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Jan.-Feb. 2002:

The Road to Johannesburg: Will Sustainability Be the Coming Norm or a Passing Fad in Travel? In anticipation of next year's World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa, the travel and tourism industry is taking stock of what it has accomplished since the Rio summit. What can the industry report in Johannesburg? [refers to companies taking steps to protect environment, including Nepal Electric Vehicle Industry Ltd. in Nepal, Punta Cana Resort and Club in Dominican Republic, Borneo Eco Tours in Malaysia] (Michael Seltzer, BEST - Business Enterprises for Sustainable Travel, Conference Board, 28 Feb. 2002)

ENVIRONMENT: World Bank Unit Keeps Peruvian Case at Arm's Length - The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has refused to investigate allegations of corruption involving a gold mine it co-owns in Peru...The IFC owns five percent of the Minera Yanacocha mine, the largest gold mine in Latin America, which is co-owned by Newmont and Buenaventura, a Peruvian company...Farmers living near the mine had long accused the company of contaminating the region's water supply. (Danielle Knight, Inter Press Service, 28 Feb. 2002)

{···español} Ecuador militariza dos provincias:...El factor desencadenante de las protestas es un nuevo oleoducto para crudos pesados que construye el consorcio OCP Ecuador S.A. (BBC Mundo, 28 febrero 2002)

Ecuador: Emergency Action Alert - OCP Protesters in Amazon Attacked by Military!...Protests against Ecuador’s new OCP pipeline turned fatal yesterday as thousands of striking OCP construction workers and local residents in the northern Ecuadorian Amazon were attacked by the country’s armed forces...For over thirty years, state and foreign oil companies like Texaco and Occidental Petroleum have pumped the region for billions of barrels of oil, while indigenous communities, local farmers, and townspeople have watched it descend into environmental, social, and economic ruin. (Amazon Watch, 28 Feb. 2002)

EPA Veteran Resigns Over Pollution Policy [USA]: A senior Environmental Protection Agency official resigned this week, protesting what he described as Bush administration efforts to undermine tough legal actions against dozens of aging coal-fired power plants and refineries that have violated federal emission standards. (Eric Pianin, Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2002) 

Global Reporting Initiative to be officially inaugurated at United Nations Headquarters: A Milestone for Corporate Disclosure, Transparency and Sustainability Reporting (Global Reporting Initiative, 28 Feb. 2002)

Ecuador hopes for settlement in ChevronTexaco case: Ecuador's attorney general said this week he is fighting to help indigenous groups settle a nine-year-old lawsuit charging that water contamination by oil giant Texaco Inc. caused more than $120 million in damages and injuries. (Manuela Badawy, Reuters, 28 Feb. 2002)

Swiss bank UBS quits Turkish Ilisu dam project: Switzerland's largest bank UBS said yesterday it was pulling out of its mandate to advise on the financing of a controversial Turkish dam because of fears about the plan's social and environmental impact (Reuters, 28 Feb. 2002) 

Honda tunes environmental image with Civic hybrid: While other auto makers voice their opposition to higher U.S. fuel economy standards, Honda Motor Co. Ltd. is ramping up production of a compact sedan that gets about 50 miles (80 km) per gallon. (Justin Hyde, Reuters, 28 Feb. 2002) 

Support the Mohawks of Kanesatake [Canada] ­ Demand Action to Stop Niocan: On February 14, the Mohawk Council of Kanesatake passed a resolution to protect their traditional territory from a niobium mine that will affect their waters and lands. They are demanding a full environmental assessment conducted by Québec and the Federal government of the Niocan project, preferably jointly. (MiningWatch Canada-Mines Alerte, 27 Feb. 2002)

• {···français} Appuyez les Mohawks de Kanesatake ­ Arrêtez Niocan [Canada]: Le 14 février dernier, le Conseil Mohawk de Kanesatake a adopté une résolution visant à protéger son territoire traditionnel contre un projet de développement d'une mine de niobium qui aura des effets néfastes sur les cours d'eau et les terres. Le Conseil exige que le projet Niocan fasse l'objet d'une étude environnementale détaillée de la part de Québec et du gouvernement fédéral, préférablement de manière conjointe. (MiningWatch Canada-Mines Alerte, 6 mars 2002)

• company website: Niocan Inc. (Niocan Inc.)

G-7 nations and China must halt the import of illegal timber from the Russian Far East...or face losing one of the world's biggest forest wilderness areas within five years (WWF, 27 Feb. 2002)

Construction Industry Moves to Reduce Use of Arsenic-Treated Wood Source [USA]: U.S. EPA administrator Christie Whitman announced this month a voluntary decision by the construction industry to reduce use of arsenic-treated lumber products in homes -- in favor of new, alternative wood preservatives. (GreenBiz.com, 26 Feb. 2002)

Incinerator Protesters Prepare for a Struggle in the Sky [UK]: A high-altitude confrontation around the chimney peak of a London waste-burning plant [owned by French company Onyx] was expected late Tuesday as a "specialist team" from the capital's Metropolitan Police Service prepared to climb the tower...to displace Greenpeace demonstrators...Greenpeace claims that the plant releases dangerous amounts of man-made chemicals, known as dioxins (Carol Nahra, OneWorld UK, 26 Feb. 2002)

Judge urges settlement in Alabama PCB cases [USA]: Fresh off a jury's verdict that a chemical company poisoned an Alabama town with PCBs for decades, a judge pushed hard for an agreement Monday to resolve thousands of remaining claims. Circuit Judge Joel Laird ordered nine top executives of Monsanto Co., its spinoff Solutia Inc., and Pharmacia Corp. to attend a meeting with lawyers Saturday to discuss settling the cases and avoid more lengthy trials. (Jay Reeves, Associated Press, 26 Feb. 2002)

Exposing the global crisis in last ancient forests Greenpeace blocks cargo of African timber in Italy:...SEFAC (Société d'Exploitations Forestières et Agricoles du Cameroun), which is among the companies logging in Cameroon, is the subsidiary of the Italian company Vasto Legno. SEFAC is guilty of major violations of local forestry legislation and disregard for the rights of local people. (Greenpeace, 26 Feb. 2002)

Ecuador jungle provinces in emergency over protests: Ecuador's President Gustavo Noboa decreed a state of emergency in two Amazon jungle provinces where protesters have blocked work on a $1.1 billion oil pipeline, a statement said. (Reuters, 26 Feb. 2002) 

Food from Malaysia's ex-mining land toxic - report: A study of foodstuff from a legendary tin mining area in Malaysia has revealed high levels of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) that could cause cancer, a newspaper said. (Reuters, 26 Feb. 2002)

Greenpeace exposes global crisis in last ancient forests:...both logging companies targeted during the actions in France, Inland Logging Company ( ILC) and Mohammed Group of Companies (MGC), have a documented history of violating national and international forestry law and creating serious social conflicts. According to a United Nations Security Council report of October 2001, the chairman of MGC has been involved in aiding sanctions-busting arms transfers to Liberia. (Greenpeace, 25 Feb. 2002)

TOXIC WASTE: "Recycled" U.S. Electronics Pose Risks In Asia, Groups Say - A coalition of environmental groups said in a report today that 50 percent to 80 percent of electronics waste collected for recycling in the United States is sent to developing countries in Asia to be reused, often in dangerous conditions. (UN Wire, 25 Feb. 2002)

• press release: High-Tech Toxic Trash From USA Found to be Flooding Asia: New Report Documents Export of Cyber Age Nightmare - A groundbreaking investigation by an international coalition of environmental organizations has revealed that huge quantities of hazardous electronic wastes (E-wastes) are being exported to China, Pakistan and India where they are processed in operations that are extremely harmful to human health and the environment. The organizations -- Basel Action Network and Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition with support from Toxics Link India, Greenpeace China and SCOPE (Pakistan) -- have produced a astonishing new report on the investigation entitled: Exporting Harm: The High-Tech Trashing of Asia. (Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition & Basel Action Network, 25 Feb. 2002)

• full report: Exporting Harm: The High-Tech Trashing of Asia (Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition & Basel Action Network, 25 Feb. 2002)

• Technology's Toxic Trash Is Sent to Poor Nations (John Markoff, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2002)

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: Annan Urges "Responsible Prosperity": In a pep talk to developed countries delivered today at the London School of Economics, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan called on the world to use three major U.N. conferences to take dramatic action against environmental degradation and poverty...Annan blasted "powerful interest groups within rich countries" for holding up a "development round" of trade talks meant to "fully open the markets of those countries to labor-intensive exports from poor ones." (UN Wire, 25 Feb. 2002)

Petrobras to appeal $180 mln oil spill ruling: Brazil's state oil giant Petrobras said last week it would appeal a $180 million court award to fishermen following a major oil spill in Rio de Janeiro's scenic bay in January 2000. (Reuters, 25 Feb. 2002)

HSBC to send staff to become eco-warriers: HSBC, one of the world's biggest banks, said it will send 2,000 of its staff to work on environmental projects around the world in a partnership with three charities. The global banking group is giving $50 million over five years to the partnership, which comprises global environment network WWF, Earthwatch and Botanic Gardens Conservation International. (Reuters, 25 Feb. 2002)

Jury decides against Monsanto, Solutia in PCB case [USA]: An Alabama jury last week ruled against Monsanto Co. and Solutia Inc. in a case seeking to repay property damages resulting from production of dangerous chemicals several decades ago (Philip Klein, Reuters, 25 Feb. 2002)

Pin-Striped Protesters: Activists are learning to work the capitalist system -...A cultural revolution is underway as protesters in pinstripes figure out how to work the capitalist system. To learn the new language, Greenpeace in Australia sent its corporate campaigner to a 10-week strategy course for company directors, and Friends of the Earth can now draft shareholder resolutions...Amnesty International last week released a global map of 34 countries accused of human-rights abuses, and warned that 129 multinationals working in those nations put their reputation, and their share price, at risk. (Karen Lowry Miller, Newsweek, 25 Feb. 2002)

Jury finds Monsanto liable for releasing tons of PCB [USA] - Firm covered up pollution for more than 40 years: An Alabama jury has found that Monsanto Co. engaged in "outrageous" behavior by releasing tons of polychlorinated biphenyl into the city of Anniston and covering up its actions for decades, handing 3,500 local residents a huge victory in a landmark environmental lawsuit. (Michael Grunwald, Washington Post, 23 Feb. 2002)

The truth behind the International Year of Ecotourism - With 2002 being designated the International Year of Ecotourism (IYE), we expose the real agenda behind all the high-minded claims and glossy pictures...Ever since it was conceived, the IYE has been aggressively marketed as a celebration of ecotourism’s role in facilitating sustainable development. However, many critics have responded that a celebratory tone is inappropriate, given the growing evidence of failed projects, disrupted communities and ecosystems, and greenwashing under the guise of ecotourism (Luis Vivanco, Ecologist, 22 Feb. 2002)

Twenty years of encouraging responsibility: BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITY [UK]: With 700 large members, the charity appears a great success. But it is using its anniversary to reflect on how to get companies to take social issues more seriously...BITC has spent the past decade arguing that throwing cash at community groups means little if a company treats its employees unfairly, pollutes the environment or fails to understand its ethnic minority customers (Alison Maitland, Financial Times, 22 Feb. 2002)

U.S. Regulation of Transgenic Plants Called Inadequate: Regulations now in place to protect the public and the environment from potential harmful effects of genetically engineered crops are inadequate, concludes a new review by the National Research Council. (Cat Lazaroff, Environment News Service, 22 Feb. 2002)

NAFTA’s Chapter 11 threatens the environment and democracy:...Chapter 11, a clause so important Dan Seligman, director of the Sierra Club's Trade Program, argues that it may lead to a "fundamentally different world in the degree of power corporations hold on democratic governments." (Justin Gerdes, Environmental News Network, 22 Feb. 2002)

Mining and Minerals Sector Trying to Clean Up Its Act: Large international mining companies, in an effort to improve their image with investors, are working on a project to define how the industry can best contribute to global sustainable development. Sometime in the next few weeks, the Mining, Minerals, and Sustainable Development Project (MMSD) will release a report that has been two years in the making. (Susan Wennemyr, SocialFunds.com, 22 Feb. 2002)

ACID RAIN: Asian Groups See Dire Future, Urge More Action - Officials and experts from 11 Asian countries, Russia and the United Nations wrapped up a two-day Beijing workshop yesterday by calling for a global front against acid rain, the official newspaper China Daily reports. (UN Wire, 22 Feb. 2002)

$50 Million Invested in Nature: A US$50 million contribution from financial service's giant HSBC Group will fund a five year partnership to support conservation projects around the world..."Companies as well as individuals have a responsibility for the stewardship of this planet, which we hold in trust for the future," said HSBC chair Sir John Bond (Environment News Service, 22 Feb. 2002)

{···français} Transparence sociale et environnementale au menu des sociétés françaises - Les sociétés françaises cotées devront faire preuve de transparence à partir de 2003 en ce qui concerne les conséquences sociales, territoriales et environnementales de leurs activités, en les faisant figurer dans leurs rapports annuels au même titre que les informations financières. (AFP, in Le Monde, 22 Feb. 2002)

Jospin calls for public-private partnership on global development: Prime Minister Lionel Jospin called for a partnership between governments and private businesses on global development to ensure people have access to the four "fundamental rights" of a safe environment, water, health and education...He also urged the establishment of rules on transparency and a clear definition of companies' "social and environmental responsibilities".  (AFX, 22 Feb. 2002)

HK Disney site poses ecological threat - experts: Preparation for a site housing Hong Kong's future Disney theme park could seriously threaten ecological systems nearby, according to an independent environmental study released yesterday. (Reuters, 22 Feb. 2002)

Greenpeace to push bank on Ecuador pipeline credit: Greenpeace is pressuring a German bank [WestLB bank] to cancel financing for an Ecuadorean oil pipeline it says will damage swaths of rare mountain cloud forest, a campaigner for the environmental group said this week. (Reuters, 22 Feb. 2002)

EU proposes curbs on toxic chemicals by 2003: The European Commission approved plans this week to restrict by 2003 the public use of 43 chemicals which are believed to cause cancer, damage reproduction or pose a danger to human genes. The substances in question are used in special paints, printing inks, varnishes and adhesives, the EU's executive Commission said in a statement. (Reuters, 22 Feb. 2002)

Brazil recovers $25 mln of illegally cut mahogany: Brazil's environmental agency, Ibama, has seized 220,000 square feet (20,438 sq metres) of mahogany and is floating the wood down the rivers of the Amazon jungle as part of its biggest ever operation to hit illegal loggers, the agency said this week...The clamp-down has led to death threats by loggers against environmental activists, who have helped Ibama. (Reuters, 22 Feb. 2002)

International Agreements, Treaties, and Conventions on Environment and Human Health: A Summary Note by Chris Calamita (Chris Calamita, Science and Human Rights Program of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, 21 Feb. 2002)

Groups Urge 'No' to Cyanide Use in Mining: Environmental and human rights groups in the United States and Europe called on the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) Thursday not to sanction cyanide leach mining, citing numerous environmental and public health disasters worldwide. (Danielle Knight, Inter Press Service, 21 Feb. 2002)

Water Board Ignoring Pesticide Discharges from Agriculture in California (Earthjustice, 21 Feb. 2002)

Cargill Pork fined $1 million for dumping waste in river; 53,000 fish dead [USA]: Cargill Pork agreed to pay a $1 million fine for illegally dumping waste that prosecutors said contaminated five miles of a Missouri river and killed 53,000 fish. (Associated Press, 21 Feb. 2002)

CHEMICALS: Panel Targets Three Pesticides, Asbestos For Trade Control The Interim Chemical Review Committee, a panel of government-appointed experts, recommended today that three widely used pesticides and all forms of asbestos should be placed on an international list of chemicals subject to trade controls (UN Wire, 21 Feb. 2002)

New Study Exposes Bush Administration’s Roll Back of Clean Air Protections as National Disaster for Public Health: Oil giants could increase pollution by two to 140 times current emissions without triggering pollution control requirements (Earthjustice, 20 Feb. 2002)

• full report: Smokestack Rollback [USA]: How the Bush administration’s Clean Air Act proposals will increase toxic refinery pollution and jeopardize public health (Earthjustice, Lone Star Sierra Club, Louisiana Bucket Brigade, Public Citizen’s Texas Office, & Texas SEED Coalition, Feb. 2002)

Verdict Still Out on Costa Rica Offshore Drilling: Although American companies Harken Energy and MKL-Xplorations purchased the rights to drill for oil off the coast of Costa Rica in 1998, drilling has not started as local organizations voice concerns. (Anne Moore Odell, SocialFunds.com, 20 Feb. 2002)

Corruption, lawlessness fuel epidemic of illegal logging in Indonesia (World Resources Institute, 20 Feb. 2002)

Emergency Week of Action Calls for Protection of the Peruvian Amazon: Demonstrations Across the Country Spotlight Citigroup's Investment in Controversial Fossil Fuel Projects (Rainforest Action Network, 20 Feb. 2002)

• Citibank Targeted by Wave of Student Protests: One of the world's largest full-service banks will be targeted by protests across the United States this week, as students urge their peers to dump student loans and credit cards from Citibank which they accuse of investing in environmentally-harmful projects. (Alison Raphael, OneWorld US, 19 Feb. 2002)

Insurers press for climate-change controls: Having extracted government action on exposure to terrorist attacks, the insurance industry must now press politicians for climate-change controls, one of its leaders said this week (Simon Challis, Reuters, 20 Feb. 2002)

Pesticide leak causing environmental problem in Djibouti: Shipping containers packed with a toxic chemical are leaking in the port of Djibouti, and the pollution could spread, a U.N. food agency said Tuesday. (Associated Press, Environmental News Network website, 20 Feb. 2002)

• FAO: Urgent action needed to avoid environmental disaster in Djibouti (UN Food and Agriculture Organization, 19 Feb. 2002)

Public Companies Tweak Accounting to Hide Environmental Debt: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency launched a national campaign in January 2001 to get publicly traded companies to disclose their environmental debts to shareholders as required by regulation. Now, more than a year later, a majority of public companies that have violated federal environmental laws still do not make those disclosures. (Donald Sutherland, Environment News Service, 18 Feb. 2002)

{···français} trois questions à ... gro harlem brundtland [directrice de l'Organisation mondiale de la santé (OMS)] (Le Monde, 18 février 2002)

{···français} Retour sur quinze années de prise de conscience [développement durable] (Le Monde, 18 février 2002)

Fish stocks face global collapse: Marine scientists are warning of a catastrophic collapse in global fish stocks...The only solution, Dr Pauly said, was international agreement to cut fishing fleets very substantially, end subsidies for industrial fishing and establish a global network of marine reserves. (Clive Cookson, Financial Times, 17 Feb. 2002)

Orphans of the River [India] -...An unholy synergy of poisoned rivers, government apathy and commercial interests has scripted the epitaph of the original stewards of the river [riverine fisherfolk] (Down to Earth, Centre for Science and Environment [India], 15 Feb. 2002)

Barclays Finance of Rainforest Destruction Sparks Protest [in UK]: Barclays Group is the target of a nation-wide protest tomorrow [Saturday 16th February] organised by Friends of the Earth following revelations that the banking group financed a company [Asia Pulp and Paper] that has caused massive damage to Indonesian rainforest. (Friends of the Earth, 15 Feb. 2002) 

Earthjustice Files Brief Challenging EPA’s [U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's] Refusal To Control Toxic Emissions From Cars, Trucks and Buses: Blasts EPA’s action as unlawful and irresponsible (Earthjustice, 15 Feb. 2002)

Home Depot, Lowe's to stop selling arsenic-treated wood: Home-improvement retailers said this week they would stop selling wood treated with an arsenic-based pesticide that is widely used for home decks and fences (Karen Jacobs, Reuters, 15 Feb. 2002)

Starbucks braces for another round with eco-protests: Facing mounting pressure from protest groups, Starbucks Corp. this week affirmed its commitment to environmentally friendly products and fair wages for coffee farmers. (Chris Stetkiewicz, Reuters, 15 Feb. 2002)

Waste Group To Double Plastic Recycling In UK: A group set up by the government to promote sustainable waste disposal in the UK has announced that it intends to double the recycling of plastic drinks bottles (Environmental Data Interactive Exchange, 15 Feb. 2002)

Valentines a thorny issue for Kenya flower workers:...The Kenya Human Rights Commission, a non-governmental organisation, paints a decidedly unromantic picture, accusing farmers of paying a pittance, exposing their workers to toxins and damaging the environment in their hunger for profit...Farm owners deny the allegations (Matthew Green, Reuters, 14 Feb. 2002)

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: Annan Pushes For "Coherent Vision" - It is "clear that sustainable development cannot be achieved without strong links between environmental issues and the U.N.' s overarching agenda for poverty eradication, human rights and peacebuilding" (UN Wire, 14 Feb. 2002)

World environment summit seeks controls on hazardous chemicals: The United Nations has called for tougher safeguards on the production and storage of hazardous chemicals in developing countries to prevent industrial accidents. (Ricardo Maldonado, Associated Press, Environmental News Network website, 14 Feb. 2002)

ENVIRONMENT: Bush Rapped for Climate Change Plan: President George W. Bush drew fire from environmentalists Thursday after unveiling a homespun alternative to the international community's plan to curb emissions of greenhouse gases blamed for global warming. (Abid Aslam, Inter Press Service, 14 Feb. 2002)

Groups Hail Philippine Mining Freeze: Environmental groups are hailing a decision last month by the Philippine province of Oriental Mindoro to enact a 25-year moratorium on major mining projects (Jim Lobe, OneWorld US, 13 Feb. 2002)

• One victory for Philippine mine protesters - but the battle goes on (Christian Aid, 11 Feb. 2002)

INDIA: Environmentalists, Residents Call For Ban On Pesticide Endosulfan - Environmentalists say a pesticide used by a major cashew nut plantation in southern India is responsible for the acute mental and physical ailments suffered by hundreds of children and adults in the region (UN Wire, 13 Feb. 2002)

Forests of Fear: Stopping human rights abuses is key to solving forest crisis - A new report clearly links the disappearance of the world's forests with the horrifying catalogue of human rights abuses taking place as a result of conflicts between forest peoples and the powerful government and corporate interests within forests. (Boreal Footprint Project, 12 Feb. 2002)

• full report: Forests of Fear: The Abuse of Human Rights in Forest Conflicts [refers to countries including Indonesia, Canada, Malaysia, Mexico, Kenya, Nigeria, Colombia, Chile, Honduras, Venezuela, Brazil, USA; refers to companies including Tanjung Lingga, London Sumatra, TVI, Rio Tinto, Daishowa Logging, RAPP, April, UPM-Kymmene, Samling, Lajung Lumber, Shin Yang, Rawood, Interfor (International Forest Products), Boise Cascade, Repap, Fletcher Challenge (now TimberWest), Mitsubishi, Occidental Petroleum, Freeport-McMoRan, Chevron]  (Fern, Dec. 2001)

First Nasdaq-based Social Index Unveiled: KLD and Nasdaq create the KLD-Nasdaq Social Index, the first index to screen Nasdaq companies for social and environmental criteria. (Mark Thomsen, SocialFunds.com, 12 Feb. 2002) 

UK paper firms destroy best rainforest [Indonesia] - The report reveals that at least nine paper merchants in the UK [David John Papers, Davies Harvey Murrel, GF Smith, SV Sier, Ovenden Papers, Rosefox, The South Wales Paper Company, Fulton Paper, Frederick Johnson] are buying PaperOne products made by APRIL, one of the world's most destructive paper companies and owner of the world's largest pulp mill [refers also to involvement of AMEC construction company and ING Barings bank] (Friends of the Earth, 11 Feb. 2002)

• full report: Paper Tiger, Hidden Dragons 2: April Fools [Indonesia] - Detailed report revealing the destruction and social conflict caused by APRIL - and the paper merchants and financial institutions who have supported it (Friends of the Earth, Feb. 2002)

• Indonesian rainforests pulped to extinction: Illegal logging is threatening wildlife and environment (Paul Brown, Guardian [UK], 11 Feb. 2002)

Pulp mills put heavy pressure on forests [Indonesia]: Study - The remaining natural forest in Riau Province is on the brink of destruction as the country's giant pulp producers, Sinar Mas Group and Raja Garuda Mas Group, plan to clear almost 500,000 hectares of natural forest in Sumatra by 2007, according to a joint study compiled by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR). (Jakarta Post, 9 Feb. 2002)

'Govt drive against illegal logging empty rhetoric' [Indonesia]: The government's determination to fight illegal logging in the country remains largely rhetorical, as seen from the various unsolved cases involving log theft. (Jakarta Post, 9 Feb. 2002)

BHP washes its hands of Dead River [Papua New Guinea]: BHP Billiton today washed its hands of responsibility for the damage its Ok Tedi mine is creating (Mineral Policy Institute, 8 Feb. 2002)

• company website: Ok Tedi Mining (OK Tedi Mining Limited)

Alaskan Wilderness Oil Drilling Risky to Shareowner Value: A shareowner resolution asks BP to assess the damage to its reputation that would result from oil drilling in the Alaskan wilderness, and a new study highlights the economic risks of drilling. (William Baue, SocialFunds.com, 7 Feb. 2002)

Brazil coffee more eco-friendly - grower:...Rodrigues said that quality was no longer the only issue and that roasters were prepared to pay a premium to help fund projects to protect the environment and aid local coffee communities. (Peter Blackburn, Reuters, 6 Feb. 2002)

Trading in Disaster: World Trade Center Scrap Lands in India -...more than 30,000 tons of steel scrap -- possibly contaminated with asbestos, PCBs, cadmium, mercury and dioxins -- has been exported to India and other parts of Asia (Nityanand Jayaraman and Kenny Bruno, CorpWatch, 6 Feb. 2002)

Annan urges business leaders to lead fight against Third World poverty:..."Think of ways that your company can help mobilise global science and technology to tackle the interlocking crises of hunger, disease, environmental degradation and conflict that are holding back the developing world," he told the World Economic Forum. (AFP, in Business Recorder [Pakistan], 5 Feb. 2002)

High-risk toxic factories to be inspected [Thailand]: The National Civil Defence Committee will inspect 506 factories in Bangkok and six surrounding provinces for dangerous chemicals. (Apiradee Treerutkuarkul, Bangkok Post, 5 Feb. 2002)

World Economic Forum: It's a wrap - Friends of the Earth International today called on members of the World Economic Forum (WEF) leaving the annual meeting in New York to respond urgently to the challenge of global business accountability - and meet their social and environmental responsibilities...Friends of the Earth issued their challenge inside the WEF with a personal letter to every business participant to support global rules for corporations (Friends of the Earth, 5 Feb. 2002)

Brazil launches 'war operation' on mahogany loggers (Axel Bugge, Reuters, 5 Feb. 2002) 

Chinese turn to law to right pollution wrongs:...Nearly 100 peasant families had their livelihoods stripped from them after toxic chemicals dumped in the Shiliang river in 1999 and 2000 by a private paper factory reached the reservoir...They won - albeit on paper so far - compensation of 5.6 million yuan thanks to a non-governmental organisation (NGO), the Centre for Legal Assistance to Pollution Victims, which gathered evidence and represented them in court. (Tamora Vidaillet, Reuters, 5 Feb. 2002) 

Manhattan Beer's natural gas trucks set an example for companies nationwide and mean cleaner air for New York City -...We congratulate Manhattan Beer, Kingdom Group, Bell Power Systems, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), New York City’s Private Fleet Alternative-Fuel Program, and the Department of Energy’s Clean Cities Program for this successful collaboration. (Joanna D. Underwood, President, INFORM, 4 Feb. 2002)

Summit chief says "enlightened" businesses understand benefits of sustainable development: Secretary General of the Johannesburg Summit, Nitin Desai has called on major corporations around the world to dramatically increase their involvement in sustainable development initiatives. (International Chamber of Commerce, 4 Feb. 2002)

Chemical leak contained at Chevron S.F. refinery: A release at the ChevronTexaco Corp. refinery in Richmond, California sent chemicals spewing into the air last week, spurring county health officials to warn residents to remain indoors. (Reuters, 4 Feb. 2002) 

Unlikely Note Is Struck on World Finance Stage - Forum: Bill Gates and Bono challenge the Treasury chief and the U.S. to boost foreign aid...The new focus on health and on environmental problems in poor countries by Gates and other wealthy philanthropists--Ted Turner and the Hewlett and Packard families, among others--has been cited by some U.S. opponents of government assistance as a more efficient and focused form of foreign aid. But Gates argued vigorously here for greatly increased aid from the United States and other official donors. (William Orme, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2002)

• Gates and Bono give voice to healthcare lobbyists: Bill Gates, the world's richest man, and Bono, the Irish rock star, joined forces on Saturday to urge governments and the private sector to boost levels of spending on global healthcare and disease prevention. (Holly Yeager & Hugh Carnegy, Financial Times, 2 Feb. 2002) 

Timber harvest being reduced, says Taib [Sarawak, Malaysia]: Sarawak has been reducing the volume of timber harvested from its natural forests every year, said Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud [during presentation of the Chief Minister’s Environmental Award to Sarawak Shell Bhd] (The Star [Malaysia], 3 Feb. 2002)

Officials look for way to deal with mercury spill near river [USA]:...HoltraChem Manufacturing Co. LLC, which was set up by corporate giant Honeywell and another company in 1993 to run the plant, dissolved last year. But Honeywell, which ran the plant until 1979, has agreed to clean up the contamination (James Eli Shiffer, News & Observer [Raleigh, North Carolina], 2 Feb. 2002)

Earth Summit Must Focus On Environ Rights: Olver - The agenda of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) must focus on the environmental rights of the poor, [South Africa's] Environment and Tourism director general Crispian Olver said on Friday. (South African Press Association, 2 Feb. 2002)

Scandinavia tops environment league table: Scandinavian countries continue to lead the way in their attention to the environment, but several other nations, including Costa Rica and Uruguay, are performing well, according to a report to be released on Monday to the annual World Economic Forum meeting. (Holly Yeager, Financial Times, 1 Feb. 2002) 

Being seen to be green helps corporate image: An FT survey that gave companies plaudits for their environmental record included some surprise choices [includes reference to Body Shop, BP, Royal Dutch/Shell, Toyota, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, Vivendi, Honda, Ford, Siemens, GE, IBM, Volkswagen, ExxonMobil, Ben & Jerry's, McDonalds] (Michael Skapinker, Financial Times, 1 Feb. 2002)

• Due recognition given for effort [environmental record of companies, examined in Financial Times Survey of "World's Most Respected Companies"]  (Alison Maitland, Financial Times, 13 Dec. 2001)

• Company rankings [by media & NGOs] - 2001 - Companies that best manage and effect environmental resources (Financial Times, 12 Dec. 2001)

• Company rankings [by CEOs] - 2001 - Companies that best manage and effect environmental resources (Financial Times, 12 Dec. 2001)

How Small And Medium-sized Enterprises In Developing Countries Can Protect The Ozone Layer: New Publication -...This handbook assists owners, operators and employees of SMEs [Small And Medium-sized Enterprises] in developing countries in assessing whether their current operations involve the use of Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS). It also provides tools that show ways to substantially reduce and eventually eliminate ODS use. (U.N. Environment Programme, Feb. 2002)

Exxon Mobil under fire [Aceh]: Recent attacks against oil and gas company Exxon Mobil in the war-scarred territory of Aceh have brought security concerns to the fore again, as Megawati's government struggles to convince investors they should bring their money back to Indonesia. The US company is also under attack internationally for its association with human rights violations in Aceh, for its poor environmental record and for its obstruction of positive action on global warming. (Down to Earth Newsletter, Feb. 2002) 

• company's website: Statement Regarding NGO Human Rights Lawsuit [regarding the company's alleged conduct in Aceh, Indonesia] (ExxonMobil, 25 June 2001)

BP and the Tangguh test [West Papua]: Since DTE last reported on this project in August 2001 (DTE 50), the international profile of BP's Tangguh gas development in West Papua has established it as a "test case" for putting good corporate intentions into practice. However, questions remain over how sincere BP is in carrying out its commitments. And how far external factors - like the Indonesian military - will limit the company's capacity to do so. (Down to Earth Newsletter, Feb. 2002) 

• company website: Indonesia: This report is about the Tangguh liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Papua, Indonesia (BP)

Brimob [mobile brigade] shooting at Aurora mine [Indonesia]: A man was seriously wounded as violence against the local community continues at Aurora's gold mine in Central Kalimantan...Aurora has consistently evaded responsibility for the violence at the mine and claims that the company has no choice but to accept Brimob presence at the site. (Down to Earth Newsletter, Feb. 2002) 

• company website: Environmental and Community Development [includes section on Mt Muro, Indonesia] (Aurora Gold)

Oil palm action [Indonesia]: Three of the biggest banks in the Netherlands - ABN AMRO, Rabobank and Fortis - have agreed to stop or substantially restrict financing for oil palm development in Indonesia on environmental and social grounds. (Down to Earth Newsletter, Feb. 2002) 

APP and debt-financed forest destruction [Indonesia]: The highly-indebted pulp and paper group, Asia Pulp and Paper (APP), commissioned an environmental audit in September to allay fears over rainforest destruction in Sumatra. However, the prospect of more clear-felling and conflict over resources with local communities looms, as the financial interests of the Singapore-based group's international creditors are being put before environmental or social considerations. (Down to Earth Newsletter, Feb. 2002) 

• company website: APP - Asia Pulp & Paper Co. Ltd (Asia Pulp & Paper Co.)

Stop human rights violations against peasant farmers! [Indonesia]: The pattern of human rights violations arising from land conflicts during the Suharto era still persists today, more than three years since the dictator was forced to resign...In West Papua investors are being encouraged to take advantage of the territory's land, timber and mineral wealth. In Kalimantan and Sumatra communities are losing lands to oil palm developments. Forest peoples are losing out in agreements with entrepreneurs who buy up community rights over forests at minimal prices so that they can get at the timber. The medium-scale exploitation of coal and gold continuing in some parts of Sulawesi and Kalimantan is putting more pressure on peasant and indigenous communities as well as poisoning the lands and water courses. (Down to Earth Newsletter, Feb. 2002) 

Banten farmers arrested and beaten [Indonesia]: Forty seven farmers were rounded up by armed police, Brimob, forestry company staff and hired thugs in a November pre-dawn raid on Cibaliung village, Banten province, Java. Some were handcuffed and beaten during the forcible eviction from land now claimed by privatised forestry company, PT Perhutani. The farmers were denied access to lawyers. (Down to Earth Newsletter, Feb. 2002)

Book Review: Indonesia: Natural Resources and Law Enforcement, by International Crisis Group...It recognises the involvement of corrupt elements in the civil service, security forces and legislature that benefit from the upsurge of illegal logging, mining and fishing that has occurred since Suharto was ousted. (Down to Earth Newsletter, Feb. 2002)

Ecuador, Defending the Amazon (Peter Lippman, The Advocacy Project, Feb. 2002)

chapters include:

• Introduction: Environmental Assault and Grassroots Resistance - For thirty years, one of the richest bioregions on the planet has been under assault from international oil companies. 

• Risky Business: The Oil Industry and Its Legacy of Pollution [refers to Texaco, Arco, Agip]

• The New Oil Pipeline: A Long Battle

• Legal Issues: The Right to Consultation and the Texaco Lawsuit

Fluff is not enough - managing responsibility for corporate citizenship: Consider this company, which has been widely classified as a great corporate citizen...This company won 6 environmental awards in 2000, has widely recognized human rights, environmental, anti-corruption, anti-bribery, and climate change policies...The only small problem? You guessed it. The company is Enron (Sandra Waddock, Professor of Management at Boston College’s Carroll School of Management & Senior Research Fellow at Boston College's Center for Corporate Citizenship, in Ethical Corporation Magazine, Feb. 2002)

Interview with Mike Barry, Environmental Systems Manager, Marks & Spencer plc (Ethical Corporation Magazine, Feb. 2002)

Restaurateurs Relish Sustainability [USA]: We [Chefs Collaborative] help restaurants connect with regional producers to purchase local seafood, meat, dairy, and eggs. We are also concerned with green-building materials, living wages for restaurant employees, and reduced energy consumption. (GreenBiz.com, Feb. 2002)

"The Public Eye on Davos" in New York: International Conference from January 31 - February 3, 2002 - The thematic focus is on the negative impacts of a one-sided economic globalization, and alternatives to the neoliberal model that are oriented around a socially just and environmentally sustainable development. (coordinated by the Berne Declaration, 31 Jan.-3 Feb. 2002)

LIMPFROG -...The exploding number of two and three-wheelers on Asia’s streets promise to flood the continent with pollution. (Down to Earth, Centre for Science and Environment [India], 31 Jan. 2002)

Flame Retardant Chemical Found in Fish, Humans (Pat Hemminger, Environment News Service, 31 Jan. 2002)

GM Environmental Performance Measured: Conducted with Cooperation of General Motors, Investors and Environmentalists Assess Progress - The first outside assessment of General Motors Corporation's environmental performance concludes that the automaker has made significant improvements since 1994 in reducing its factory emissions, publishing annual reports on its progress, and engaging non-corporate stakeholders in its environmental performance, but that despite the improvement of individual vehicles, it has not improved the overall fuel economy of its fleet. (CERES - Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies, 30 Jan. 2002)

ENVIRONMENT: IMF Scored on Deforestation: International Monetary Fund (IMF) loans and policies have led to a dramatic increase in deforestation in biologically rich nations in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, according to a new analysis. [says IMF continues to fuel logging in endangered forests in Brazil, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chile, Ecuador, Ghana, Honduras, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Russia, and Tanzania] (Danielle Knight, Inter Press Service, 30 Jan. 2002)

TRADE: Environmentalists Urge Pesticide Fight: Environmentalists are urging the Canadian government to fight a lawsuit filed against it by a major U.S. chemical company [Crompton Corporation] under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) (Danielle Knight, Inter Press Service, 29 Jan. 2002)

Ecotourists Urged to Walk Lightly on the Earth: The fast growing ecotourism industry might have "devastating consequences" if not managed properly, a top United Nations official said Monday as the UN launched the International Year of Ecotourism (Environment News Service, 29 Jan. 2002)

ECOTOURISM: U.N. Launches Int'l Year To Promote Responsible Travel - The United Nations yesterday launched the International Year of Ecotourism to promote awareness about tourism's effects on the environment and cultural heritage sites and the concept of responsible travel. (UN Wire, 29 Jan. 2002)

ENVIRONMENT: Promises Fall Short of Performance - U.N. Head: The international community has fallen short of promises to prevent deterioration of the global environment, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Monday...Kenny Bruno, U.N. Project Coordinator for the U.S.-based non-governmental organisation CorpWatch, said one of the primary reasons for poor implementation following the Earth Summit was the failure to confront the growing power of multinational corporations. (Thalif Deen, Inter Press Service, 28 Jan. 2002)

China To Cut Pollutant Discharges By 10 Percent In Four Years: China has pledged to reduce by 10 percent the discharge of five air pollutants including sulfur dioxide, solid waste and dust, by 2005. (Oana-Xinhua, 28 Jan. 2002)

U.S. proposes $5.5 million Murphy Oil fine: Murphy Oil USA, Inc. would pay a $5.5 million fine and spend $12.5 million to cut sulfur dioxide emissions at a Wisconsin refinery under a proposed deal announced Thursday by state and federal authorities. (Reuters, 28 Jan. 2002) 

PSEG to spend $300 million on clean air compliance [USA]: Public Service Enterprise Group Inc. said on Thursday it had agreed to spend $300 million over 10 years to install equipment to limit air pollution at its New Jersey coal-fired power plants in a settlement with federal and state regulators. (Chris Baltimore, Reuters, 28 Jan. 2002)  

Thailand says coal power plants need to prove case: Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said on Saturday two controversial coal-fired power stations could be given the go ahead if they prove new technology will limit their environmental impact. (Reuters, 28 Jan. 2002) 

Frequent spills plague Australian uranium mines: Hundreds of thousands of litres of potentially harmful uranium solution spilled in the Australian outback since December is alarming environmentalists, although the companies responsible insist the accidents pose no threats [refers to mining company WMC Ltd] (James Regan, Reuters, 28 Jan. 2002)

Belgium finds PCB traces in chicken feed: Belgian health authorities said on Friday they had found traces of chemicals linked to cancer in feed given to chickens. (Reuters, 28 Jan. 2002)

Mountain Ecosystems Endangered: War, exploitation and pollution threaten freshwater source for half of world's population -...Climate change, pollution, armed conflict, population growth, deforestation and exploitative agricultural, mining and tourism practices are among a growing list of problems confronting the "water towers of the world," prompting warnings that catastrophic flooding, landslides, avalanches, fires and famines will become more frequent (United Nations University, 27 Jan. 2002)

PCB Pollution Suits Have Day in Court in Alabama [USA: lawsuits against Monsanto and Solutia filed by a total of 25,000 plaintiffs] - In the first two weeks of testimony, the plaintiffs' lawyers have established through Monsanto memorandums that the company was aware of the level of its discharges and that it at least partly understood the risks as early as the mid-1960's, if not earlier. But it did not begin improving pollution controls until 1970 (Kevin Sack, New York Times, 27 Jan. 2002)

Swiss Insurance Company Invests in Sustainability: The reinsurance giant Swiss Re supports sustainability not only in its business practices but also in its investments...Swiss Re bases its insurance rates in part on their clients' environmental impact. Because sustainable companies have less risk in terms of potential losses due to environmental mismanagement, all other things being equal, those companies would pay lower premiums. (William Baue, SocialFunds.com, 25 Jan. 2002)

Sierra Club Files Suit Against Cheney's Energy Task Force [USA]: Case Asserts Task Force Kept Public Out, Dealt with Oil Companies Behind Closed Doors -...After numerous attempts by Congress and others to find out how much influence polluting industries had in drafting the energy plan, the Sierra Club is forced to file a suit today against Vice President Cheney's Energy Task Force, which prepared the proposal. (Sierra Club, 25 Jan. 2002)

Fears grow over landfill defect link: Worries over a link between living near landfill sites and birth defects have been fuelled by further scientific evidence...Environmental campaigners Friends of the Earth are calling for government [UK Government] action to reduce the use of hazardous landfill sites, in the light of the Lancet research. (BBC News, 25 Jan. 2002)

Greenwash + 10: The UN's Global Compact, Corporate Accountability and the Johannesburg Earth Summit [includes references to Aventis, DaimlerChrysler, Nike, Rio Tinto, Norsk Hydro, Royal Dutch/Shell, Unilever] (Kenny Bruno, CorpWatch, 24 Jan. 2002)

• company website: Aventis CropScience: Our position on... (Aventis CropScience)

• company website: DaimlerChrysler (DaimlerChrysler)

• company website: Responsibility: labor (Nike)

• company website: Norsk Hydro (Norsk Hydro)

• company website (Rio Tinto): 

  • PT Kelian Equatorial Mining: Environment (PT Kelian Equatorial Mining: A member of Rio Tinto)
  • PT Kelian Equatorial Mining: Community (PT Kelian Equatorial Mining: A member of Rio Tinto)
  • Mining and the environment (Rio Tinto)
  • Human rights (Rio Tinto)

• company website: Shell (Royal Dutch/Shell)

• company website: Unilever - Thermometer factory: Kodaikanal, India - 21 June 2001 (Unilever)

Pioneering Conservation And Tourism Project Wins Innovative Private Sector Backing: New funding helps kick-start International Year of Ecotourism - The goal of developing sustainable tourism in some of the world's most beautiful, yet fragile natural environments received a major boost today...Aveda, the global cosmetics company, has agreed to give US $500,000 to the project that is jointly managed by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), ...UNESCO and RARE Center for Tropical Conservation. (U.N. Environment Programme, 24 Jan. 2002) 

ITALY: WHO Study Shows Smog Is Killing 14 People Per Day -...In a 2000 WHO study commissioned by Italy's Environment Ministry, air pollution was blamed for 3,500 annual deaths, including 4.7 percent of deaths among Italians over the age of 30 (UN Wire, 24 Jan. 2001)

FAO [UN Food and Agriculture Organization] urges countries to discontinue the use of chloramphenicol in animal production (U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, 24 Jan. 2002)

Greens invoke profit motive for annual attack on BP: Green groups and ethical shareholders whose radical proposals have hijacked oil firm BP's annual meetings twice before will this year appeal to investors' pockets rather than to their hearts. On April 18 shareholders will vote on a World Wildlife Fund resolution calling on the British multinational to disclose how it measures the risks to its investors of drilling in environmentally sensitive areas (Andrew Callus, Reuters, 24 Jan. 2002)

Polluters to pay under EU green liability plan: Polluting industries will be forced to clean up environmental damage, or pay the cost, under a new European Union law due to be launched in draft form yesterday... A coalition of all the big green groups...[said the draft law] was riddled with loopholes that made it worthless. (Robin Pomeroy, Reuters, 24 Jan. 2002)

Drug Store Chain to Pull Mercury Thermometers: Responding to a shareholder request, pharmacy chain Eckerd announced it would stop selling mercury fever thermometers early this year...The largest remaining retailer to sell mercury thermometers is Kroger...Other large retailers that continue to sell mercury thermometers include Cardinal Health's Medicine Shoppe franchise, Publix and Fred's Pharmacies. (GreenBiz.com, 23 Jan. 2002)

Canon Virginia Facility Recognized [by Virginia Environmental Excellence Program] for Environmental Achievements (EarthVision Environmental News, 23 Jan. 2002) 

Plastic Waste Disposal Guidelines Adopted: Experts from some 100 governments meeting here [Geneva] have adopted a set of technical guidelines for protecting human health and the environment from the improper management and disposal of plastic wastes. (Environment News Service, 23 Jan. 2002)

NICARAGUA: UNIDO Launches Reforestation Program - The U.N. Industrial Development Organization has launched a program in Nicaragua to transform illegal loggers and carpenters into small industrialists working to reforest areas they once exploited (UN Wire, 23 Jan. 2002)

• {···español} Crean viveros para reforestar el bosque: Pequeños empresarios comprometidos con la naturaleza que explotan (Clarissa Altamirano, La Prensa [Nicaragua], 23 enero 2002)

AES environmental impact study [for power plant being built by Applied Energy Services Inc.] found inconclusive and vague [Honduras] (Maria Fiallos, Honduras This Week, 21 Jan. 2002)

International Experts Discuss Options for Combating Illegal Forest Practices:...Some 30 international experts identified a long list of forest crimes, ranging from corrupt allocation of timber concessions to illegal worldwide processing and trade of forest products...The meeting was the first in which such spectrum of experts from governmental, non-governmental and private sector has informally come together to discuss the impact and possible ways to control forest crime. (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 21 Jan. 2002)

Waste Company Fined £17,000 for Offences at Arpley [UK]: Warrington Magistrates’ Court today fined 3C Waste Limited £17,000 after the company admitted three offences at its Arpley landfill site in Warrington. (Environment Agency [UK Government], 21 Jan. 2002)

Cambridgeshire welding company prosecuted [UK]: The company pleaded guilty to treating, keeping or disposing of controlled waste in a manner likely to cause pollution of the environment or harm to human health. (Environment Agency [UK Government], 21 Jan. 2002)

Green campaign to link UK poverty with environment: Green activist group Friends of the Earth launched a campaign last week to pressure the British government to tackle poverty by linking environmental and social problems (Neil Chatterjee, Reuters, 21 Jan. 2002)

• press release: Call for Right to a Healthy Environment for All: Leading MP launches call for a right to a healthy environment - “Environmental factors experienced by the least well off in society are clearly an important part of their social exclusion" (press release, Friends of the Earth, 16 Jan. 2002)

• full report: Environmental Justice: the Rights and Means to a Healthy Environment for All (Economic & Social Research Council, Friends of the Earth & London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Nov. 2001)

Former Shell chief calls for more renewable energy: The former head of world number two oil group Royal Dutch/Shell last week called for western nations to increase renewable energy targets and bring down the cost of green energy technology (Matthew Jones, Reuters, 21 Jan. 2002) 

Mexico needs 20 years to rescue environment: Mexico's environment minister says it will take 20 years or more of strong policies to recover from decades of abuse that ravaged the country's forests and polluted its air and water...Congress also passed legislation obliging companies to measure and report their toxic emissions, and Mexico's security forces have been regularly deployed against illegal logging businesses (Kieran Murray, Reuters, 21 Jan. 2002)

China, identified by a Dutch company as the source of shrimps:...more than 200 tonnes of Chinese frozen peeled shrimps had been shipped back from Europe last year after they were found to be laced with chloramphenicol, a potent antibiotic that can disrupt blood cell production in humans. (Reuters, 21 Jan. 2002)

Timber Pirates Raid Zambia's Forest Treasures [referring to new report by African Friendship Fund] (Singy Hanyona, Environment News Service, 18 Jan. 2002)

Environmental, Labor Groups Expose Johnson Controls, Inc.’s Cleanup Failures in Fowlerville, Michigan [USA]:...The contaminants flowing from the JCI site include chemicals such as trichloroethlyene (TCE), a neurotoxin that can damage the heart, liver, kidneys, and central nervous system, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), a known carcinogen. (Michigan Environmental Council, on UAW website, 18 Jan. 2002)

• company website: Johnson Controls (Johnson Controls, Inc.)

Companies [home building company and drainage cleaning company] fined for polluting Leeds beck [UK] (Environment Agency [UK Government], 18 Jan. 2002)

'Appalled' Magistrates fine company [a waste management company] £20,000 and praise Environment Agency [UK] (Environment Agency [UK Government], 18 Jan. 2002)

Governments challenged to back green energy: Former Shell boss, Sir Mark Moody Stuart today challenged Western Governments to increase their renewable energy targets, at the launch of The Body Shop and Greenpeace International campaign, Choose Positive Energy. (Body Shop & Greenpeace, Choose Positive Energy campaign, 18 Jan. 2002)

Government exporting global warming, say campaigners [UK]: Environmental campaigners today accused the government of 'exporting global warming' after it was revealed that the UK has put up billions of pounds to fund fossil fuel projects in the developing world...The new research was released this morning at a briefing by Greenpeace and the Body Shop to promote the 'Choose Positive Energy' campaign which is running in 27 countries and designed to bring renewable energy to the two billion people without access to electricity. (Greenpeace & Body Shop, 18 Jan. 2002)

EPA to move residents away from Missouri smelter [USA]: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will offer temporary relocation to about 100 households in Herculaneum, Missouri, while crews cleanse contamination emanating from the town's century-old lead smelter [owned by Doe Run Lead Co.] (Zach Howard, Reuters, 18 Jan. 2002)

Hazardous Waste: Experts At Geneva Meeting Adopt New Guidelines - Experts from 100 countries meeting in Geneva this week have adopted new technical guidelines under the auspices of the Basel Convention on the Control of the Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal in an effort to better protect health and the environment from improper disposal of plastic wastes. (UN Wire, 18 Jan. 2002)

China says Kyoto pact benefits both rich and poor: China, one of the world's worst polluters, yesterday pushed for early passage of the embattled Kyoto accord to curb global warming, calling it a win-win deal for industrialised and poorer countries alike. (Jonathan Ansfield, Reuters, 18 Jan. 2002)

EU clamps down on ozone pollution: The European Union is to clamp down on ozone pollution - the main component of smog which can be lethal to severe asthma sufferers - under new rules passed by the European Parliament yesterday. (Reuters, 18 Jan. 2002)

US utility pollution lawsuits detailed: The U.S. Justice Department said this week it would continue to prosecute seven lawsuits filed by the Clinton administration against coal-fired utilities which allegedly expanded old plants without installing new air pollution controls [companies sued were FirstEnergy Corp, Duke Energy Corp, Vectren Corp's Southern Indiana Gas & Electric Co, Dynegy Inc's Illinois Power, Cinergy Corp, American Electric Power Co and Southern Co] (Reuters, 17 Jan. 2002)

• Bush admin won't drop utility pollution lawsuits:...green groups said it was a hollow victory because the emissions law is likely to be relaxed in the future (Chris Baltimore, Reuters, 17 Jan. 2002) 

Nigeria: Focus on environmental remediation in oil region - ...To help deal with the huge environmental damage caused by oil spills, Shell (the biggest operator in Nigeria which has most of its operations onshore and is, therefore, responsible for most of the spills) has evolved a scheme whereby communities are involved in the remediation efforts. (IRIN - U.N. Integrated Regional Information Network, 17 Jan. 2002)

Integrating Human Rights and the Environment Within the United Nations: Submission of the Science and Human Rights Program of the American Association for the Advancement of Science to the Joint OHCHR-UNEP Seminar on Human Rights and the Environment (Audrey R. Chapman and Sage Russell, Science and Human Rights Program Directorate for Science and Policy Program, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 16 Jan. 2002)

Pataki Recognizes New York's Green Achievers: New York Gov. George Pataki honored...companies Monday for their efforts to reduce pollution at its source and promote cleaner air, land, and water in New York State [G. Willikers, IBM East Fishkill, IBM Endicott] (GreenBiz.com, 16 Jan. 2002)

Utah Brewery [Uinta Brewing Company] Chooses 100% Wind Power [USA] (Environmental News Network, 16 Jan. 2002)

Suffolk Business [Suffolk Proteins Limited] prosecuted for watercourse pollution [UK] (Environment Agency [UK Government], 16 Jan. 2002)

Greenpeace will not attend Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum:...In a letter sent to WEF President Klaus Schwab [by Greenpeace]...reference was made to a joint initiative of Greenpeace and the WEF last year regarding Climate Change at Davos 2001. The CEOs of the automotive industry were invited to discuss the entry into force and the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change, but Greenpeace said that there was no follow up because of lack of co-operation on the part of the WEF (Greenpeace, 16 Jan. 2002)

New Poll Sets Agenda for Corporate Responsibility in India [findings include: Public expectations of corporations on social and environmental matters are high and rising; Gender discrimination is a prominent issue in the workplace; Workers and management have sharply diverging perceptions of labour conditions including child labour issues] (TERI-Europe [London affiliate of Tata Energy Research Institute in New Delhi] and New Academy of Business, 16 Jan. 2002)

• full report: Altered Images: Understanding and Encouraging Corporate Responsibility in India (Ritu Kumar, David F. Murphy & Viraal Balsari; TERI-Europe & New Academy of Business, 2001)

Freudenberg Renews Global Labour Agreement With ICEM: Leading nonwoven and allied products multinational Freudenberg has renewed its global agreement with the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM). First signed in July 2000, the agreement covers trade union rights, workplace equality, protection of health, safety and the environment and a ban on child labour and forced labour. (ICEM - International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions, 15 Jan. 2002)

Wiltshire building company fined for river pollution [UK]: A Wiltshire building company has today been ordered to pay £3,925 in fines and costs by magistrates for discharging oil into a Westbury river. (Environment Agency [UK Government], 15 Jan. 2002)

Aerial Herbicide Spraying Violates Human Rights of Peasants and Indigenous Communities in Colombia and Ecuador: Earthjustice Urges the UN Commission on Human Rights to Act - The statement claims that the aerial spraying and drift of an herbicide mixture over vast areas of the Colombian and Ecuadorian countryside by private U.S. defense contractors with military protection is harming peasants and indigenous communities and depriving them of “their rights to a clean and healthy environment, health, life, sustenance, property, inviolability of the home and family, and access to information.” (Earthjustice, 15 Jan. 2002)

Settlement Reached on Air Pollution Lawsuit in California's San Joaquin Valley: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency agrees to end its years of neglect -...EPA’s lengthy period of neglect of air quality planning has particularly grave consequences in San Joaquin Valley, whose residents suffer from high rates of respiratory diseases, while big agricultural interests and the oil industry have repeatedly stymied the local Air District from making progress. (Earthjustice, 15 Jan. 2002)

Seminar to review environment and human rights links held a decade after Earth Summit (United Nations, 15 Jan. 2002)

UK Bank Offers Green Mortgages: Co-operative Bank...has gone out on a limb to provide its customers a "carbon-neutral" mortgage product. The bank conducts free energy checks on financed buildings to determine how much carbon is needed to operate them. It then plants trees in Uganda to offset the projected emissions while helping indigenous populations. (Susan Wennemyr, SocialFunds.com, 14 Jan. 2002)

Western European companies dump toxic ships on Turkish beach: Greenpeace holds EU partly responsible for poisoning [comments on ship-scrapping in Turkey; calls on EU to demand its ship industry remove hazardous substances from ships prior to export] (Greenpeace, 14 Jan. 2002)

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: Toepfer Calls For Flexibility - U.N. Environment Program Executive Director Klaus Toepfer [said] he is encouraged by the attention that was given to the environment, poverty and sustainable development at the World Trade Organization's November ministerial conference in Doha, Qatar. Toepfer said more flexibility in dealing with those issues is needed ahead of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (UN Wire, 14 Jan. 2002)

China kick-starts nationwide pollution cleanup: China will spend 65 billion yuan ($7.85 billion) and set strict environmental control targets to kick-start a five-year clean-up of smoggy skies, polluted lakes and sludge-filled rivers, state media said on the weekend (Reuters, 14 Jan. 2002)

Bush signs multimillion-dollar toxic cleanup law: U.S. President George W. Bush last week signed a law giving states and localities as much as $200 million a year to clean up thousands of abandoned and toxic industrial sites (Claire Soares, Reuters, 14 Jan. 2002)

Bush Seeks Aid for World Bank, Conditionally: President Bush will ask Congress to base future increases in aid to poor countries on evidence that the aid is actually bringing progress in such areas as education, trade and the environment, administration officials said. (Adam Clymer, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2002)

Rich Countries Dump Plastic Wastes in India: At a time when Indian cities and the rural countryside are reeling under a plastic waste crisis, official import data indicates that India has been a favoured dumping ground for plastic wastes...The imports included wastes of highly toxic plastics such as PVC (poly vinyl chloride), exported primarily from United States, Taiwan, the Netherlands, Japan, France, UK and Belgium. (NoPE - No Plastics in the Environment, 11 Jan. 2002)

Air's bad, neighbors say; company denies polluting:..Residents [in 3 communities of southwest Detroit, USA]  have filed a joint lawsuit against the company [National Steel Corp.], alleging it is polluting their neighborhoods. (Dan Shine & Shawn Windsor, Detroit Free Press, 11 Jan. 2002)

NY sues 2 power firms over air pollution rules: New York state officials said on Thursday they have filed a federal lawsuit against Niagara Mohawk Holdings, Inc. and NRG Energy, Inc. alleging violations of the Clean Air Act at two coal-burning power plants in western New York (Reuters, 11 Jan. 2002)

Shanks waste services prosecuted for offences at Newton Longville landfill site [UK] (Environment Agency [UK Government], 11 Jan. 2002)

Chirk company [Kronospan Limited] fined £60,000 [UK]:...The company had pleaded guilty to six charges relating to contravention of conditions of its consent to discharge effluent into the Afon Bradley (Environment Agency [UK Government], 10 Jan. 2002)

State of the World: More connected, less stable: The world needs a global war on poverty and environmental degradation that is as aggressive and well funded as the war on terrorism, reports State of the World 2002, which was released today by the Worldwatch Institute, a Washington D.C.-based research organization. (Worldwatch Institute, 10 Jan. 2002)

GOLDEN RICE: Future Of Biotechnology On The Line, Newspaper Reports - Opponents charge...that the rice could damage the environment and disrupt traditional agriculture. They say companies such as Syngenta, Pharmacia and Pharmacia subsidiary Monsanto know the rice will never deliver on its promises but are using it as a public relations tool while they plot to reap huge profits after crowding out other strains in developing countries. (UN Wire, 10 Jan. 2002)

• Seeds of Discord: The battle over golden rice (Kitta MacPherson, Star-Ledger [New Jersey], Jan. 2002

China's environmental outlook bleakens: China needs to place more attention on environmental protection as a growing population and rapid urbanization threaten to wreak havoc on an already perilous ecological balance, Premier Zhu Rongji has warned...Environmental authorities had to lift their performance and not be lax in their enforcement, he added. (CNN, 10 Jan. 2002)

Californian court to hear chromium lawsuits [claims of chromium poisoning] against PG&E (Reuters, 10 Jan. 2002)

Phase-out of Mercury Thermometers Continues to Rise: In response to shareowner action campaign, most large pharmacy chains are voluntarily phasing out mercury thermometers. The campaign is now turning to the health care industry. (William Baue, SocialFunds.com, 10 Jan. 2002) 

Guatemala president slams sugar growers for fires (Reuters, 10 Jan. 2002)

India "Plays Into Hands" of Polluters, Say Environmentalists (Kalyani, OneWorld South Asia, 9 Jan. 2002)

Ecosystem Crisis Looms over North America [Canada, Mexico, USA]: North America's natural environments face a "widespread crisis" due to vanishing biodiversity, says a new report by the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation [report required by NAFTA]. (Environment News Service, 9 Jan. 2002)

China Faces Problems With Trade; Experts Say It Needs Greener Product Design: China, now part of the World Trade Organization, has had many of its exported products returned...because of the so-called “green barrier” - a series of international trade standards designed to protect the environment and health safety of countries importing goods (Business for Social Responsibility, 9 Jan. 2002)

ALBANIA: UNEP [U.N. Environment Programme] Assessment Says Refinery Is Major Pollution Source (UN Wire, 9 Jan. 2002)

Book Review: Sustainable Finance and Banking [Sustainable Finance and Banking: The Financial Sector and the Future of the Planet, by Marcel Jeucken] (William Baue, SocialFunds.com, 9 Jan. 2002)

Phillips [Phillips Petroleum], Equilon [owned by Royal Dutch/Shell]  fined for California air violations (Reuters, 9 Jan. 2002)

Attorneys Allege Bush Fails as an Environmental Defender [USA]: In the first year of George W. Bush's presidency, environmental protections have taken a back seat to industry concerns, according to attorneys who represent environmental groups in court. (Environment News Service, 8 Jan. 2002)

U.K. Urged to Pressure Big Firms on Environmental Record (Kalyani, OneWorld South Asia, 8 Jan. 2002)

• Big businesses fail green end of year report [UK]: In what is a major end-of-year embarrassment for the Prime Minister, big businesses have failed to meet Tony Blair's only environmental challenge: to publish environmental reports by the end of 2001...Friends of the Earth responded today by calling on Blair to end the “cosy-voluntary relationship” with big business on green issues, and to start forcing companies to take action on the environment. (Friends of the Earth, 4 Jan. 2002) 

Stop the Chop - new guide to buying wood without wrecking forests:...The new edition of the Good Wood Guide, published by Friends of the Earth and Fauna & Flora International, provides expert advice on where to find reclaimed wood and wooden furniture - as well as tips on finding Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified wood products which come from sustainably managed forests. (Friends of the Earth, 8 Jan. 2002)

CFC gas [used in air conditioning & refrigerators] smuggling in poor nations poses threat to ozone layer (Tony Smith, Associated Press, Environmental News Network website, 8 Jan. 2002)

USDA [U.S. Department of Agriculture], soybean groups study new China GMO [genetically modified organisms] rules (Reuters, 8 Jan. 2002)

• China issues GMO  details, effective from March 20:...overseas firms that export GMO products to China must obtain safety certificates from the ministry certifying the goods are harmless to humans, animals or the environment. (Reuters, 7 Jan. 2002)

Documentary exposing how NAFTA's Chapter 11 has become private justice for foreign companies - Bill Moyers Reports: Trading Democracy Reveals How An Obscure Provision Hidden In NAFTA Can Cost Taxpayers Millions Of Dollars When Multinational Corporations Sue The Government Over Environmental And Health Laws That Threaten Their Profits (Global Exchange, 7 Jan. 2002)

Thai PM says gas pipeline needs more assessment: Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra on Saturday called for further environmental assessment of a controversial Thai-Malaysian gas pipeline project (Reuters, 7 Jan. 2002)

Call to 'Embarrass' Companies into Responsibility: The European Commission should embarrass companies into adopting corporate social responsibility policies rather than trying to regulate them into doing so, according to the latest issue of Ethical Performance. In an editorial setting out its position on the EC's green paper on CSR, the monthly business newsletter says the voluntary approach to CSR "is not working" (GreenBiz.com, 4 Jan. 2002)

Walden Asset Management Announces Shareholder Advocacy Actions for 2002 [includes shareholder resolutions on the following issues & companies: Climate Change - Exxon Mobil, ChevronTexaco and Occidental Petroleum; Mercury Pollution - J.C. Penney and HCA; Indigenous Peoples' Rights - Lehman Brothers; Sweatshop/Vendor Standards - TJX, Kohl's, Delphi Automotive, Hasbro, Sears and Lowes; Health Risk Caused by Cigarette Filters - Eastman Chemical; Drug Accessibility - Abbott, Bristol-Myers Squibb; impact of drilling in environmentally sensitive areas - BP Amoco] (Walden Asset Management, 4 Jan. 2002)

EGYPT: Officials Say Progress Made On Reducing Annual Smog Cloud -...Egypt's Agriculture Ministry provided Nile Delta rice farmers with 400 compacting and bundling machines this summer so they could cut back on burning rice straw (UN Wire, 4 Jan. 2002)

'Ten Shades Of Green' Illuminates Sustainable Architecture:...Low energy/high performance refers to limiting fossil fuel consumption as much as possible. Replenishable sources should be used for both building materials and energy for the building. By using recycling features, architects can limit a building's waste and pollution. (Environmental News Network, 3 Jan. 2002)

The 21st Century Needs Corporate-Driven Globalization  (Michael Garrett [senior manager at Nestlé] and Jean-Pierre Lehmann [Professor of International Political Economy at the International Institute for Management Development] in International Herald Tribune, 3 Jan. 2002)

• letter to the editor: Regarding "The 21st Century Needs Corporate-Driven Globalization" (Opinion, Jan. 3) by Michael Garrett and Jean-Pierre Lehmann:...Economic change involves choices about how best to protect consumers, public health, the environment and other matters. If these choices are dictated by corporations, the overriding criteria will be short-term profit. (Jim Shultz, in International Herald Tribune, 10 Jan. 2002)

Tough emission norms to cost Indian refiners $7 bln: Indian refineries need to invest 350 billion rupees ($7.25 billion) in the next eight years to improve the quality of fuels to abide by strict emission norms, a government report said...The report...also said India's automobile industry would need to invest about 250 billion rupees on technology to reduce emissions from vehicles. (Reuters, 3 Jan. 2002)

Local residents [Tambogrande, Peru] express environmental concern over gold mine [Canadian mining company Manhattan Minerals Corp.] (Eduardo Orozco, Reuters, 3 Jan. 2002) 

Mining Company Gets Protection in Legislation Pushed by Daschle [U.S. Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle]:...With little debate, lawmakers agreed to relieve the company, Homestake Mining, of any legal liability that it might have for damage done to the environment in digging gold from the Black Hills [in South Dakota] over the last 125 years. (Robert Pear, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2002)

INDONESIA: Report Warns Exploitation Of Resources Boosts Risk Of Conflict - Exploitation of Indonesia's vast natural resources is escalating, leading to a greater risk of communal conflict, according to a new report by the International Crisis Group. [refers to upsurge in illegal logging, mining & fishing]. (UN Wire, 2 Jan. 2002)

• Indonesia warned on natural resource exploitation (Reuters, Environmental News Network website, 24 Dec. 2001)

• press release: Indonesia: Unfair exploitation of resources fosters conflict (International Crisis Group, 20 Dec. 2001)

• text of report: Indonesia: Natural Resources and Law Enforcement (International Crisis Group, 20 Dec. 2001)

Honduras looks to develop northern coast; Garifuna fight to keep beaches (Traci Carl, Associated Press, Environmental News Network website, 2 Jan. 2002)

Market forces foster sustainable forestry - Government rules become less relevant [USA]:...Corporations such as Home Depot and Lowes that the [environmental] groups once picketed are helping them protect millions of acres of pristine Canadian wilderness. And Boise Cascade, the current target of the Rainforest Action Network´s old-growth forest market campaign, and other companies are advocating third-party audits of their forest practices to demonstrate their stewardship. (Rocky Barker, Idaho Statesman, 2 Jan. 2002)

Bush administration sued [by 3 environmental organisations] over failure to comply with first President Bush's law [Energy Policy Act, requiring federal agencies to buy vehicles that run on alternative fuels] (Earthjustice, 2 Jan. 2002)

FISHING: UNEP Says Developing Countries' Fish Stocks Need Safeguards - Based on new research [conducted in Senegal & Argentina], the U.N. Environment Program warned last week that developing countries that allow foreign fishing fleets to fish in their territorial waters could stand to lose a great deal more than they might gain...."Many local people rely on fish for their livelihoods and as a key source [of] protein needed for health and well-being" (UN Wire, 2 Jan. 2002)

Monsanto Hid Decades Of Pollution [USA]: PCBs Drenched Ala. [Alabama] Town, But No One Was Ever Told -...for nearly 40 years, while producing the now-banned industrial coolants known as PCBs at a local factory, Monsanto Co. routinely discharged toxic waste into a west Anniston creek and dumped millions of pounds of PCBs into oozing open-pit landfills. And thousands of pages of Monsanto documents -- many emblazoned with warnings such as "CONFIDENTIAL: Read and Destroy" -- show that for decades, the corporate giant concealed what it did and what it knew. (Michael Grunwald, Washington Post, 1 Jan. 2002)

• In Dirt, Water and Hogs, Town Got Its Fill of PCBs - Unknowing Residents Have Little Left but Lawsuits [regarding Monsanto's conduct in Anniston, Alabama] (Michael Grunwald, Washington Post, 1 Jan. 2002)

• Polluter cover-up contains a lesson: When the fish slid out of their skin and died in the polluted stream near a Monsanto Co. plant in Alabama, the company's managers were alarmed. Their fear? Bad publicity. This story of corporate indifference to public health has important lessons for Texans. (editorial, Austin American Statesman [Texas], 3 Jan. 2002) 

• Solutia shares drop on chemical dumping worries: Shares of chemicals company Solutia Inc. fell 25 percent on Thursday as investors reacted nervously to a newspaper article alleging dumping of potentially toxic chemicals by Monsanto Co., Solutia's former parent. (Reuters, 7 Jan. 2002)

Bush yanks "blacklisting" for federal contractors: The Bush Administration will no longer consider a business' record of environmental, tax or labor abuses when handing out federal contracts, overturning a rule put in place on former president Bill Clinton's last day in office. (Andy Sullivan, Reuters, 1 Jan. 2002)

Pollution linked with birth defects in U.S. study: Women exposed to air pollution during pregnancy are more likely to give birth to children with heart defects, researchers reported on Saturday. (Maggie Fox, Reuters, 1 Jan. 2002)

No more solvent abuse! Making print and paper greener: While many small printers struggle just to stay afloat, a few are pioneering cleaner, greener techniques – and saving themselves money into the bargain. And now print is poised on the threshold of the biggest revolution since movable type. (Tony Laycock / Martin Wright, Green Futures, Jan.-Feb. 2002)

The Big Ugly at Ok Tedi:  In an extraordinary move, the Papua New Guinea (PNG) government has passed legislation that prevents any government agency from taking or supporting “in any way” proceedings against the mining multinational BHP-Billiton “in respect of an environmental claim” over damage caused by the Ok Tedi mine. (Bob Burton, editor of Mining Monitor, in Multinational Monitor, Jan./Feb. 2002)

• company website: Ok Tedi Mining (OK Tedi Mining Limited)

Death in Small Doses: A report documenting Cambodia's pesticide problems and solutions (Environmental Justice Foundation, Jan. 2002)

{···español} Responsabilidad Empresarial, Derechos Humanos, Y Ambiente: Jurisprudencia Internacional De Derechos Humanos En Casos De Degradación Ambiental Empresarial [Presentado en Porto Alegre, Foro Social Mundial] (Romina Picolotti, fundadora y directora del Programa Acceso a la Justicia del Centro de Derechos Humanos y Medio Ambiente [CEDHA], enero 2002)

Draft International Legislation on Human Rights and Environment:...The draft legislation is inspired from a wide variety of international legal doctrines that include human rights and environment. It is grounded in the belief that the full enjoyment of our human rights are profoundly linked to the state of the environment. (CEDHA-Center for Human Rights and Environment & CIEL-Center for International Environmental Law, Jan. 2002)

Interview with Sir Robert Wilson, Chairman, Rio Tinto [on subjects including sustainable development] (Ethical Corporation magazine, Jan. 2002)

BT, responsibility and the triple bottom line: Ethical Corporation magazine talks with Chris Tuppen, Head of Sustainable Development and Corporate Accountability, British Telecommunications plc about their CSR policies and reputation, customer management and HR issues (Ethical Corporation magazine, Jan. 2002)

Amici Curiae - Teodoro Cabrera Garcia and Rodolfo Montiel Flores v. The State of Mexico - presented by The Center for Human Rights and Environment (CEDHA) & The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) - to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights [refers to logging industry & Boise Cascade] (CEDHA & CIEL, 2002)

Natural beauty - Dominique Conseil describes how his company [Aveda] has set out to provide a business model for environmental sustainability (Dominique Conseil, President of Aveda, in Our Planet, published by U.N. Environment Programme, 2002)

• {···español} Belleza natural - Dominique Conseil describe cómo su empresa [Aveda] puso en marcha la decisión de crear un modelo comercial para la sostenibilidad medioambiental. (Dominique Conseil, Presidente de Aveda, Our Planet, Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Medio Ambiente, 2002)

• {···français} Une beauté naturelle - Dominique Conseil décrit comment sa société [Aveda] s’efforce d’être un modèle commercial de durabilité environnementale. (Dominique Conseil, Président de Aveda, Our Planet, Programme des Nations Unies pour l'environnement, 2002) 

Disneyland or diveristy? Wendy Brewer Lama and Nikhat Sattar describe how serious impacts on mountain biological and cultural diversity by the world’s fastest growing industry is causing growing interest in ecotourism (Wendy Brewer Lama & Nikhat Sattar, in Our Planet, published by U.N. Environment Programme, 2002)

• {···español} ¿Disneylandia o diversidad? - Wendy Brewer Lama y Nikhat Sattar explican cómo el daño ocasionado a la diversidad biológica y cultural de las montañas por la industria de más rápido crecimiento del mundo está despertando creciente interés en el ecoturismo (Wendy Brewer Lama & Nikhat Sattar, Our Planet, Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Medio Ambiente, 2002)

• {···français} Disneyland ou diversité? - Wendy Brewer Lama et Nikhat Sattar décrivent comment les dommages causés à la diversité culturelle et biologique des montagnes par l’industrie la plus dynamique du monde produisent un intérêt croissant pour l’écotourisme (Wendy Brewer Lama & Nikhat Sattar, Our Planet, Programme des Nations Unies pour l'environnement, 2002)

Progress and possibilities: David Anderson assesses what has been achieved in controlling chemicals that endanger human health and the environment and sets out priorities for further action [includes section: "The hazards of poverty": We know that people living in poverty can also be disproportionately affected by exposure to chemical hazards.] (David Anderson, Canada’s Minister of the Environment & President of UNEP Governing Council, in Our Planet, published by U.N. Environment Programme, 2002)

• {···español} Progreso y posibilidades: David Anderson evalúa los progresos logrados en la tarea de controlar los productos químicos que ponen en peligro la salud y el medio ambiente y propone prioridades para futuras medidas

• {···français} Progrès et possibilités: David Anderson fait le bilan de ce qui a été fait pour réglementer les produits chimiques dangereux pour la santé humaine et pour l’environnement, et présente les priorités de l’avenir

Wake-up call: Sheila Watt-Cloutier describes the Inuit fight against chemical pollution that threatens their health and culture (Sheila Watt-Cloutier, President of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference Canada, in Our Planet, published by U.N. Environment Programme, 2002)

• {···español} Una llamada para despertar al mundo: Sheila Watt-Cloutier describe la lucha del pueblo inuit contra la contaminación de los productos químicos que está amenazando su salud y su cultura

• {···français} La sonnette d’alarme: Sheila Watt-Cloutier décrit le combat des Inuit contre la pollution chimique qui menace leur santé et leur culture

Environmental and Social Responsibility Resolutions Filed for 2002 [relating to ExxonMobil] (Campaign ExxonMobil)

Pricing the priceless: Cost-Benefit Analysis of Environmental Protection -...Cost-benefit analysis is a deeply flawed method that repeatedly leads to biased and misleading results. (Lisa Heinzerling & Frank Ackerman, Georgetown Environmental Law and Policy Institute, Georgetown University Law Center, 2002)