{"id":7548,"date":"2022-09-01T16:23:33","date_gmt":"2022-09-01T21:23:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.garneurope.org\/?p=7548"},"modified":"2022-09-01T16:45:01","modified_gmt":"2022-09-01T21:45:01","slug":"5-tribunal-cases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.garneurope.org\/5-tribunal-cases\/","title":{"rendered":"The 5 Tribunal Cases – in short"},"content":{"rendered":"
1. Mer de Glace case<\/span><\/b><\/a> – France<\/b><\/span><\/h5>\r\n

The Mer de Glace (literally \u201cthe sea of ice\u201d) is a French glacier, located on the Mont-Blanc massif. It is 30 km\u00b2 wide, 12 km long and 300 metres thick, making it the largest glacier in France and the third-largest in the Alps.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

This ice giant is however threatened: climate change is causing it to thaw rapidly. Each year, the glacier shortens by 30 to 40 metres and loses 4 to 5 metres of its downstream thickness. Since 1850, the Mer de Glace has withdrawn by 2 kilometres. Scientists predict it could withdraw by another 1.2 <\/span>km by 2040.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n

Humans are causing the Mer de Glace to disappear. It is urgent to recognize its right to existence. The numbers exposed before us are undeniable. Each year\u00a0 the glacier gets smaller and thinner. Its very nature is transformed: sediments are accumulating, lakes are appearing. The glacier\u2019s right to exist is directly threatened.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Recognizing the Mer de Glace\u2019s rights to exist and regenerate is protecting fundamental rights for both humans and non-humans<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The Mer de Glace\u2019s right to regenerate must also be acknowledged.<\/span><\/p>\r\n \r\n

2. Illegal gold mining Case <\/b><\/a><\/span>– <\/b>French Guiana<\/b><\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/h5>\r\n

Human activities linked to illegal gold mining have disastrous consequences for the Maroni River and its tributaries. An estimated 10,000 illegal gold miners are present in the area.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Illegal artisanal gold miners are responsible for the destruction of thousands of km of rivers whose turbidity and mercury content lead to the disappearance of flora and fauna. Mercury is released into nature and poisons all ecosystems<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Thus, the right of aquatic ecosystems to conservation, to the regeneration of their life cycles and to restoration is undermined by illegal gold trafficking which must, therefore, be completely eradicated from the territory of French Guiana.<\/span><\/p>\r\n \r\n

3. Lake<\/span> V\u00e4ttern Case<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/span> –<\/span> Sweden<\/span><\/span><\/h5>\r\n

The aquatic ecosystems in lake V\u00e4ttern are threatened by past, ongoing and planned activities. These include activities such as a zinc mine leaking heavy metals into the lake, planned mining for rare earth minerals, a large paper mill and the Swedish defence forces military use of the lake for shooting exercise, both from the air and by heavy artillery from the shores.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n

The communities living in the lake V\u00e4ttern area have mobilised against the environmental destruction of V\u00e4ttern and surrounding ecosystems for many years. Aktion R\u00e4dda V\u00e4ttern (ARV) and Urbergsgruppen Grenna\u00a0 are two of many organisations and networks which have continued to protect V\u00e4ttern and surrounding ecosystems in the wake of pollution of the lake by corporations and the Swedish state.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

In 2018-2019 Swedish Earth Rights Lawyers drafted a declaration of the rights of lake V\u00e4ttern with assistance from the U.S. based organisation Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF). The declaration was adopted by the Earth Rights Conference 2019 and it is the foundation of an emerging coalition for the rights of lake V\u00e4ttern.<\/span><\/p>\r\n \r\n

4. Balkan rivers small dams ecocide<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/span> – Serbia<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/h5>\r\n

The Balkan rivers are some of the last free flowing and wild rivers of Europe and are a hotspot for biodiversity with unique ecosystems and wildlife<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The massive proliferation of small hydroelectric dams in Serbia and the Balkans, devastates native biodiversity, degrades the health of mountain ecosystems that depend on the rivers, and impairs the natural functions of rivers and watersheds, amongst other severe impacts, resulting in violations of the rights of impacted rivers and watersheds<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The effects of river destruction by the small hydro-electric power plants are numerous like<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n