Environment News – The Cost of Protesting (Horrific) / What a Tiny Group of Islands Tells Us / Greening England?
Some bite-sized pieces of news from the environment this week.
22 May, 2019
News snippets
Texas is known for its oil. Currently, oil and gas are booming, and many pipelines are being built. But they’re not popular with everyone. Some landowners may have their land seized, without a choice. Many residents are worried about groundwater contamination of local aquifers. And an ecologically sensitive area of land may be ruined for ever.
Naturally, people want a say in what happens to their surroundings. If the usual methods fail, then you can protest, which is a sign of a healthy democracy. But last week, the Texas Senate passed legislation that makes interfering with pipelines a crime punishable by up to a year in prison and $10,000 in fines. And just “intent” to interrupt oil and gas infrastructure could cost you $4,000 and a year behind bars.
Pipelines run from Texas through Louisiana. Last year, protests were held on private land with the landowner’s permission. Yet people were arrested, and could face up to five years in prison and $1,000 in fines. There’s a new law in Louisiana which makes trespassing on “critical infrastructure” a felony, not just a misdemeanour. Even if the pipeline hasn’t been built yet. (HB 727 was signed into law by a Democrat, Governor John Bel Edwards).
Oklahoma, North Dakota, South Dakota and Iowa have enacted similar laws
It’s shocking. Authoritarian. Oil and gas are not “critical” when there are safer and cleaner alternatives. And no one should face punishment for protesting. (If you damage property, there are already laws against that. We don’t need new, draconian laws to protect BigOil).
more snippets
A tiny group of islands waaaay to the left of Australia (basically, in the middle of nowhere in the Indian Ocean), support just 600 people. But scientists surveyed the debris that washed up on the remote Cocos (Keeling) Islands. They found 977,000 shoes and 373,000 toothbrushes. Plus tons and tons of plastic.
More than 130,000 trees are to be planted in English towns and cities over the next two years as part of the nation’s battle against the climate crisis. The plan is to plant more trees closer to where people live and work. Trees play a crucial role in the fight against global warming because they store carbon. Trees also absorb noise, reduce flood risk, provide shade in summer and are associated with general good health and well-being. Well, it’s a start.
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Warm regards,
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