Saving Europe's Last Great Wilderness from corporate greed - TALK+FILMS

Saving Iceland is an international campaign to defend the Icelandic Wilderness, the largest remaining wild area of Europe, from heavy industry. Different transnational companies, particularly the aluminium industry, and the Icelandic government have begun to implement an immense program that will, if executed, transform the country from an outstanding area of natural beauty into another heavily industrialised and polluted nation.

Plans include the constructing of new smelters and expansion of existing ones, the harnessing of many of the country’s major glacial river systems and destruction of supreme geological geyser landscapes and unique geothermal biosystems for new power plants.

Corporations searching for cheap energy

Iceland, with its vast possibilities of hydroelectric and geothermal energy, is an appealing target for ALCOA, ALCAN, Century Aluminum and others, for two reasons. First is increasing energy insecurity and dependence and increased cost of utilising fossil fuels; second is the increasing concern about climate issues, where the green image of hydroelectric and geothermal energy is appealing. Also, Iceland has a comfortable amount of yet unspent carbon credits and the pollution prevention schemes are milder for the corporations. But Icelandic aluminium smelters will far exceed the 1,600,000 tonnes of emissions permitted under the Kyoto Convention if all of the planned smelter projects materialise. Aluminium contributes heavily to climate change, due to emission of large amounts of carbon dioxide and perfluorocarbons: potent, extremely persistent greenhouse agents, released in the electrolytic processing of bauxite.

Destruction of ecosystems

The ecological consequences of large dams are also grim. They include significant and irreversible loss of species, terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. The massive alteration of major river systems around the world has led to more than a third of the species of sweet water fish to be extinct or endangered. The constantly fluctuating water levels in reservoirs in Iceland will cause dust storms and soil erosion, which will have a devastating effect on the vegetation of the region. It is estimated that up to 3000sq km will be affected by the dams at Kárahnjúkar alone.

Moreover, starving the marine life of the normal silt emissions would constitute a serious threat to the valuable Icelandic fishing grounds. A recent study shows that free flowing glacial rivers are vital in reducing greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere by providing nutrients to plankton and as such are already harnessed by nature. Blocking the silt emissions to the ocean nullifies this immensely beneficial role of glacial rivers.

Details of the industrialisation program

Iceland is building the 190 meter high Kárahnjúkar dam solely for a new smelter for the American aluminium giant ALCOA in Reyðarfjörður. ALCOA want to build another aluminium factory in the north of the country, at Bakki near the town of Húsavík. ALCAN and Century Aluminum have already been given the green light to expand greatly their existing smelters in the southwest of Iceland. Century Aluminium also want to build yet another aluminium smelter in Helguvík, near Keflavík. In addition, R&D Carbon Ltd. has secured planning permission for a highly polluting anode rod plant at Katanes in Hvalfjordur. Environmental scientists have alerted the people of Reykjavík to the grave consequences if these projects are realised. The scientists calculate that Faxaflói bay, where the capital is situated, 'is destined to quickly become the most heavily polluted area in Northern Europe'.

Let's not forget that almost all the companies mentioned above have a long history of convictions for crimes against nature and still have judgements pending on charges of serious environmental damage or corruption.


Protests

Icelandic environmentalists are prepared for a battle that is certain to go on for many years. International help and pressure will be of paramount importance in that fight.

Summer solstice in 2005 saw the first international protest camp at Kárahnjúkar which marked the beginning of a highly inspirational and unique event in the history of Icelandic activism. The international protest camps last year (2006) at Snæfell, Lindur and Reyðarfjörður attracted people from 18 different nationalities. Best of all, summer 2006 saw many more Icelanders join the protests. We find that the camps and the direct actions of the last two summers have had a profound effect on Icelandic society by giving people the courage to make their voices heard after years of a repressive political atmosphere.

One of many effects the protests have had on the Icelandic nation is that people are now actually daring to change their minds about the dams. The protests have managed to get the heavy industry issue and its consequences back into focus. Many people working in the financial sector have now raised their voices against the projects, pointing out that the aluminium industry adds very little to the Icelandic economy. We have managed to create a fresh new focus and dialogue in Icelandic society about heavy industry.

Iceland is the last great expanse of truly unspoilt and magical wilderness left in Europe. It should really be a cause for celebration and wonder how pristine this strangely vibrant island still remains. The world cannot afford to allow beautiful Iceland to be devastated by corporate greed.

Stopping industrialisation and ecological destruction of the last unspoilt country in the west would be a major strategic victory for movements against heavy industrialisation and wilderness destruction. This includes the campaign against ALCOA and AluTrint's plans for a smelter in Trinidad and the campaign against ALCAN in India, which we are cooperating with.

For more details on these issues, see  http://www.savingiceland.org/sos.