SPAIN:

THE CGT ON "WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY":

World Environment Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1972, and since 1987 the day is hosted by a selected city on June 5th each year, and an environmental theme is chosen for the day. While rich in commendable sentiments the celebrations take it for granted that the goals of environmentalism are compatible with both "business as usual" and with "government as usual".

In Spain the CGT, the largest anarchosyndicalist union in the world, has released a statement via their paper Rojo Y Negro. The article denounces the hypocrisy of these celebrations in the light of the way the world is actually organized today. The following is translated from the original Spanish at Royo Y Negro. A Spanish reprint appeared at the A-Infos site, but it was considerably mangled in the transmission.

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June 5 : World Environment Day???

Today society and its institutions celebrate World Environment Day with huge events , while promoting uncontrolled consumerism and waste of natural resources.

S. Social Action CGT

Today the world and the corporations celebrate World Environment day with joy and sumptuous feasts while hunger and death and speak at forums and summits

As for the CGT on the World Environment Day we want to denounce the hypocrisy of so much celebration in the hard face of thieves and pirates, celebrants of degradation and theft.

Today citizens of the planet celebrate the offense to the natural environment, the expansion of GM crops, the emergence in the global food markets as a commodity for speculative business.

Today citizens of the planet denounce control of the environment by large transnationals, uninterested in the real demands of the world , deforestation and degradation of ecosystem diversity, the harassment of indigenous communities, the guarantors of coherent life forms.

Today as citizens of the planet, on World Environment Day, we demand the right to dignity in a healthy environment.