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Stop exploitation of natural resources and environmental law by multinational companies:
Elja-Ilari S.
started this petition to
Stop exploitation of natural resources and environmental law by multinational companies
Call to The Global Community and Political Parties, Ministries and President of Finland: This petition is to stop the exploitation of natural resources and disregard for the environmental law by multinational mining companies in Finland.
Dragon Mining Limited, an Australian-based company was recently listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange while starting new operations at their third gold mining site in Finland. After the company's listing they gave an open stock exchange release to their shareholders, stating that:
"By the time any proposed amendments to the Mining Act would be put in place, the gold mines under our control in Finland would have long been emptied" - Helsinki Times, 26th December 2018
This statement refers to Dragon Mining Limited starting their mineral extraction operations in Valkeakoski and referring also to the situation at the Orivesi mining site, where the environment has been ruthlessly polluted and the company has disregarded complaints by the local people and the Finnish Government. The legal regulatory processes to prevent Dragon Mining from starting their operations on January 2019 are underway, but the implementation of these new regulations will greatly delay from having any impactful effect in such a short time due to legislative bureocracy in Finland.
We need support from the whole global community to push the decision-makers from the Finnish Government, its political parties, ministries and President Niinistö to take the needed regulatory changes into action faster. It is simply unacceptable to let multinational companies systematically exploit our natural resources and avoid paying domestic taxes for their gained economic benefit.
The company starts their highly criticized mining operations in Valkeakoski, Finland during January 2019 so it is essential that this reaches the global audience as quickly as possible.
The situation in Valkeakoski is not the only case: In 2015, the Administrative Court of Vaasa disregarded the complaints about Dragon Mining's operations in Orivesi, Finland, where high metal concentrations in local waters destroyed the local crawfish population in its entirety. Environmental protection authorities also found an illegal landfill close to the Orivesi mining site where it was buried 66 meters deep. On October 2018, the Finnish central police department confirmed in a news article by Yle that the landfill is clearly violating environmental policies.
We need external force to ignite the implementation of regulatory changes faster and to give an example for the whole global community that this is not how private entities should treat natural resources, or disregard any country's environmental policies whatsoever.
Experts on the case, like Professors of Environmental Law Tapio Määttä and Ismo Pölönen from University of Eastern Finland, have proposed that foreign companies should be obliged to pay an environmental protection tax determined by the amount of pollution and other damage caused to the local ecosystem. In 2014, the Environmental Ministry's working group investigated the current state of compensation and liability systems and the needs to develop them.
The conclusion was clear: The government has disregarded the shortcomings of current policies - the damage caused to the environment is, and will be, paid by citizens and taxpayers of Finland, not by the companies which cause them.
Recently a politician from The National Coalition Party (Kokoomus) Timo Heinonen also took his stance on increasing the environmental responsibility of mining companies: As with oil protection funds, companies should pay a compensation tax/fee from each ton of minerals they mine for promoting local sustainability and environmental protection. Heinonen also added that the current policy is highly old-fashioned; the right to own a land and its natural resources is based on a "who claims first" basis and under this principle companies can exploit resources with minimal responsibility to landowners and environment. Throughout the years, more and more experts are stating their criticism on current policies, as professor of Political Economy Olli Tahvonen in 2017:
"The current Mining Act of Finland provokes private entities for the full exploitation of natural resources without environmental or economic responsibility".
Both in scientific and political spheres, the list goes on for supporters of change. Stated also by Green Member of Parliament Ville Niinistö, preserving Finland's nature and mineral resources requires a clearly defined Mining Act, where nature and people will come first and where the economic benefits accumulated will also stay within domestic borders. Foreign companies cannot come to Finland and exploit its pristine natural heritage. At the same time Finland's Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintilä comments on the case, saying that " Not a single mining company should come to our country just to ruthlessly exploit our natural resources ".
Still, this is exactly what has happened:
Dragon Mining Limited has claimed to finish their operations before any complaints have been handled or any regulatory changes can take place in practice. They have also set up an illegal landfill near the mining site and disregarded all the complaints by environmental organisations and local people. Additonally, local activist Ritva Taskinen and biochemist & expert from Association of Nature Conversation Jari Natunen made their own experiment by scooping water with buckets from the mining site and realized that the water level would not descend. This indicates that this area would also have a source of natural spring water in its soil, which should make it forbidden to dig the soil in the area, according to Finnish law.
This petition is signed by an ex-resident of Valkeakoski, currently Helsinki-based Finnish entrepreneur and primarily by an individual who believes in delivering global environmental justice when traditional politicians and decision-making policies are too slow to take action.
I deeply hope to gain international recognition for this cause so that the global community can bring international leverage for the Finnish Government, its Ministries and Political Parties to prevent Dragon Mining from continuing its business operations in such an irresponsible way - Therefore providing an example for the whole world that we, the people, do care and we do not accept private entities for taking such unsustainable actions towards nature and primarily, for our common global future.
Together with the citizens of Finland, Avaaz can deliver the needed global pressure and recognition with its over 49 million members worldwide so that the Finnish Government would take regulatory changes into practice faster. Avaaz Community is an Non-Governmental Organisation that is politically independent and it is the world's biggest online campaigning community for bringing people-powered politics to decision-making. Here you can read about the highlights of where Avaaz has been involved in: https://secure.avaaz.org/page/en/highlights/
For Finnish citizens who support this petition should also sign this address: https://www.adressit.com/ei_kultakaivosta_valkeakosken_kaapelinkulmalle (including also the English version).
Finnish news sources:
Dragon Mining Limited, an Australian-based company was recently listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange while starting new operations at their third gold mining site in Finland. After the company's listing they gave an open stock exchange release to their shareholders, stating that:
"By the time any proposed amendments to the Mining Act would be put in place, the gold mines under our control in Finland would have long been emptied" - Helsinki Times, 26th December 2018
This statement refers to Dragon Mining Limited starting their mineral extraction operations in Valkeakoski and referring also to the situation at the Orivesi mining site, where the environment has been ruthlessly polluted and the company has disregarded complaints by the local people and the Finnish Government. The legal regulatory processes to prevent Dragon Mining from starting their operations on January 2019 are underway, but the implementation of these new regulations will greatly delay from having any impactful effect in such a short time due to legislative bureocracy in Finland.
We need support from the whole global community to push the decision-makers from the Finnish Government, its political parties, ministries and President Niinistö to take the needed regulatory changes into action faster. It is simply unacceptable to let multinational companies systematically exploit our natural resources and avoid paying domestic taxes for their gained economic benefit.
The company starts their highly criticized mining operations in Valkeakoski, Finland during January 2019 so it is essential that this reaches the global audience as quickly as possible.
The situation in Valkeakoski is not the only case: In 2015, the Administrative Court of Vaasa disregarded the complaints about Dragon Mining's operations in Orivesi, Finland, where high metal concentrations in local waters destroyed the local crawfish population in its entirety. Environmental protection authorities also found an illegal landfill close to the Orivesi mining site where it was buried 66 meters deep. On October 2018, the Finnish central police department confirmed in a news article by Yle that the landfill is clearly violating environmental policies.
We need external force to ignite the implementation of regulatory changes faster and to give an example for the whole global community that this is not how private entities should treat natural resources, or disregard any country's environmental policies whatsoever.
Experts on the case, like Professors of Environmental Law Tapio Määttä and Ismo Pölönen from University of Eastern Finland, have proposed that foreign companies should be obliged to pay an environmental protection tax determined by the amount of pollution and other damage caused to the local ecosystem. In 2014, the Environmental Ministry's working group investigated the current state of compensation and liability systems and the needs to develop them.
The conclusion was clear: The government has disregarded the shortcomings of current policies - the damage caused to the environment is, and will be, paid by citizens and taxpayers of Finland, not by the companies which cause them.
Recently a politician from The National Coalition Party (Kokoomus) Timo Heinonen also took his stance on increasing the environmental responsibility of mining companies: As with oil protection funds, companies should pay a compensation tax/fee from each ton of minerals they mine for promoting local sustainability and environmental protection. Heinonen also added that the current policy is highly old-fashioned; the right to own a land and its natural resources is based on a "who claims first" basis and under this principle companies can exploit resources with minimal responsibility to landowners and environment. Throughout the years, more and more experts are stating their criticism on current policies, as professor of Political Economy Olli Tahvonen in 2017:
"The current Mining Act of Finland provokes private entities for the full exploitation of natural resources without environmental or economic responsibility".
Both in scientific and political spheres, the list goes on for supporters of change. Stated also by Green Member of Parliament Ville Niinistö, preserving Finland's nature and mineral resources requires a clearly defined Mining Act, where nature and people will come first and where the economic benefits accumulated will also stay within domestic borders. Foreign companies cannot come to Finland and exploit its pristine natural heritage. At the same time Finland's Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintilä comments on the case, saying that " Not a single mining company should come to our country just to ruthlessly exploit our natural resources ".
Still, this is exactly what has happened:
Dragon Mining Limited has claimed to finish their operations before any complaints have been handled or any regulatory changes can take place in practice. They have also set up an illegal landfill near the mining site and disregarded all the complaints by environmental organisations and local people. Additonally, local activist Ritva Taskinen and biochemist & expert from Association of Nature Conversation Jari Natunen made their own experiment by scooping water with buckets from the mining site and realized that the water level would not descend. This indicates that this area would also have a source of natural spring water in its soil, which should make it forbidden to dig the soil in the area, according to Finnish law.
This petition is signed by an ex-resident of Valkeakoski, currently Helsinki-based Finnish entrepreneur and primarily by an individual who believes in delivering global environmental justice when traditional politicians and decision-making policies are too slow to take action.
I deeply hope to gain international recognition for this cause so that the global community can bring international leverage for the Finnish Government, its Ministries and Political Parties to prevent Dragon Mining from continuing its business operations in such an irresponsible way - Therefore providing an example for the whole world that we, the people, do care and we do not accept private entities for taking such unsustainable actions towards nature and primarily, for our common global future.
Together with the citizens of Finland, Avaaz can deliver the needed global pressure and recognition with its over 49 million members worldwide so that the Finnish Government would take regulatory changes into practice faster. Avaaz Community is an Non-Governmental Organisation that is politically independent and it is the world's biggest online campaigning community for bringing people-powered politics to decision-making. Here you can read about the highlights of where Avaaz has been involved in: https://secure.avaaz.org/page/en/highlights/
For Finnish citizens who support this petition should also sign this address: https://www.adressit.com/ei_kultakaivosta_valkeakosken_kaapelinkulmalle (including also the English version).
Finnish news sources:
- https://www.kauppalehti.fi/uutiset/kl/c17e032b-4033-445e-b883-67a319219829?ref=ampparit:0333
- https://www.iltalehti.fi/kotimaa/a/9237a1be-6922-4ece-99e4-4774daf6e1b4
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https://www.hs.fi/politiikka/art-2000005949676.html
- https://www.uusisuomi.fi/raha/267850-tapaus-dragon-mining-mellastus-suomessa-nostaa-niskakarvat-pystyyn-harskiydessa-menty
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https://www.rapport.fi/journalistit/saana-katila/professori-tahvonen-suomen-kaivoslaki-yllyttaa-luonnonvarojen-ryostokayttoon
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https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-10272595?fbclid=IwAR2guyOlfhx60hkmiqhKT_UoVhoUQ43gZzk_uMzqpPQAeZ-pXIjIATJ99g0
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https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-10452132
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https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-10441746
- http://www.helsinkitimes.fi/finland/finland-news/politics/16063-foreign-mining-company-shrugs-off-proposed-legal-restrictions-drawing-sharp-criticism-from-finnish-politicians.html
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