Fracking a 'Violation of Our Basic Human Rights', Argues New Report

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A hard hitting report commissioned by the Bianca Jagger Human Rights Foundation was delivered this week to David Cameron and called on the government to investigate the impact of fracking on the rights ofย individuals.

The report cites human rights liabilities for the British government if fracking is to commence commercially across the UK. It was co-authored by the Global Network for the Study of Human Rights and the Environment as well as the Environment and Human Rights Advisory and the Human Rights Consortium at the University ofย London.

It focuses primarily on the health implications of people living by frack sites, where the government is โ€œlegally bound to respect and protect human rights, both under the auspices of its own Human Rights Act 1998 and of the European Convention on Humanย Rights.โ€

Under these acts, the UK is obligated to consider the environmental impacts of industry on its citizens by allowing for public participation as well as the โ€˜right to lifeโ€™, which protects citizens from living near dangerous and contaminated areas, including poisonous waterย supplies.

The report also highlights the governmentโ€™s concentrated efforts to sell the positives of fracking over a steady informative review, with consistent claims that burning shale gas produces fewer greenhouse emissions than burningย coal.

This claim is disputed by the report, which was personally delivered to the Prime Ministerโ€™s home in Westminster by Bianca Jagger, the human rights advocate and Council of Europe Goodwill Ambassador, who believes renewable technologies offer greater rewards to the environment than fossilย fuels.

โ€œFrackingย agendaโ€

The report particularly cites a 2011 submission to the UN Human Rights Council which argued: โ€œThe environmental damage caused by hydraulic fracturing for natural gas poses โ€˜a new threat to humanย rightsโ€™.โ€

Speaking about the report, Jagger stated: โ€œThe UK Government is promoting a fracking agenda despite the well-documented health and environmental impacts. The Government has disregarded the Human Rights of ordinaryย citizens.

โ€œThey are rushing through changes to the law of trespass to speed up the ability of shale gas companies to frack under peopleโ€™s homes without their consent. The re-writing of the law is being introduced despite widespread public concern about the health and environmental impact of fracking and in the face of overwhelming public resistance from ordinaryย people.โ€

โ€œThe Infrastructure Bill [which covers shale gas development] is a violation of our basic Human Rights and of our democraticย process.โ€

The government recently came under increasing criticism over a proposed amendment to the Infrastructure Bill which would allow fracking companies to use โ€œany substanceโ€ under peopleโ€™s homes in the extraction of shaleย gas.

As the Foundationโ€™s report concludes: โ€œThere has been virtually no consideration at the policy level of the human rights dimensions ofย fracking.โ€

The full report will be launched on 30th November at the University ofย London.

@richardheasman4

Photo: Re:Publica viaย Flickr

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Richard Heasman joined DeSmog UK as a contributing journalist in October 2014. Originally from Stamford, he graduated with an undergraduate history degree (2:1) in 2013 from the University of Lincoln. His dissertation focused on the British mediaโ€™s role in shaping public opinion during the second Gulf War ofย 2003.

After graduating, Richard started his own online publication specialising in political-socio critiques, and now specialises in environmental topics including fracking andย industry.

Richard has been published in the Ecologist as has reported for Blue and Green Tomorrow on a varied range of environmentalย issues.

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