Petition against the legalization of environmental destruction

The Greens of Georgia have warned of the potential damage that could come from a new bill recently signed by the Georgian Parliament. The government-initiated bill, innocuously named "Amendments to some legislative acts" is actually a dramatic alteration of the nation's environmental regulations, and is violating various basic human rights.

The changes in the bill would allow for an agreement to be signed between the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources of Georgia and any interest group or individual for an indefinite period. The draft law also takes away legal responsibility from these same interests, even in the event of them violating environmental law.

The law allows spoiling mineral soil and water in mountainous regions; polluting river water with industrial and other wastes; cutting wood illegally inside protected areas; hunting and trading of endangered species from the ‘Red List’ as well as cruel treatment of animals; the damaging and cutting of trees and other green plants in the capital and other territories; the transportation and storage and the usage of environmentally damaging chemicals, and the pollution of Georgia's water, including the sea, through the dumping of various waste, oil and chemical fertilizers.

Transport of nuclear waste will also be allowed through the territory of Georgia, despite several international recommendations and conventions. It will also allow the construction of nuclear power plants in Georgia.

Even during the preparation and adoption of the draft law, procedures were violated, and the requirements of the Aarhus Convention on "access to information, public participation in decision-making and access to justice in environmental matters" have been completely disregarded. Moreover, the changes violate the Georgian Constitution.

The Green Party of Georgia will be filing a legal suit in Georgia's Constitutional Court to have the law found unconstitutional, and demand its cancellation.

The Green Party of Georgia is asking other European Greens to join them in their protest against this destructive law.