Land Banks are Land Grabs
Going by the number and intensity of protests against displacement under way in various parts of the world, land acquisition for infrastructure, mining, mega tourism projects and industrial projects has become a highly contentious issue.
Land is now the main site of struggle as popular movements confront predatory capital, which can only accumulate through dispossession. Land conversions for large-scale tourism complexes and golf courses are unreasonable and irresponsible. The lure of quick cash has lead to appropriation of all kinds of lands for mega commercial ventures like tourism and real estate projects resulting in significantly diverting the amount of land suitable for food production, particularly in Third World countries.
Not only do "land grabs" by resort and real estate developers pose a rampant problem the world over, "sea grabs" for the development of commercial water-based tourism activities such as cruising, boating and diving, have also become common place. The rapid proliferation of mega-resorts that often include hotels, residential housing, golf courses, marinas, shopping centres, entertainment facilities and even landing strips for private jets, wreaks havoc on the natural environment, affects the lives and livelihoods of millions of small-scale farmers and fisher-folk around the world.
Statements, Reports, Calls to Action
AN OPEN CALL TO THE GLOBAL WATER JUSTICE MOVEMENT TO MOBILIZE AGAINST THE FALSE WORLD WATER FORUM
Let us join together in Istanbul, Turkey, March 16-22, 2009 to protect water as a human right, global commons and public good to expose the illegitimate power of the World Water Council!
Following the successes of past resistance against World Water Forums, most notably the mass mobilizations and Jornadas en Defensa del Agua in Mexico City in 2006,
Using the principles in the Mexico Declaration and previous joint declarations of the water justice movement as the basis for this call to action,
POZNAN STATEMENT FROM THE CLIMATE JUSTICE NOW! ALLIANCE
Radical New Agenda Needed To Achieve Climate Justice
12 December 2008:
Members of Climate Justice Now! – a worldwide alliance of more than 160 organisations -- have been in Poznan for the past two weeks closely following developments in the UN climate negotiations.
This statement is our assessment of the Conference of Parties (COP) 14, and articulates our principles for achieving climate justice.
12 December 2008:
Members of Climate Justice Now! – a worldwide alliance of more than 160 organisations -- have been in Poznan for the past two weeks closely following developments in the UN climate negotiations.
This statement is our assessment of the Conference of Parties (COP) 14, and articulates our principles for achieving climate justice.
Report of the discussion on Cluster approach to Redevelopment in Mumbai
Report of the discussion on Proposed modification to DCR 33(9) (Cluster approach to redevelopment)
13th August 2008
To cope with the growing needs of the city and ambitions of the elite to make Mumbai a world-class Shanghai-like city, the government of Maharashtra is floating various urban development, urban renewal, and redevelopment schemes. The most recent one is the proposed modification to DCR 33(9) for Greater Mumbai. The intention of this said policy is incentivising redevelopment of old and dilapidated buildings / cessed buildings through cluster approach in Urban Renewal Scheme.
13th August 2008
To cope with the growing needs of the city and ambitions of the elite to make Mumbai a world-class Shanghai-like city, the government of Maharashtra is floating various urban development, urban renewal, and redevelopment schemes. The most recent one is the proposed modification to DCR 33(9) for Greater Mumbai. The intention of this said policy is incentivising redevelopment of old and dilapidated buildings / cessed buildings through cluster approach in Urban Renewal Scheme.
Anti-SEZ Struggle in Polepally, Andhra Pradesh
Hi Friends,
I am writing this email to inform you about a historic struggle being waged by farmers belonging to 3 villages in Mahabubnagar district in Andhra Pradesh, against a SEZ (Special Economic Zone) that is coming up on their lands. The state government has forcibly acquired about 1000 acres of land belonging to poor farmers of Polepally, Mudireddy Pally and Gundla Gadda Thanda. All these farmers are illiterate and belong to Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes and Backward Castes. In short they were the poorest of the poor and the most vulnerable sections of our society.
Page 3 of 11