Community groups based in Pennsylvania, US, have come out in support of Climate Camp Grangemouth, which began yesterday, Wednesday 12th July at Kinneil Estate outside the Scottish town.
The camp has been publicised as a ‘festival of resistance’, bringing the local community together with workers and activists to challenge INEOS and its petrochemical plant at Grangemouth.
As well as being home to an oil refinery, INEOS Grangemouth also imports fracked gas on its so-called ‘dragon ships’ across the Atlantic, much of it coming from Pennsylvania, (1) despite Scotland having had a moratorium on fracking since 2017 (2)
Since INEOS began shipping fracked gas in 2016, communities and campaign groups in Pennsylvania have shared their concerns about its impact on their communities. Fracking has been demonstrated to have severe effects on the health of those living close to the sites of extraction, including through pollution of water (3).
Now, representatives of some of these groups have expressed their support for the INEOS protest camp which is taking place over the next five days:
Representatives from Watchdogs of Southeastern Pennsylvania (WASEPA) said:
"We stand in solidarity with Climate Camp Scotland and all those impacted by INEOS and their toxic ethane cracker facility. This toxic system needs to be taken down. Pennsylvania is a sacrifice zone of the extraction industry. There must be no sacrifice zones. We suffer the impacts as fence-line and frontline communities, yet we will not stop exposing the harms and resisting the perpetuation of a climate catastrophe. We cannot look to those in power for change, we must realize that we are the change. Be the change."
Chris "PK" DiGiulio, of Physicians for Social Responsibility, Pennsylvania said:
"This toxic system of petrochemicals harms the health and safety of all life. We have to become the system of change for a sustainable future"
Jessica Gaitan Johannesson, of Climate Camp Scotland, added:
“Fracking is effectively banned in Scotland, because of its disastrous environmental and health impacts. By importing fracked gas from Pennsylvania, INEOS is effectively exporting those hazards. It’s a colonial practice which makes these places into sacrifice zones, alongside Grangemouth itself. We are here to show that this will not stand, and that different futures for all these communities are possible.”
Testimonies from community members, both in Pennsylvania and in Grangemouth will be shared at gatherings during the camp, as well as a video message from Chris DiGiulio addressing camp participants.
INEOS petrochemical plant in Grangemouth, the location for this year’s climate camp, is Scotland’s biggest polluter, emitting 2,752,000 tonnes of CO2 in 2020. Last month INEOS refused to participate in a Parliamentary inquiry about transition at Grangemouth (4) Levels of inequality in the surrounding areas are high, with 25% of children in the Falkirk council area living under the poverty line (5) while INEOS’s owner, Jim Ratcliffe, consistently ranks as one of the UK’s richest people (6).
Organisers of Climate Camp Grangemouth say that the camp is an opportunity to come together, build relationships, learn from each other and plan for a different future, free of exploitation and environmental injustice. They say that such work must be led by those impacted by the fossil fuel industry. The programme of events includes workshops, talks and panel discussions as well as communal meals and activities.
Free photos to use from the camp so far:
NOTES TO EDITORS
Climate Camp Grangemouth is being coordinated by Climate Camp Scotland, who are bringing workers, front-line communities, and climate action groups together to build the movement for a swift just transition from fossil fuels, and to take mass action that brings about climate justice. www.climatecampscotland.com
https://theferret.scot/dont-scotland-fracking-warning-pennsylvania/
Petrochemical giant Ineos snubs Scottish Government net zero committee refusing to 'go on the record' - Falkirk Herald https://www.falkirkherald.co.uk/news/environment/petrochemical-giant-ineos-snubs-scottish-government-net-zero-committee-refusing-to-go-on-the-record-4126406
One in four children across Falkirk council area living in poverty - Faklirk Herald https://www.falkirkherald.co.uk/news/politics/council/one-in-four-children-across-falkirk-council-area-living-in-poverty-4179839
Manchester United bidder Jim Ratcliffe up to second on UK rich list - The Guardian -https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/may/19/manchester-united-bidder-jim-ratcliffe-up-to-second-on-uk-rich-list-hinduja-family-richard-branson
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