A good news update on December 22, 2021: After a massive public outcry, the province of Chubut has repealed last week's 14-11 vote to allow for open-pit mining in certain areas of the province. We celebrate this impressive display of people power, while lifting up the many voices of those who have already said a clear 'NO' to mining in the province. While we continue to denounce the use of excessive force against peaceful protestors, we celebrate this moment together with our partners in Argentina as a win for the movement to protect land and life from mining without consent. Stay tuned for further updates.

On December 15, the Chubut provincial legislature, in a surprise session and ignoring citizen demands, voted to allow open-pit mining to take place in the Patagonian region of Argentina. Pushed through amidst concerns about corruption and Canadian mining lobbying, the legislature voted 14 to 11 in favour of a mine zoning bill (bill 128/20) that allows open-pit mining in the plateau of the province, in the departments of Telsen and Gastre. Communities immediately marched peacefully and have since faced police repression, including multiple arrests and the firing of rubber bullets.

Written by Caleb Fotheringham

Odyssey’s research vessel used for mineral exploration work in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu and New Zealand. SUPPLIED/21122027

by Elizabeth Claire Alberts on 17 December 2021

Dear Friend,

What emerged from COP26 was a fragile, global consensus to move away – in part – from fossil fuels. But alarmingly, the international conference on climate change led to few agreements on exactly how or how fast. 

The International Seabed Authority (ISA) pushes through a controversial in-person meeting despite a global spike in Covid-19 cases. Meanwhile, the company behind the rush for the ISA to finalise deep sea mining regulations, The Metals Company (TMC) sees its prospects fade.

On the 12th anniversary of the murder of environmental defender Mariano Abarca, during an emotional ceremony in the sacred land of Acteal, the Abarca family presented the third Mariano Abarca Environmental Defence Award to the Civil Society Las Abejas de Acteal in recognition of their peaceful struggle for life and territory. The Mariano Abarca Environmental Defence Award recognizes, year after year, a community, collective or organization in the State of Chiapas, Mexico for their efforts to defend the rights of nature and people, and recognizes those who work towards dignity and who remind us that there’s hope and that other worlds are possible. Thirty-five national and international organizations endorse this award.

The number of electric vehicles (EVs) hitting the road in B.C. — and the rest of North America — is surging ahead, and sales growth is accelerating. Policies like B.C’s zero emission vehicle mandate coupled with growing consumer interest are driving a transition away from internal combustion engine vehicles and toward EVs, with B.C. leading North America in sales. In response, global automakers are rapidly pivoting their vehicle line-ups, and demand for the metals and minerals needed for EV batteries is projected to grow rapidly. 

MiningWatch Canada has reviewed and provided comments on Nauru Ocean Resources Incorporated (NORI)’s Environmental Impact Statement for a proposed “collector test” of seabed mining equipment. The EIS lays bare the fundamental flaw in proposed deep seabed mining – the lack of adequate information about, and understanding of, deep sea ecosystems and how mining will impact deep sea habitats and associated species.

(Vancouver/Ottawa) In a new backgrounder report, MiningWatch Canada and the BC Mining Law Reform network conclude that British Columbia fails to meet the Indigenous consent standard for mining, even two years after the passing of the province’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA).

(Montreal /Papineauville) The Lake Associations of the Petite-Nation River Watershed announces that all of the municipalities of the Papineau Regional County Municipality (RCM) have passed resolutions urging Quebec to protect their environment in light of a graphite mining boom in the region.