Appalachian residents heard in report to the United Nations

The voices and stories of Appalachian residents, including KFTC members, were shared recently with the United Nations Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals.

Sister Sally Dunne, a member of the Loretto Community based in Marion County, Kentucky, gave a short presentation to the panel last week. Dunne echoed the themes of well-being, the right to health, and equity that she heard in testimony at last year's Central Appalachian Women's Tribunal on Climate Justice, which she helped organize with the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition.

The experiences of the women who testified at the tribunal echo what Dunne and others in the Mining Working Group hear from others all over the world, she said.

"It's not possible to destroy our mountains without destroying us. It's not possible to poison our streams without poisoning our children for untold generations to come," Dunne reminded panel members, quoting Bev May's tribunal testimony.

"The people whose lives are affected by mountaintop removal's pollution of air and water demand an end to the human rights abuses inflicted with impunity by the extractive industries," Dunn said.

She cited higher rates of birth defects, cancer and other preventable diseases in Appalachian areas of heavy mining. "The grim reality is that this is happening all around the world.

"We recommend that a mandate be given to UN agencies to investigate and monitor the health impacts of what we call the 'extractive development model.' Ultimately, health targets should call for an end to preventable illnesses and death caused by harmful extractive practices."

Dunne attended and faciltated the participation of students from high schools run by the Loretto Community at this year's I Love Mountains rally.

A video of Dunne's UN testimony is here. She speaks at about 31:25 minutes into the video.

More about the Central Appalachian Women's Tribunal on Climate Justice can be found here and here.

The Spring-Summer 2013 issue of Loretto magazine had a feature story about the impacts of mountaintop removal.