passing into law the Occupied Territories Bill and by imposing
economic and other sanctions against Israel.
Hunger
for Justice
I
want to ask your support for an important initiative aimed at drawing attention
to the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people and also to raise much
needed funds for UNWRA. This columnist is committing to join the Hunger
for Justice - Troscadh ar son na Córa initiative. This is a 24-hour fast taking
place across Ireland on the 12th December, 2024. The event is being organised
by former republican hunger strikers, including Laurence McKeown and Jackie
McMullan, in conjunction with Nenagh Friends Of Palestine. All funds raised
will go to UNRWA. The aim is to get at least 1,000 people across the island of
Ireland to participate.
Participants
are encouraged to not only take part in the fast but to organise an event in
their local area on the 12th. The event can be as small as 2-3 people holding a
short vigil, or can be much more imaginative.
Anyone
wishing to take part in the 24-hour fast can do so by completing the short
online form at: https://forms.gle/jxUXaL8dSWviYYAQ8
Anyone
wishing to donate to it can do so at:
gofundme.com/f/hunger-for-justice-gaza
A
Facebook page has been set up specifically for the event:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61568421206188&locale=en_GB
If
anyone participating wishes to make a short video stating their name and a
short message that can be put on the webpage that would be much
appreciated.
Samples
of such previous videos can be viewed on the Nenagh Friends Of Palestine
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/NenaghFriendsofPalestine
For
additional information on HUNGER FOR JUSTICE please contact the organisers
at hungerforjusticeireland@gmail.com
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