Human beings have certain rights, among them the right to clean water, clean air, and safe employment. The extraction of fossil fuels is water intensive. Fossil fuel extraction can cause widespread contamination of air and water. It is a source of unsafe jobs, and its leaking infrastructure is a public health issue. Widespread water contamination is a human rights issue. Therefore, we advocate for clean energy solutions.
The extraction industry has historically exploited marginalized populations, such as the poor and minorities. In states where extraction is the main source of employment, these compromised socioeconomic groups find themselves unable to choose anything other than the dirty, dangerous, and often temporary jobs afforded them by this industry. We have seen this with the coal industry, which has exploited, used, and harmed both the environment and its workers, for centuries. As coal has moved away from being a primary employer, oil and gas have taken a higher position in West Virginia’s employment and energy portfolio. These companies take millions of gallons of water every day without paying a cent.
With the decline of coal, gas development quickly took over the economic advantage. As a result, many West Virginia communities suffer from a boom-and-bust economy, where an area based on extraction does well for a few years and then falls again into squalor. This system is rigged against the natives; a few people at the top get very rich, while those at the bottom work for them and take what they are given. These people suffer from the destruction of their land and community. They often see extreme health problems as a result of industrial development. Their human rights and culture are not respected by large companies that come in from outside to exploit the resources and the workforce. Property rights and values are threatened by this development, and the locals are often preyed upon for their property by prospectors. Misinformation and intimidation are common tactics to get poor, undereducated landowners to sign over their property rights.
This is more than an economic problem; it is a social justice issue. According to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, all people have the right, among other things, to life, liberty, and personal security; inviolability of the home; preservation of health and well-being; education; benefits of culture; right to work and benefit of remuneration; property (rights); due process; and equality before the law. In general, all people deserve to enjoy the benefits of the Rights of Man.
The extraction industry has historically exploited marginalized populations, such as the poor and minorities. In states where extraction is the main source of employment, these compromised socioeconomic groups find themselves unable to choose anything other than the dirty, dangerous, and often temporary jobs afforded them by this industry. We have seen this with the coal industry, which has exploited, used, and harmed both the environment and its workers, for centuries. As coal has moved away from being a primary employer, oil and gas have taken a higher position in West Virginia’s employment and energy portfolio. These companies take millions of gallons of water every day without paying a cent.
With the decline of coal, gas development quickly took over the economic advantage. As a result, many West Virginia communities suffer from a boom-and-bust economy, where an area based on extraction does well for a few years and then falls again into squalor. This system is rigged against the natives; a few people at the top get very rich, while those at the bottom work for them and take what they are given. These people suffer from the destruction of their land and community. They often see extreme health problems as a result of industrial development. Their human rights and culture are not respected by large companies that come in from outside to exploit the resources and the workforce. Property rights and values are threatened by this development, and the locals are often preyed upon for their property by prospectors. Misinformation and intimidation are common tactics to get poor, undereducated landowners to sign over their property rights.
This is more than an economic problem; it is a social justice issue. According to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, all people have the right, among other things, to life, liberty, and personal security; inviolability of the home; preservation of health and well-being; education; benefits of culture; right to work and benefit of remuneration; property (rights); due process; and equality before the law. In general, all people deserve to enjoy the benefits of the Rights of Man.