It is possible to share a personally developed map on your personal webpage or facebook profile. Chosen maps will focus on topics like shale gas, conflicts related to development of mega infrastructure projects, or conflicts leading to violence over active citizens.
In Bulgaria, there are 17 conflict ecologic areas announced. The mains problems are relating to the extraction industry (including gold mining and the old uranium mines), landfills, incinerators and big infrastructure projects like Bansko ski area in Pirin [2">.
The Atlas is a product of the EJOLT project, financed by the European Union. Over 100 people from 23 universities and non-governmental organizations working on the topic of environmental justice in 18 countries, part of which also is coalition For the Earth, as well as dozens of independent collaborations of all over the world participate. They have contributed actively for the elaboration of this enormous and valuable source. Professor Joan Martinez-Allier and his team of environmental economists from the University of Barcelona (ICTA-UAB) coordinate the project.
“The Atlas illustrates how the ecological conflicts around the worlds are increasing, lead by the need of more resources, intended mostly for the wealth part of the society and the middle class”, says Martinez-Allier. “The ones that are affected the most are the poor, marginalized and traditional societies. These in general do not posses any political influence to ensure a health life in unpolluted environment.” Over 2000 different corporations and financial institutions are the triggers of these environmental conflicts. This includes many corporate and financial structures from the developed countries, but the share of the developing economies also increases.
Whilst the map highlights many upset tendencies, e.g. the fact that corporations remain unpunished for many of their environmental crimes and e.g. that 80% of the described cases lead to reduced livelihood, the map is inspiring, too. Among the stories about devastated environment and political repression of activists, many triumphal cases of social justice can be found. There are many won lawsuits, terminated projects, as well as sometimes resources are restored. Social justice triumphs in 17% of the cases described on the map.
The Atlas will ease information search; it will link groups, working on same topics and it will increase the information available regarding environmental conflicts. It can be used for education and lobbying. The objective is to reach many new civil organizations and academia with experts in the topic areas of environmental justice and conflicts, as well as to invite them to contribute to the increased knowledge database.
Important feature of the project and the Atlas is that local environmental justice activist movements are the key to transformation and transition to more equitable, fair and less harmful forms of consumption and production.
According to Atlas’s coordinator Lea Temper “only after the local communities get mobilized and state that they will not reconcile with the pollutions any more, governments and companies will change their behavior.” Today, Lea Temper opens launches the webpage of an event, entitles “Mapping environmental justice” in Brussels. It is organized in cooperation with the European Environmental Bureau and the United Nations Environmental Programme’s office for relations with European institutions.
Online map of the environmental conflicts around the world, part of which is also Bulgaria
