Farron Cousins, De Smog Blog
Waking Times

On Saturday, October 19^th, from Romania to Canada and beyond, protests of varying size took place all over the globe to bring attention to the dangers of hydraulic fracturing (fracking).

The events, part of a worldwide effort by Global Frackdown, are designed to raise public awareness about the environmental and health threats posed by fracking, as well as to signal to oil and gas companies that citizens are not willing to be passive when it comes to the health of their communities.  Global Frackdown held their first mass protests in September 2012, spanning 20 different countries.

This past weekend’s events saw more than 250 protests take place in 26 different countries around the globe, making it one of the largest mass protests against fracking.

In Romania, more than 1,000 protestors showed up to demonstrate against Chevron.  The oil giant currently has plans to begin natural gas fracking in local villages, and citizens are concerned over the safety of their water supply if the plan goes through.  Chevron has been forced to temporarily halt their activities in Romania due to the massive public backlash, but currently has plans to resume if the protests die down.

In the United States, hundreds of protesters gathered in fracking hot spots like Pennsylvania, New Jersey, California, and New York.

In the past year, Global Frackdown has boasted a lot of successes all over the planet.  A partial list of those victories, from their website:

• Passed more than 336 measures against fracking, wastewater injection and frac sand mining in communities across the United States.
• Passed a moratorium on fracking in the Delaware River Basin Commission.
• Banned fracking in Longmont, Colorado.
• Passed an indefinite moratorium on fracking in Vermont.
• Upheld bans on fracking in Bulgaria and France, despite intensive pressure from industry.
• Pushed for moratoria in multiple regions in Europe.
• Obtained local referenda on fracking in Romania, which rejected fracking by more than 90 percent.
• Pushed for a ban on fracking in areas for drinking water provision in Germany.
• Passed moratoria on fracking in the Netherlands and the Czech Republic.

As public awareness over the dangers of fracking continues to grow, public opinion polls show that the majority of people do not support the practice – the risks far outweigh the benefits.  Groups like Global Frackdown are helping to increase this awareness, and are helping to fight back against the destructive nature of the dirty energy industry.

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