Organizations reject the president’s speech in favor of the exploitation of natural resources without considering the environmental dimension
The signatory organizations here express our deepest rejection of the speech by the President of the Nation, Javier Milei, on the occasion of the signing of the so-called May Pact, in which he urged provincial governments to advance in the exploitation of natural resources without contemplating the environmental dimension nor the demands of local communities and civil society organizations.
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The president’s words and the text signed by the provincial authorities (point 7) go against the constitutional mandate, which guarantees all Argentines the right to a healthy, balanced environment suitable for human development, and which establishes the duty of the authorities to provide for the protection of this right, the rational use of natural resources, the preservation of natural and cultural heritage and biological diversity and environmental information and education.
The president publicly states that promoting the development of productive activities without any type of environmental control and regulation will result in the generation of wealth; a premise already surpassed more than fifty years ago throughout the world due to the negative impacts that the destruction of ecosystems generates on the quality of life of the population, and the way in which it obstructs the productive development of nations. The uncontrolled exploitation of natural resources generates more poverty and demands more resources from the State to alleviate the social and environmental crises it causes.
The president’s statements also imply a world that no longer exists. The country’s insertion into the international scenario implies greater responsibility in social and environmental terms, due to the requirements and obligations established in bilateral agreements and multilateral treaties and the requirements to access membership of groups of countries. It is not possible to think about the development of a country today without considering the social and environmental footprint of the use of the goods that it offers to the world.
The May Pact signed in the Historic House of Independence in Tucumán must mark a path in favor of harmony and national unity and put aside unnecessary enmities. Unfortunately, the mention of “noisy minorities” and the classification of environmental organizations as adversaries of progress marks the wrong direction in this regard.
Environmental defenders in the territories play a key role in the protection of soil, water, biodiversity, native forests, glaciers, wetlands, rivers, the sea, peatlands, aquifers, mountains, landscapes , cultural values and nature. Without these ecosystems, without the environment, there is no possible progress.
Likewise, environmental organizations have had and have a leading role in the creation of new National Parks, nature reserves and protected areas, thus collaborating in the conservation of our natural and cultural heritage. Furthermore, non-governmental organizations are legitimate components of civil society in modern democracies around the world.
40 years after democratic recovery and 30 years after the last constitutional reform, Argentina needs a social and environmental pact. But not just any pact, but one that proposes living in harmony with nature and that leads us to true development, that contemplates present generations and also future generations that will inherit our country and our planet.
In this framework, we demand that the national and provincial authorities guarantee that all Argentines have their constitutional right to a healthy environment, that current environmental regulations be respected and applied, and that access to information and citizen participation in environmental matter.
Organizaciones firmantes:
- Agencia de Cooperación para el Desarrollo
- Ahora qué?
- Alianza x el Clima
- AsAE
- Asociación Ciudadana por los Derechos Humanos
- Asociación para la Conservación y el Estudio de la Naturaleza
- Asociana
- Aves Argentinas
- Banco de Bosques
- CAUCE (Cultura Ambiental Causa Ecologista)
- CeDePesca
- CeIBA (Centro de Investigación del Bosque Atlántico)
- CEPPAS (Centro de Políticas Públicas para el Socialismo)
- Circulo de Políticas Ambientales
- Comunidad Verde
- Conciencia Solidaria
- Consciente Colectivo
- Ecohouse
- FARN (Fundación Ambiente y Recursos Naturales)
- FSAC
- Fundación Ambiente y Medio
- Fundación Avina
- Fundación Biodiversidad Argentina
- Fundación Cambio Democrático
- Fundación Hábitat y Desarrollo
- Fundación Mil Aves – Córdoba
- Fundación Patagonia Natural
- Fundación Protestante Hora de Obrar
- Fundación Somuncura
- Fundación Yuchan
- Fundeps
- Futuro
- IIED-AL (Instituto Internacional de Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo IIED-América Latina)
- Instituto de Conservación de Ballenas
- Isla Verde – Sembrando conciencia
- Jóvenes por el Clima
- Laudato Si – Ecología integral
- Los Verdes
- Natura Argentina
- PEM (Por El Mar)
- Plurales
- Proyectar ONG
- Proyecto Quimilero
- Red Agroforestal Chaco Argentina
- Red de Mujeres en diálogo ambiental
- RUCC
- SAREM
- Somos Red – agroecología y cooperación
- Surfrider – Foundation Argentina
- Sustentabilidad Sin Fronteras
- UICN – Comité Nacional Argentina
- Unidos por Nuestras Acequias
- Viento Sur – Zapala
- WCS Argentina
- Wetlands International
