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.

Nine years ago, faced with threats posed by mining operations, communities in southeastern Guatemala organized a municipal consultation in the town of Mataquescuintla. The question was simple — do residents want mining? — and the answer was clear. Over 98% of participants expressed firm opposition to mining activities in the area.

November 27, 2021 marks 12 years since the assassination of Mexican environmental defender Mariano Abarca. As a founding member of the Mexican Network of Mining Affected People (REMA) and community leader, Mariano actively spoke out against the social and environmental impacts of a barite mining project in his community of Chicomuselo, Chiapas. His assassins were employed and/or contracted by the Canadian company that operated the mine, Blackfire Exploration.