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Factsheets

The Rio Tinto Case in Papua New Guinea

1. Factual background The company Rio Tinto has an extensive history of conflicts related to human rights violations and environmental damage, and over the years numerous countries have been affected. The …

Rio Tinto in Namibia: the Connelly Case

This fact sheet reports the case of a uranium mine worker in Namibia who suffered health damages about two decades ago, and his legal battle against one of the largest …

Expansion of commodity frontiers in Québec: fracking on Anticosti Island

Background Anticosti Island (49°30′N 63°00′W), nicknamed the ‘Pearl of the St. Lawrence’ is located in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and is approximately 225 km in length, and 56km at its …

Talvivaara Mine Environmental Disaster

Introduction Talvivaara Mining Company Plc. established in 2004 and acquired permits to commence nickel mining in the Sotkamo area of Eastern Finland (Figures 1 and 2). Metals production commenced in 2008 …

Garifuna resistance in Vallecito: land grabbing for palm oil plantations and drug trade

Introduction Vallecito is a small village located on the northeastern coast of Honduras, within the Limón municipality, in the department of Colón (Figure 1). Honduras’ Caribbean coasts are home to the …

Shale gas exploration in the Parana basin, Brazil

Introduction Shale gas is methane (natural gas) that is trapped underground in impermeable shale rock. For this reason, shale gas does not flow through the rock like conventional natural gas, so …

The Eucalyptus monoculture in São Luiz do Paraitinga, São Paulo, Brazil

Introduction São Luiz do Paraitinga (Figure 1) is a city located in the Valley of Paraíba in the São Paulo area. The municipality covers an area of 617 km² (Oliveira, 2011) …

The Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Project in British Columbia, Canada

Introduction & Background The Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion is a project that would establish a new pipeline, twinning an existing pipeline from Edmonton, Alberta to Burnaby, British Columbia. This …

Pigneto Lake, Rome

Introduction Pigneto lake (Figure 1) is the only natural lake in Rome, Italy. It lies in the district of Pigneto and is formed from mineral water sources (acqua bullicante). Pigneto is …

Land overexploitation in the quarries of the Baix Camp region in Catalonia

Introduction   The extraction of aggregates and other subsurface minerals as an economic activity generates significant environmental impacts – on the local environment and biodiversity, on the landscape, on traditional economic activities …