PRESS CONFERENCE

Gulf Coast Residents Demand Japan Stop Supporting LNG Facilities
Juan Mancias, Tribal Chair, Carrizo/Comecrudo Tribe of Texas
Rebekah Hinojosa, Co-Founder, South Texas Environmental Justice Network
Ruth Breech, Senior Campaigner for Climate & Energy, Rainforest Action Network

15:00-16:00 Monday, October 7, 2024
Language: The speech and Q & A will be in English.

For years, environmental campaigners have been demanding that the world's largest banks stop financing projects that exacerbate the climate crisis. Last year, these banks pumped $705 billion into fossil fuels, according to environmental watchdogs. JPMorgan Chase leads these financiers, but Mizuho and MUFG, both Japanese banks, were the largest financiers to the LNG sector last year. "LNG projects release significant amounts of methane, a greenhouse gas that is more than 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period," says the Sierra Club, a grassroots environmental group.

A delegation of Gulf Coast residents and key stakeholders in LNG facilities in the Rio Grande region of Texas has come to Japan to directly communicate the risks of climate change, environmental and ecosystem destruction, and violations of indigenous peoples' rights to Japanese financial institutions that support LNG facilities in the region. Their press conference comes days after Hurricane Helene slammed through at least six US states, causing billions of dollars in destruction and at least at 95 dead. Climate scientists say climate change is making these catastrophic weather events more frequent. 

How to attend: 
Please register at front@fccj.or.jp with your name, the name of your media outlet, and FCCJ membership number. Doors open 15 minutes before the event. Please sign in and giving your name and contact details at the reception. 

How to watch online: https://www.youtube.com/c/FCCJchannel/live 

How to ask questions: https://forms.gle/fCKxa7bkZwwE71naA 

TV crew: Please make a reservation at front@fccj.or.jp. Doors open for TV crews only at 30 minutes before the event. 

Professional Activities Committee