In the midst of the corona virus crisis pandemic, people are in a mandatory lockdown and the Greek parliament is functioning with less than 10% of its MPs present, and thus unable to conduct a just democracy. At the end of April, The Greek government will pass a new law disgracefully named ''Modernization of the Environmental Legislation'' that effectively withdraws environmental regulations so that new ''investments'' can be made that will undoubtedly destroy the country's and subsequently the Earth's environment for the sake of short-term profit. We are witnessing the demolition of the democracy as this health crisis being treated as an opportunity by the right-wing neo-liberal government. And we need to act now.

This new bill promotes hydrocarbon mining and loosens up the regulations for oil and gas extraction while the exploration process has already started with companies like Total, Repsol, Exxon-Mobil and Edison being awarded licenses in 2018 to use for drilling a sea area of 60.000 square kilometers, a surface that equals 30% of the country's mainland (click here for images of the surface).

Furthermore, this bill passes the control of Environmental Impact Assessments to private entities to favor investments over the environment. Promotes the expansion of industrial Renewable Energy Sources even in virgin/protected areas. Legalizes illegal construction in forestlands, wetlands and streams. Eliminates the protection of Natura 2000 sites. And that's just a part of the absurd regulations proposed.

Also in the making is a new pipeline project, the ‘’Eastern Mediterranean pipeline (EastMed)’’. It will transfer natural gas form Israel, through Cyprus, Greece, and into the rest of Europe causing dire ecological effects. This goes totally against efforts to keep fossil fuels in the ground while struggling to keep average planet temperature increase under 1,5°C which is essential for humanity's survival on this planet, as even United Nations have clearly expressed.

These projects, the bill, oil drilling, and the pipeline, are taking advantage of Greece's weak financial position that hasn't yet recovered from the 2008 crisis. Through these developments, the E.U. will achieve more energy independence from outside suppliers, thus saving billions of euros and increasing its strategical power. The caveat is that this process, sponsored by powerful EU countries and the fervently capitalist Greek government, will cause a whole country to be environmentally destroyed, inflicting suffering on the Greek people who will not benefit at all from these new sources of non-renewable energy. These happen inside the supposedly progressive E.U. that frequently points the finger at more authoritarian foreign governments, while it's house is burning. Make no mistakes, this is the modernization of colonialism, not of the environmental law.

Let's not forget that these plans are intertwined with another issue: the humanitarian refugee crisis. In the past few years, Greece has been left almost entirely alone to handle the influx of hundreds of thousands of refugees, many of whom are fleeing the effects of climate crisis or wars fought over oil reserves. The aforementioned plans perpetuate the fossil fuel era that we know is going to increase the waves of refugees by millions. Greeks will again be strained by the need to help these people while the government and EU in most cases handle these people in an inhumane and brutal way. We are forced to take the toll of the multi-directional consequences of this broad and vicious cycle caused by not treating climate crisis as a crisis, and continuing business as usual.

These actions go against international conventions like the ''Paris Agreement, 2015'' and keep us hostages of the fossil fuel industry instead of moving towards a just transition to viable alternatives and achieving climate justice. Additionally, these policies reproduce the idea of nature as an exploitable commodity and profit as more significant than life.

We demand the immediate withdrawal of the bill entitled "Modernization of Environmental Legislation" in its entirety.

We need to stop this bill. Sign the petition, get informed and get involved!

(Don't forget to check your emails and click on the confirmation button, otherwise your signature doesn't count!)

Please also sign the Greek petition that is supported by 93 movements and collectives (click here) or through copy/pasting https://tinyurl.com/ycfbbc6q

More details on the proposed bill copied from the aforementioned Greek petition:

1. It essentially eliminates the protection of Natura 2000 sites and even promotes mining and hydrocarbon mining in nature conservation areas.

It introduces land uses that will enable urban sprawl, by creating 4 “scalable” protection zones that allow large investment activities such as mining, tourist and commercial exploitation and unnecessary infrastructure within them.

2. It abolishes the autonomy of the Protected Areas Management Bodies (PAMB).

The Protected Areas Management Bodies (PAMB), which were independent scientific/environmental bodies, supervised the protected areas and consulted on their management plans as well as any activities within them, are downgraded by this bill. The bill creates room for a stiff management, shrinking their numbers of these bodies, undermining them and increasing the extent of the areas they supervise. Their responsibilities are concentrated in the Ministry of the Environment, thus abolishing their independence and effectiveness.

3. It allows for the destruction of the environment in the name of investment projects at will, by consigning control of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) to private entities and by imposing tight deadlines for the required opinions/recommendations of the relevant public service departments.

It establishes the institution of the "private evaluator" of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), turning the whole licensing process into an opaque and perforated procedure. It tightens further the deadlines for the required opinions/recommendations of the pertinent public departments, without giving them the necessary tools to compile them, making their role decorative.

4. It promotes the reckless expansion of industrial Renewable Energy Sources (RES), especially wind, which have already caused environmental degradation and a financial burden on consumers to ensure excessive profits for investors.

The abolition of the permit for the production of electricity from RES and the other "facilities" in favor of RES industries, as well as the land use changes in Natura 2000 sites, create faits accomplish before the revision of the Special Spatial Framework for RES that has been unduly delayed and pre-empt the Special Environmental Studies for protected areas

5. It legalizes illegal construction in forestlands and in some cases, within wetlands and streams.

It restores the legalisation of "residential densities" that have been rejected by The Hellenic Council of State (Symvoulio tis Epikrateias), the Supreme Administrative Court of Greece. Moreover, by maintaining illegal construction and trespassing in the streams it increases the flood risk and makes canalization "necessary" for water way projects.

6. It simplifies solid waste management procedures and does not take measures against the degradation/deterioration of streams from the uncontrolled disposal of urban and industrial waste within them.

It does not ensure the avoidance of illegal unloading of waste in streams and other public/private spaces, which in recent years have turned all peri-urban areas into vast landfills. It abolishes the waste transfer permit, replacing it with a simple entry in a registry. It does not take measures for the illegal disposal of waste in streams.

7. It violates Constitutional Provisions, European Directives and International Conventions.

Indicatively: Article 24 of the Greek Constitution, European Directives on the Protection of Habitats and Species 92/43/EEC, for the protection of wild birds 2009/147/EC, on Waters 2000/60, on the Marine Strategy in the Mediterranean 2008/59, Ramsar International Convention on Wetlands, Barcelona Treaty for the Protection of the Mediterranean.