international rivers

In the wake of Brazil’s Congress passing the “Devastation Bill,” which would dismantle critical components of the country’s National Environmental Policy and rollback decades of environmental safeguards protecting communities from large-scale extractive projects, International Rivers today released a new study outlining the threats facing the Tapajós River Basin and innovative legal measures that communities can take to protect themselves. The report arrives just months ahead of COP30, which will be held in Brazil.

Tapajós River: Legal Analysis of the Brazilian Environmental Legislation (Rio Tapajós Análise Jurídico da Legislação Ambiental Brasileira) and its accompanying executive summary, Tapajós River: Prospects for Permanent Protection, shows how the combined effects of climate change, dams, unregulated mining, and other large-scale infrastructure harm Indigenous and frontline communities, and undermine the environment and biodiversity. It highlights measures that affected peoples can take to protect the Tapajós River Basin, including securing permanent legal protections.

In a landmark decision in favor of rivers in Peru, the Mixed Court in the City of Nauta ruled that the Marañón River, one of the country’s most significant rivers and water sources and the first source of the Amazon, has an intrinsic value and it is recognized as a Subject of Rights codifying a series of inherent rights. The triumph marks the culmination of efforts led by the Huaynakana Kamatahuara Kana Federation, an Indigenous Kukama women’s group rooted in the Parinari district of the Loreto province and region. Since 2021, they have spearheaded a legal battle against the State and Peruvian authorities, demanding protection for the Marañón River from the constant oil spills from the Norperuvian oil pipeline operated by Petroperu. The communities that make up this federation are still dealing with the aftermath of the Saramuro oil spill in 2010.

The Marañón River is one of the most important rivers and freshwater sources in Peru and its headwaters are high in the Andes Mountains before the river flows through the Andean valley to become one of the mainstem sources of the Amazon River. The river has been impacted by more than 60 oil spills caused by Oleoducto Norperuano between 1997 and 2019. The river is also being harmed by impacts from infrastructure projects – such as hydroelectric dams and the Amazon Waterway – considered a risk by multiple agencies and organizations including the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The river is also contaminated by mercury and other hazardous materials as a consequence of illegal gold mining.

Climate justice and human rights organizations from around the globe are rallying around prominent Vietnamese environmental lawyer, Mr. Dang Dinh Bach, on the two-year anniversary of his arrest with the launch of the #StandwithBach hunger strike. A public letter was also released today by over 80 organizations worldwide calling for Bach’s immediate release, along with a petition and social media campaign.

Bach was imprisoned for “tax evasion” after leading a campaign to reduce Vietnam’s reliance on coal. He declared that on June 24, 2023 – the second anniversary of his arrest – he will go on a hunger strike to the death in defense of his innocence. In his own spirit of nonviolent and peaceful protest the May 24 – June 24 “relay hunger strike” – in which at least one organization per day will strike in solidarity with Bach – hopes to raise awareness about this extreme injustice and prevent the need for him to risk his own life. Participating groups are from the United States, Indonesia, Brazil, Thailand, Spain, South Korea, Palestine, South Africa, and more countries around the world.

On behalf of an international coalition of climate justice and human rights organizations, we are overjoyed by news of the early release from prison of Vietnam climate hero, Ms. Nguy Thi Khanh.

Over the last 10 years, the internationally-renowned Goldman Environmental Prize winner worked with provincial governments to reduce Vietnam’s coal expansion plans; raise public awareness about the link between coal plant emissions and Hanoi having some of the worst air pollution in the world; and conduct research and policy engagement to demonstrate the cost-effectiveness of solar solutions in Vietnam.