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  Environment & human rights: Dec. 2001  

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Dec. 2001:

Think Tank Promotes Online Reporting of Triple Bottom Line: SustainAbility, a British research and consultancy firm, recently released a report on how companies, their stakeholders and customers use the Internet to communicate about sustainable development. (William Baue, SocialFunds.com, 31 Dec. 2001)

Environmental clearance for Canadian-backed hydro scheme in Belize illegal, say conservation groups (Probe International, 31 Dec. 2001)

ChevronTexaco operations in Kazakstan model destructive potential of oil exploitation: Production at Kazakhstan’s biggest oil field run by a ChevronTexaco led consortium has created a 35-foot-tall (11 meter) slab of yellow sulfur next to the field's pipelines and storage tanks impacting the health of workers and people living near the operation. (Project Underground, Drillbits & Tailings, 30 Dec. 2001)

Agreement Set to Slash Carpet Waste [USA]: Government and industry are set to sign a Memorandum of Understanding for Carpet Stewardship, a project participants say could divert from landfill much of the 2.5 million tons of carpet that gets discarded each year. (GreenBiz.com, 28 Dec. 2001)

U.S. Drops Rule On Contractors: Lawbreakers Won't Be Barred - The Bush administration repealed a rule this week that would have allowed government agencies to refuse federal contracts to companies that do not comply with labor, environmental and consumer-protection laws. (Neil Irwin, Washington Post, 28 Dec. 2001)

Fleet Unveils Global Environmental Management Program: Affirms Commitment to Environmental Protection - Endorses CERES Principles and the UNEP Statement by Financial Institutions (FleetBoston Financial Corporation, 27 Dec. 2001)

Groups file pollution suit against Alcoa in Texas: Environmental and public interest groups filed suit yesterday against Alcoa Inc. , the world's biggest aluminum producer, alleging violations of the Clean Air Act by the company's smelter in Rockdale, Texas (Reuters, 27 Dec. 2001)

AFL-CIO Vigorously Opposes the Bush Administration's Elimination of Contractor Responsibility Rules: It is an outrage for the Bush Administration to revoke the contractor responsibility rules designed to protect the public and the government from corporate contractors that do not respect labor, civil rights, and environmental laws and consumer protections. (AFL-CIO, 27 Dec. 2001)

SBI Promotes Responsible Business Practices Alongside Profits:...The Sustainable Business Institute (SBI), a non-profit, non-partisan organization based in San Jose, California, is promoting the understanding of sustainability in the business community and beyond...SBI Executive Director Jessica Fullmer founded the organization with a group of like-minded business leaders in 1995. The founders viewed environmental regulation not so much as an obstacle to profit, as was commonly perceived, but more as a stimulus for new business paradigms. (Trevor Snorek-Yates, SocialFunds.com, 27 Dec. 2001)

Indonesian minister eyes illegal tin, coal miners (Reuters, 24 Dec. 2001) 

Sierra Club Welcomes Honda's Civic Hybrid:...the Hybrid combines attributes of electric and gasoline motors...it achieves fuel economy of 50 mpg and emits much less global warming-producing gas and air pollution than other vehicles (GreenBiz.com, 21 Dec. 2001)

At long last Cambodia suspends all logging operations (Global Witness, 21 Dec. 2001)

EPA [U.S. Environmental Protection Agency] issues notices of violations to four refineries: EPA issued notices of violation on Dec. 20 to the Sunoco Corp. and the ExxonMobil Corp. for violations of the Clean Air Act at four refineries in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas and Louisiana. (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 21 Dec. 2001)

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: Annan Outlines Visions In Report For Summit - In a report released yesterday, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan submits a critical assessment of progress made toward Agenda 21, the plan of action adopted at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro....His report also says that "despite initiatives by governments, international organizations, business, civil society groups and individuals to achieve sustainable development, progress towards the goals established at Rio has been slower than anticipated and in some respects are worse than they were 10 years ago." (UN Wire, 21 Dec. 2001)

Resolution Urges ExxonMobil to Strip Chair from its CEO, a Global Warming Naysayer: Robert Monks' resolution claims that ExxonMobil Chairman and CEO Lee Raymond's denial of global warming is harming the company's reputation and shareowner value. (William Baue, SocialFunds.com, 21 Dec. 2001)

Environment summit [Earth Summit - Johannesburg 2002] in South Africa to battle poverty:..."The most toxic substance, also for the environment, is poverty," Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), told a news conference..."We need private businesses in Johannesburg, and we need them in a reliable and concrete way," he said....Brende [Norway's Environment Minister Boerge Brende] said he was working to create an U.N. High Commissioner for the Environment as well as an U.N.-sponsored international expert panel in order to lift environmental issues higher on the global agenda. (Erik Brynhildsbakken, Reuters, 21 Dec. 2001)

Conoco to spend up to $110 mln at oil refineries [agreement with U.S. Justice Department to spend between $95 million and $110 million on pollution control equipment]:...Conoco will also pay a $1.5 million penalty under the Clean Air Act and spend about $5 million on environmental projects in communities around the company's refineries. (Reuters, 21 Dec. 2001)

US senator seeks to stop leaky underground tanks: A new Senate bill would help prevent underground tanks storing gasoline and fuel additives like MTBE from leaking into drinking water supplies (Reuters, 21 Dec. 2001)

U.S. announces clean air agreements with Conoco Inc., Navajo Refining Co., and Montana Refining Co.: Petroleum Refiners Will Reduce Air Emissions In Five States [consent decree filed in U.S. District Court] (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 20 Dec. 2001)

EPA [U.S. Environmental Protection Agency] orders two companies to stop selling unregistered anthrax pesticidal products to the public (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 20 Dec. 2001)

"E-Waste Not," Calvert Says to Computer Companies: The Calvert Group has filed shareowner resolutions with the major U.S. computer producers, urging them to investigate ways to counteract electronic waste. (William Baue, SocialFunds.com, 20 Dec. 2001)

Teck Cominco settles Alaska air-quality charges [USA]: Teck Cominco has agreed to pay $300,000 to the state of Alaska and to spend an additional $278,900 on environmental and public-health improvements to settle charges of air pollution at its Red Dog Mine...One environmental activist said the settlement failed to address some broader issues, including the accumulation of heavy metals contamination over the years. (Yereth Rosen, Reuters, 20 Dec. 2001)

Australian scientists warn of new car illness: Australian scientists have warned that the reassuring smell of a new car actually contains high levels of toxic air emissions which can make drivers ill. (Reuters, 20 Dec. 2001)

Mahogany extraction may get worse due to new governmental rules in Brazil (WWF, 19 Dec. 2001)

Manchester Man Admits Guilty in Lead Poisoning Case [USA]; Plea to Forging Lead Hazard Disclosure Documents is Precedent Setting: A Manchester, N.H. [New Hampshire] man and his company [JTA Real Estate Brokerage and Property Management] pleaded guilty in federal court today in connection with a lead poisoning case involving the death of a two-year-old girl...The case...is the first case in the nation in which a corporation has been criminally prosecuted for failing to provide federal LBP [lead-based paint] disclosure information to residential tenants. (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 19 Dec. 2001)

Mining giant treads fine line in Madagascar forest: Mining giant Rio Tinto, which won an environmental permit last month for a titanium project on the island, says its scheme has solved a dilemma faced by many poor countries -- reconciling the demands of economic growth with conservation...Environmentalists are not so sure. (Matthew Green, Reuters, 19 Dec. 2001)

Electromagnetic fields: Review Links Electrical Lines With Leukemia (UN Wire, 19 Dec. 2001)

New Resolution Targets ExxonMobil Board and CEO Over Loss of Value: Action reflects growing discontent with ExxonMobil's position on global warming (Campaign ExxonMobil, 18 Dec. 2001)

Workers Sue Philips Lighting [USA]: Hundreds of former light bulb factory workers who say they were exposed to mercury, arsenic and other toxic chemicals sued Philips Lighting Co. and several other companies Tuesday...The previous owners - Westinghouse Electric Corp., which opened the factory in 1941, and its successor, Viacom Inc. - are named as co-defendants, along with West Virginia chemical suppliers Chem Quick, Par Chem, Blue Ribbon Paint Co. and Charleston Valve and Fitting Co. (Vicki Smith, Associated Press, 18 Dec. 2001)

Norsk Hydro says to pull out of Indian alumina plan [racked by controversy over its environmental impact] (Reuters, 18 Dec. 2001)

UN Human Rights Investigator Deems U.S. Export of Banned Pesticides "Immoral": Fact-Finding Mission Documents Export of Pesticides to Developing Nations -...NGOs presented proof that the demand from developing countries stems from promotional campaigns by the U.S. companies that profit from these sales. (Earthjustice, 17 Dec. 2001)

Romania Receives GEF Grant To Increase Environment-Friendly Agricultural Practices: The World Bank yesterday approved implementation of a project, funded by a US$5.15 million Global Environment Facility (GEF) grant, to significantly increase the use of environment-friendly agricultural practices at the county and national levels, thereby reducing nutrient runoff from agricultural sources to the Danube River and Black Sea. (UN Wire, 14 Dec. 2001)

Scientists see threat of abrupt world climate change (Andrew Quinn, Reuters, 14 Dec. 2001)

United States Announces $11.2 Million Settlement of Hazardous Waste Case Against Exxon Mobil (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 13 Dec. 2001)

North Carolina oil refinery, three individuals indicted [for alleged conspiracy to discharge oil into the Cape Fear River in violation of the Clean Water Act] (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 13 Dec. 2001)

California cattle ranch, owner, foreman plead guilty [to violating Clean Water Act; defendants admitted to discharging cattle waste without proper permits and dumping dead cattle carcasses into Elder and Willow Creeks] (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 13 Dec. 2001)

Bolivian forests get green appeal: Over the last five years Bolivia has responded to the growing demand for ecologically sustainable wood products by becoming the world leader in certified management of natural tropical forests. The development has opened new markets for Bolivian tropical woods in Europe and the US and has turned one company, The Roda Group, into a leading supplier of garden furniture to the UK's largest home improvement chain B&Q. But concerns exist that the lack of price premiums on certified woods may prove the weak link in a business that perhaps more than any other could protect the bio-diversity of the world's tropical forests. (Andrew Enever, BBC News, 13 Dec. 2001)

Tourist Explosion Strains World's Resources: The heavy load international travelers are placing on the world's tourist spots is becoming unbearable, according to a new report [by Worldwatch Institute] urging action by the tourism industry and governments to protect people, natural environments, and cultural heritage sites from further destruction. (Alison Raphael, OneWorld US, 13 Dec. 2001)

Helping China's cities reduce severe air pollution: An initiative supported by UNDP to help China reduce air pollution choking its cities recommends steps to reduce acid rain and let citizens breathe easier...The programme tackled acid rain caused by burning coal high in sulfur, and air pollution from industries and motor vehicles...In Benxi, 15 factories used cleaner production techniques to reduce emissions and boost profits by more than 10 per cent. (U.N. Development Programme, 13 Dec. 2001)

Scientists link emerging diseases with environmental destruction (Sacha Shivdasani, Earth Times News Service, 12 Dec. 2001)

Outrage At Png Attempt To Give BHP A Royal Farewell [Papua New Guinea]:...After permitting the company to dump 80,000 tonnes of waste a day into the Fly and Ok Tedi river system since 1984 BHP has now been given a final gift from the PNG National Government - an unrestricted legal indemnity for all the pollution and destruction it has already caused and will occur in the future as result of the continuing operation of its Ok Tedi mine. It has precipitated an unprecedented constitutional challenge by former PNG Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare. (Mineral Policy Institute and PNG NGO Environmental Watch Group, 12 Dec. 2001)

Protesters occupy TotalFinaElf head's chateau [France]: French protesters occupied a chateau owned by TotalFinaElf Chairman Thierry Desmarest's family yesterday to press the oil giant to pay compensation to victims of a chemical factory explosion and a 1999 oil spill (Emelia Sithole, Reuters, 12 Dec. 2001)

Firemen hurt in Frankfurt chemical plant blaze: German authorities urged residents of a Frankfurt suburb to keep their windows closed early yesterday after a fire at a plant owned by Swiss speciality chemical company Clariant. (Reuters, 12 Dec. 2001)

Mexican environment and farming groups launch formal complaint process against GE corn imports: As the debate about genetic contamination of Mexican varieties of corn has heightened, Greenpeace along with a number of other Mexican environment and farming groups has begun a formal complaint process against the Mexican government to seek an immediate ban on the import of GE corn from the USA. (Greenpeace, 11 Dec. 2001)

Students For A Free Tibet Targets Morgan Stanley - Raises Concerns Over Chinese Aluminum Company Operations In Tibet (Government of Tibet in Exile, 11 Dec. 2001)

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: Oscar Arias Backs Ecoagriculture - In a commentary in Sunday's Folha de Sao Paulo, former Costa Rican President and Nobel Peace laureate Oscar Arias expressed support for ecoagriculture ahead of next year's Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development (UN Wire, 11 Dec. 2001)

EU [European Union] unveils new law to deter industrial accidents: The law includes measures aimed at improving safety measures for so-called "tailings ponds," which are used to store highly polluted water from mining activities. (Reuters, 11 Dec. 2001)

City of London Principles Anticipate Global Summit on Sustainability: The UK financial sector is developing sustainable business principles that it hopes can act as a blueprint for similar principles to be created and adopted at the UN's 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development. (William Baue, SocialFunds.com, 10 Dec. 2001)

HK people want more action on environment - survey: Most Hong Kong people want the government to urgently tackle environmental problems such as pesticides in vegetables, contaminated seafood, and water and air pollution, a survey released last week showed (Reuters, 10 Dec. 2001) 

Asia needs big investment for clean fuels: Shutdown or upgrade. That's the advice oil experts will dish out to Asian oil refiners for the next decade as growing insistence for cleaner air standards and intense market competition generate demand for more complex plants. (Lawrence Yong, Reuters, 10 Dec. 2001)

Thai-Malaysian Gas Pipeline: OEPP under heavy fire for EIA approval - Opinion of expert panel disregarded: The Office of the Environmental Policy and Planning is under heavy fire for handing its approval to the eight-times rejected environmental impact assessment study of the Thai-Malaysian gas pipeline project...The project is a joint venture between the Petroleum Authority of Thailand (PTT) and Petronas, its Malaysian counterpart. (Anchalee Kongrut, Bangkok Post, 8 Dec. 2001)

Undermining Biodiversity: How mines threaten the web of life (Environmental Mining Council of British Columbia, 7 Dec. 2001)

Representative Miller [U.S. Congressman George Miller] Urges Companies, Consumers To Switch To Fair Trade Certified Coffee:...Miller also just signed a letter from members of Congress to major coffee roasters and buyers to encourage them to incorporate sustainable coffees into their product lines. (Office of Congressman George Miller, 7 Dec. 2001)

Connecticut company to pay $3 million for water violations [USA]: MacDermid Inc., a chemical manufacturer in Waterbury, Conn., pleaded guilty to four felony violations of the Clean Water Act (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 6 Dec. 2001)

Twenty National Groups Seek Congressional Investigation of Effort by OMB, Industry Groups to Weaken Regulations [USA]: Environmental, Labor, Others Send Letter to Lieberman Requesting Investigation - A broad coalition of 20 organizations today sent a letter to Senate Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Joseph Lieberman asking him and his committee to investigate whether high ranking officials at the Office of Management and Budget worked with industry lobbyists to develop a plan to weaken important federal regulations [environmental, public health and safety, and labor rights protections]. (Earthjustice, 6 Dec. 2001)

Chiquita Given High Marks for Premier Sustainability Report (Business for Social Responsibility, 6 Dec. 2001)

Bhopal's Legacy:...Survivors' organisations believe that a November 15, 2001, decision of the US Second Circuit Court of Appeals affirms their claims of environmental damages due to Union Carbide's routine pollution in Bhopal. This, they say, is likely to have far-reaching consequences for Dow Chemical, which took over Union Carbide earlier this year. (Sandhya Srinivasan, CorpWatch, 6 Dec. 2001)

World Bank to Finance Projects in Four Countries [Bahamas, Malaysia, Thailand and Turkey] to Fight Global Warming: Projects worth US$35 million will protect the ozone layer (World Bank, 6 Dec. 2001)

Brazil Shuts Down Illegal Mahogany Trade: In a major victory for environmentalists, the Brazilian government Wednesday announced the cancellation of all but two mahogany logging operations in the Amazon. (Jim Lobe, OneWorld US, 6 Dec. 2001)

Cameroon: WWF and loggers inaugurate partnership - WWF Cameroon Programme and the twin logging companies Société Industrielle des Bois Africains (SIBAF) and Forestière de Campo (HFC), subsidiaries of the Groupe Bolloré, recently signed a preliminary partnership agreement inaugurating a new co-operation era in sustainable forest management. (WWF, 5 Dec. 2001)

Bolivian government authorizes gas pipeline to Brazil: The government regulatory agency rejected environmental complaints by indigenous groups (Reuters, 6 Dec. 2001)

Global Energy Providers Score Well in Corporate Responsibility Ratings: New study by German research firm Oekom identifies several trends developing worldwide in the power delivery sector. (William Baue, SocialFunds.com, 6 Dec. 2001)

Britain scrambles to meet EU rules on junk mobiles: Britain's slim recycling facilities may be swamped by discarded and potentially hazardous mobile phones as millions of people switch to third generation models, industry sources said yesterday. (Amanda Cooper, Reuters, 6 Dec. 2001)

US EPA sends Hudson River dredging plan to New York [regarding U.S. Environmental Protection Agency order that General Electric dredge to remove toxic PCBs] (Reuters, 6 Dec. 2001)

Mexico in danger of losing tropical forests during this century, study finds:...Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources Victor Lichtinger...blamed the problem on expansion of farmland and grazing areas, and to a lesser degree, on illegal logging. (Associated Press, 5 Dec. 2001)

Indonesia to tighten logging laws: Indonesia has announced it will tighten its laws on forest exploitation in order to curb illegal logging, but the changes will not take place until 2003. (CNN, 4 Dec. 2001)

Esso says effects of UK protests not yet clear:...Industry experts said that the impact on Esso's retail sector was likely to be minuscule but warned that the effect on its brand name could be more damaging. (Reuters, 4 Dec. 2001)

Hungary claims $100 mln over cyanide river spill [lawsuit against Aurul, a gold smelter half-owned by Australia's Esmeralda Exploration Ltd] (Krisztina Than, Reuters, 4 Dec. 2001)

Satellite shows how logging makes forest more flammable: Excessive logging can make forest fires even more devastating, according to a paper published in this week's Nature magazine. (European Space Agency, 3 Dec. 2001)

Eco-Friendly Development Still Far Off, Experts Warn:...Government officials and some 500 experts from Asia and the Pacific said efforts to safeguard the environment from a wide range of human impacts had fallen short of goals set at a landmark conference in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992. (Kalyani, OneWorld South Asia, 3 Dec. 2001)

Toxic Bhopal water delivered to Dow Chemicals [India]: The coalition called for renewed efforts to rehabilitate survivors of the disaster, clean up of the residual contamination at the abandoned site, Union Carbide and its officials to be held accountable and for international laws to be developed to ensure that corporations are made responsible for chemical accidents and ongoing pollution worldwide. (Greenpeace, 3 Dec. 2001)

Next WTO chief [WTO Director-General-designate Supachai Panitchpakdi] calls for sympathy for poor nations:...One example of a lack of understanding of the problems faced by the developing world was the insistence by some rich countries on certain labour and environmental standards that poorer countries could not afford to meet. "We should not penalise countries by closing down their market access because they can't bring up financial resources...to abide by the international standards," he said. (Nopporn Wong-Anan, Reuters, 3 Dec. 2001) 

Alcoa alumina workers return to refinery [following walkout on claims that emissions from Alcoa's production process were causing health problems among workers and in nearby residential areas] [Australia] (Reuters, 3 Dec. 2001)

Chile green groups question aluminum plant comment: Environmentalists last week asked Chile's government to clarify comments by a top-level minister who has backed controversial plans to build an aluminum plant in a nature haven (Patrick Nixon, Reuters, 3 Dec. 2001)

Chilean 'blaze man' dies: A hospital in Chile has said a man who set himself ablaze in front of the presidential palace in an apparent protest over the misuse of asbestos has died...News organizations said they'd received faxes signed by Mr Mino in which the sender said the protest was calling attention to the cases of hundreds of people who had become ill through contact with asbestos. The letter blamed a Chilean construction company for the illnesses of workers and their families, as well as those of residents who live near one of the company's installations. (BBC News, 1 Dec. 2001)

Feast or Famine: A report documenting conflicts and abuses of vital fishing grounds in Cambodia [Conflicts are arising as local peoples' traditional rights to fish are usurped by commercial fishing companies that are being granted almost exclusive access to harvest fish on some of the richest wetland sites across the country] (Environmental Justice Foundation, Dec. 2001)

A Trade Union Guide to Globalisation:...released...on March 26, 2002, focuses on the impact of globalisation on workers, and trade union responses...The Guide to Globalisation gives a tour of the wide array of new approaches in the field of corporate social responsibility, from the UN's Global Compact, to the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises to unilateral codes of conduct....Central to the guide is the ever-increasing role of multinational enterprises...The guide points to "new management methods, sometimes ‘best practice,’ but too often ‘worst practice’, and the threat to relocate to countries with lower social or environmental standards and no independent trade unions." [other topics include export processing zones; exploitation & abuse of women workers] (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, Dec. 2001)

"Greening Business from the Inside" - Solution or Smokescreen? We recently received a letter from Claude Fussler, Director of Stakeholder Relations at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, challenging our analysis of his organisation's activities. We enclose it here, together with our response to Mr Fussler. (Corporate Europe Observer, Dec. 2001)

Litigation Update: A Summary of Recent Developments in U.S. Cases Brought Under the Alien Tort Claims Act and Torture Protection Act [includes updates on human rights-related lawsuits against Unocal, Chevron, Royal Dutch/Shell, Southern Peru Copper Corporation, Rio Tinto, Union Carbide, Pfizer, various U.S. apparel retailers & manufacturers of clothing produced in Saipan factories, Gap, Talisman Energy, Coca-Cola, Texaco, DynCorp, ExxonMobil] (Jennifer Green [staff attorney at Center for Constitutional Rights] and Paul Hoffman [civil rights attorney and editor of ACLU International Civil Liberties Report], in ACLU International Civil Liberties Report 2001 [American Civil Liberties Union], Dec. 2001)

Industry's Rio+10 Strategy: Banking on Feelgood PR:...Handpicked, isolated examples of environment and social initiatives by BASD [Business Action for Sustainable Development] member corporations will be marketed as 'proof' of corporate commitment to sustainable development. (Corporate Europe Observer, Dec. 2001)

Corporations Behaving Badly: The Ten Worst Corporations of 2001 [Abbott Laboratories, Argenbright Security, Bayer, Coca Cola, Enron, ExxonMobil, Philip Morris, Sara Lee, Southern Co. and Wal-Mart] (Russell Mokhiber and Robert Weissman, Multinational Monitor, Dec. 2001)

Lord of the Fries [USA]: The rapid rise of irrigated potato farming, with its associated increase in aerial spraying and fertilizer use, has caused widespread concern among Native and farming communities in northwestern Minnesota, where residents say that the chemicals are finding their way into drinking wells and lakes where they may be responsible for a mysterious rise in frog deformities. (Charlie Cray, Multinational Monitor, Dec. 2001)

Virtual Sustainability: Using the internet to implement the triple bottom line. (SustainAbility, Dec. 2001)