Send a message to Anglo American!

April 26, 2023 is an international call to action to protest Anglo American’s inappropriate mines and proposals in Latin America.

Across Latin America, Anglo American has left a trail of damage and hurt. Without external pressure, we know that companies like this will not put things right, so we must show them that the world is watching! Take a moment today to send a message to the executive board of Anglo American demanding that it listen to communities and fix the harm it has done.

Just fill out the form below and press submit!

Anglo American 2023

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Dear members of the board of directors and members of the Anglo American management team,

I am writing to you because I am concerned about the impact that your company has been leaving on the territories where it operates, especially the negative impact on indigenous communities and ecosystems. I have witnessed how your operations generate the dispossession of many indigenous communities, use large amounts of water, impact our most relevant sources of water, such as glaciers, degrade forests and disturb the balance of many ecosystems around them, causing irreparable damage to them. For me, responsible mining means protecting the communities, the natural, cultural and ancestral heritage, using less and less water and not competing with the communities for this resource. It also means contributing to the economic and human development of people. It appears that the facts we know do not align with your declarations of interest. If your reputation, the lives of people and the environment are important to you, I ask you to meet the demands of the communities and take responsibility for the effects that have been committed. I urge you to take action now on the following issues,

Return the course of the Arroyo Bruno, the resettlement of the communities in La Guajira and the demand to the State of Colombia (ICSID).

Although Anglo American sold its stake in the mining company this year, this did not pay off its debt to indigenous communities or ecosystems. The negative impacts that Anglo American left while participating in El Cerrejón are high in social and environmental terms. I ask you to take concrete actions to restore decent and sustainable conditions for the communities that were resettled by the expansion of the El Cerrejón mine. The socioeconomic situation of the communities is serious, since they do not have the means to sustain their lives, due to the fact that they were displaced from the resources that emanate from their territory. On the other hand, resettlement has generated the violation of the rights of indigenous peoples, since deterritorialization means that communities cannot exercise or carry out their cultural and ancestral practices. I also ask you to respect the judgement of the Supreme Court of Colombia SU-698 of 2017, and return the Arroyo Bruno to its course. The diversion of this body of water has meant an alteration in the life of the surrounding towns, as well as the hydric imbalance of the ranchería river and the ecosystems. Although you have not taken responsibility for your impacts, you are now suing the State of Colombia using investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS). This demand is perverse, since it does not allow the affected communities to present their complaints, it also means that the State has to invest considerable amounts of money to defend itself. We ask you to reconsider this situation and withdraw the lawsuit, as it is considered an unfair process.

Protect glaciers and the water security of communities in Chile.

I know that the Los Bronces Integrado project contemplates an underground mine between the Cordillera and the Valparaíso region in Chile. This project is immersed in the most important area of glaciers, which are the most important water reserve for the country’s capital. This project generates a direct impact on nature. In 2010, it was already shown that the Los Bronces operation would be directly affecting the area of the glaciers. I ask you to desist from your interest in generating the Los Bronces Integrated project, since it puts the water security of more than 7 million people at risk, because it directly impacts the glaciers, as has happened with the Yerba Loca Sanctuary, the glacier La Paloma and Estero Riecillo in the Valparaíso Region. On the other hand, the El Soldado operation in the Valparaíso region has been using large amounts of water. The community of El Melón and the entire region is facing the worst drought in the last 50 years. We know that your company has large amounts of water rights. We ask that you give up these rights and hand them over to the community, since now they cannot consume or use water from 2 pm to 6 pm, due to the overconsumption of water that has been generated.

Protect the communities in Minas-Río in Brazil.

Residents of the state of Minas Gerais, where Anglo American operates Minas Río, fear for their safety. The Sapo dam has exceeded the limits established by law. The State Attorney General’s Office filed a civil action against Anglo American for this situation because the construction of dams is prohibited when there are communities that inhabit the rescue areas. Downstream from the dam live the communities of São José do Jassém, Água Quente and Passa Sete. As Anglo American has commented that they take special care with the communities, I ask them to listen to the demands of the communities and carry out all the actions within their power to guarantee their safety.

Do not divert the Asana River in Peru

One concern is that the Quellaveco operation has diverted the Asana River into an 8-kilometre tunnel to make its project viable. The company says it is protecting the river by making sure it does not come into contact with the operation, but changing nature is not an option. No engineering work can replicate what nature has done for thousands of years, creating rivers that contain complex ecosystems, above and below ground, that will be affected. We have already seen the experience of La Guajira, Colombia, where the Cerrejón coal company diverted the Arroyo Bruno to expand the mine. Subsequent inspections have confirmed that the stream and its ecosystems are disappearing.

I hope you will consider the points presented in this email as starting points to ensure that Anglo American delivers on its promises. Prioritizing environmental and heritage protections over convenience, valuing access to clean water and ultimately respecting the wishes of local communities are the only ways Anglo American can avoid repeating the mistakes of the past and causing incredible damage.

If you are human, leave this field blank.

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