257 lines
10 KiB
Plaintext
257 lines
10 KiB
Plaintext
A SEED Europe leaflet on TENs
|
|
|
|
Dear friends,
|
|
Here is the text of the campaign leaflet that you received by mail a
|
|
few weeks ago. It would be great if you could forward it to all the
|
|
transport activists you know.
|
|
|
|
Many thanks
|
|
Elisa Peter and Olivier Hoedema
|
|
###########################################################
|
|
|
|
A SEED EUROPE PRESENTS
|
|
TRANS-EUROPEAN NETWORKS -
|
|
ROADS TO NOWHERE!
|
|
|
|
European campaign against unsustainable transport policies
|
|
|
|
Trans-European Networks - largest transport investments ever
|
|
planned
|
|
|
|
More than 15.000 kilometres of new roads, thousands of kilometres
|
|
of high-speed train links and a few traditional rail links,
|
|
numerous airport expansions, and a handful of waterways. These
|
|
dizzying plans are the core of the Trans-European Networks
|
|
(TENs), the infrastructure plans promoted by the European Union
|
|
(EU). Such massive investments in unsustainable modes of
|
|
transport are in sharp contrast to the EUs own official environ-
|
|
mental goals. TENs in the current shape will destroy nature areas
|
|
all over Europe and make it virtually impossible to reduce
|
|
emissions of greenhouse gases.
|
|
|
|
No wonder that the resistance against the many TENs projects is
|
|
growing. Campaigns all over Europe, especially in France and the
|
|
UK, have already shown the potential impact of non-violent direct
|
|
actions. The TENs campaign aims to build a strong network of
|
|
action groups fighting unsustainable transport schemes. Main
|
|
activities in the coming months include a seminar for transport
|
|
activists (December 1995, in Spain) and a Europe-wide TENs action
|
|
day (March 1996). In the meantime, action is urgently needed to
|
|
influence the European Parliament (EP) during its second and
|
|
final reading on TENs, this autumn.
|
|
|
|
|
|
The European Parliament can prevent a TENs disaster
|
|
|
|
In May 1995, the EP debated the Trans-European Networks. The
|
|
Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) decided to add a long
|
|
list of environmentally unfriendly projects (motorways, highspeed
|
|
trains, etc.), but also voted for much stricter environmental
|
|
criteria. However, a few months later, the Council of Ministers
|
|
rejected the main environmental improvements proposed by the
|
|
MEPs!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Action needed
|
|
|
|
Fortunately, the MEPs have the right to a so-called "second
|
|
reading". A lot of pressure is needed to make them stick to the
|
|
environmentally-friendly amendments. Letters and faxes coming
|
|
from groups all over Europe could play a crucial role. Your
|
|
letter/fax should be as personal as possible, preferably hand-
|
|
written, and give examples of TENs projects under construction
|
|
in your country to back up the arguments against TENs as a whole.
|
|
Actions (like blocking the garage of MEPs opposing the environ-
|
|
mental improvements) are also an essential part of the strategy,
|
|
for instance as a way of getting media attention.
|
|
|
|
TENGO, the coalition of international NGOs campaigning for
|
|
greener TENs, was successful in lobbying the MEPs this spring.
|
|
The TENGO partners (ALARM UK, A SEED Europe, Greenpeace, WWF,
|
|
T&E, Birdlife and Friends of the Earth) will continue their joint
|
|
efforts this autumn.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Action Day
|
|
|
|
A Europe-wide Action Day against TENs projects will take place
|
|
on March 30, 1996. We hope that local action groups campaigning
|
|
against TENs projects will all participate in this day of
|
|
protest. It will be a decentralised event, with a common theme
|
|
and common activities. It is up to you to decide in which way you
|
|
want to get involved. Road blockades using bulldozers (or lighter
|
|
material!), peaceful demonstrations, public information forums,
|
|
bike or skate tours, activist exchanges between groups, or any
|
|
other bright ideas are very welcome.
|
|
If you have a brilliant idea but no money for your action, it
|
|
might be worthwhile to get in touch with the A SEED Europe
|
|
Office.
|
|
|
|
|
|
transport vs. environment
|
|
|
|
The transport sector is a major threat to the environment. It is
|
|
causing irreversible disasters all over Europe. Vehicle exhaust
|
|
emissions (CO2, CO, NOx, SOx, VOCs, particulates, and so forth)
|
|
are the main contributors to air pollution and climate change.
|
|
Forecasts predict that the share of CO2 emissions coming from
|
|
transport will increase from the current 25% to over 50% by 2010.
|
|
Transport also causes acid rain (which destroys forest areas),
|
|
chronic health diseases, the creation of tropospheric ozone and
|
|
photochemical smog. Moreover, the construction of infrastructure
|
|
generates other kinds of damage, which are as harmful to humans
|
|
and the environment as the traffic itself: destruction of wild
|
|
nature areas, imperilment of valuable habitats and loss of
|
|
biological diversity, water and land pollution, noise, etc.
|
|
|
|
|
|
TENs Hot Spots
|
|
|
|
The Somport tunnel and the accompanying road scheme through the
|
|
Vallee d'Aspe in the French Pyrenees is probably the most
|
|
wellknown Trans-European Road Network project, but this is only
|
|
one of more than 140 new motorways in TENs. The long list of
|
|
controversial projects include the OEresund bridge (between
|
|
Denmark and Sweden), the motorway through the Nevia valley in
|
|
Galicia (Spain), the Malpensa airport near Milano, the highspeed
|
|
train link from Amsterdam to Brussels, and many more.
|
|
|
|
|
|
TENs are also a financial disaster. The EU claims that investing
|
|
billions of tax payers' ECUs in transport infrastructure is a
|
|
good way of creating jobs. However, it has failed to produce
|
|
convincing studies to support this assumption. In fact, there is
|
|
extensive literature indicating that the effects might be the
|
|
opposite. In numerous cases new infrastructure for highspeed
|
|
transport has lead to centralised production damaging local
|
|
markets and causing the loss of local jobs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Concrete Action
|
|
|
|
Concrete Action is the newsletter for activists fighting
|
|
unsustainable infrastructure projects. It comes out every second
|
|
month and aims to improve communication between groups working
|
|
on apparently isolated campaigns that are in fact part of a wider
|
|
European plan. For this purpose, Concrete Action brings updates
|
|
on planning in the European Union, follows campaigns in various
|
|
countries, gives background information and serves as a letter-
|
|
box for contacts and discussions on strategy. You'd better
|
|
subscribe right now if you are looking for the latest valuable
|
|
news on TENs! Also, your contribution (articles, news, views and
|
|
ideas, etc.) is very welcome.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Seminar for transport activists: don't miss it!
|
|
|
|
An international seminar for activists campaigning against TENs
|
|
projects will be held from 7-11 December in Basque Country
|
|
(Spain). During the days, we will discuss: transport infrastru-
|
|
cture -- why they want it, why we might not need it; transport
|
|
and economy (do TENs create jobs and boost regional economies?
|
|
What are the alternatives?); strategies for resistance and much
|
|
more (media training, camcorder training, email training, country
|
|
studies, etc.).
|
|
|
|
After the seminar, everybody is warmly invited to the Alternative
|
|
Forum taking place in Madrid parallel to the EU Summit (11-16
|
|
December). A perfect opportunity to show the EU leaders that
|
|
their transport plans are heading down a dead end road.
|
|
|
|
|
|
European anti-roads video & campaign handbook
|
|
|
|
Another element in the TENs campaign is to publish a campaign
|
|
handbook full of original ideas for transport actions. But we
|
|
need your help: please send us your success stories (and
|
|
educative failures!).
|
|
Another tool in campaigning against TENs projects will be a video
|
|
compiling European anti-road actions. So please send us video
|
|
material from your site of resistance!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Climate Change: it's Time for Action
|
|
|
|
The TENs campaign is part of a common campaign of the 3 European
|
|
environmental youth networks (A SEED Europe, EYFA and YEE) to
|
|
combat the causes of climate change. The campaign also includes
|
|
the bimonthly campaign magazine CLIMAX, subcampaigns on urban
|
|
ecology and alternative economies, the Sustainable Europe bus
|
|
Tour (that will visit local groups all over Europe during the
|
|
summer of 1996), as well as the 4th annual Climate Action Day,
|
|
which will take place on May 15th.
|
|
|
|
|
|
FILL IN AND SEND TO:
|
|
A SEED Europe Office
|
|
P.O. Box 92066
|
|
1090 AB Amsterdam
|
|
Netherlands
|
|
tel. 31-20-6682236
|
|
fax. 31-20-6650166
|
|
email aseedeur@antenna.nl
|
|
|
|
YES, I want to receive:
|
|
|
|
Concrete Action
|
|
TEN-pack (essential articles on TENs)
|
|
regular updates and action alerts on the EU's decision making on
|
|
TENs
|
|
addresses of MEPs in my country
|
|
|
|
more information about:
|
|
the transport activist seminar
|
|
the TENs action day
|
|
the campaign handbook
|
|
the video project
|
|
the climate campaign
|
|
A SEED Europe
|
|
|
|
Name:
|
|
Organisation:
|
|
Address:
|
|
Telephone:
|
|
Fax:
|
|
E-mail:
|
|
|
|
|
|
What is A SEED?
|
|
|
|
A SEED (Action for Solidarity, Equality, Environment and
|
|
Development) Europe is the European branch of a worldwide network
|
|
of committed young people who feel an urgent need for change. We
|
|
are active in environmental movements, in solidarity groups, and
|
|
in the youth and student movement. We work at the local, national
|
|
and regional level, against domination and exploitation of people
|
|
and of nature. Fundamentally, A SEED exists to facilitate co-
|
|
ordinated actions among young organisers in all parts of the
|
|
world that address the global environment and development crisis.
|
|
|
|
A SEED Europe is an open network that can be used as a vehicle
|
|
for co-operation among groups. It does not have a hierarchical
|
|
structure, so participating in A SEED Europe does not mean
|
|
compromising your identity or your ideas.
|
|
|
|
Within A SEED Europe, there are several working groups co-
|
|
ordinating the actions of people around Europe working on the
|
|
following issues: Multilateral Development Banks; the European
|
|
Union and the European Round Table of Industrialists (ERT);
|
|
Inform me about that Multinational, Please! (IMPs); Climate
|
|
Change; using the media; gender.
|
|
|
|
So whether you are working on Third World debt, pollution,
|
|
transnational corporations, human rights issues, or protesting
|
|
against a local road-building plan, participating in A SEED
|
|
Europe can connect you up with others around Europe working on
|
|
the same issue, provide useful resources and contacts, and
|
|
benefit your work in many ways...
|
|
|
|
A SEED is open to any group or individual so why not find out
|
|
more?
|
|
|
|
|
|Please always reply to: aseedeur@antenna.nl !!!!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|