Energy extraction has always posed risks for society and the environment. A number of communities have already seen a number of rights violated due to ‘conventional’ fossil fuel extraction – the Ogoni people of the Niger Delta and the Kichwa people from Sarayaku in the Ecuadorean Amazon are two examples.
The process of extreme energy has the potential to undermine numerous fundamental human rights to varying degrees in a variety of countries. The Extreme Energy Initiative’s key research activity is to investigate the broad human rights implications of the extreme energy process. This is potentially a huge area of study. The following are but a few indicative issues:
Right to food – land grabs and BioEnergy
The right to freedom of speech and expression
The right to peaceful assembly
