Venezuela's grassroots movements say it's time for a greener constitution, and will demand greater environmental protections during the upcoming National Constituent Assembly.
By Steve Ellner and Lucas Koerner – Venezuelanalysis.com , Oct 17th 2016
Universidad de Oriente Professor Steve Ellner discusses a range of key issues in Venezuela, including the efficacy of state social programs such as the CLAPs, the Maduro government’s controversial Mining Arc, and the role of international solidarity.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced Monday his decision to suspend the South American country’s electricity rationing plan amid the arrival of the rainy season.
Venezuela’s Supreme Court announced that it would hear a lawsuit filed by former high ranking cabinet members against a government plan to open 12 percent of the South American nation’s territory to open-pit mining.
Grassroots activists and ex-government officials submitted a lawsuit demanding that the high court halt a contentious mega-mining project on constitutional grounds.
Venezuela implemented new electricity saving measures on Monday in response to a severe drought that has sharply limited the generating capacity of the country’s hydroelectric dams.
The national government is now driving a significant geo-economic reorganization of territories around extractivism, with “Orinoco’s Mining Arch“ and “Orinoco’s Petroleum Belt“ as central projects. The appropriation of the last “virgin” areas of the country paves the way for new “accumulation by dispossession” processes, attempting to address the crisis of governability and accumulation model.
