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  Environment & human rights: General materials July 2001  

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July 2001:

Business gears up for Earth Summit: Business leaders from all over the world will gather in Paris in October for the first major meeting of the new environmental initiative, Business Action for Sustainable Development (BASD). Charged with the task of setting a business agenda for next year's Earth Summit in Johannesburg, more than 150 industry leaders have registered to attend the BASD Strategy Meeting at ICC headquarters, October 9-10. (Business Action for Sustainable Development, 31 July 2001)

Brazil sees a new forest for the trees: The reconstruction of [41,500 acres of] the Atlantic Forest, one of the world's most diverse and endangered wooded areas, was under way. The restoration project has been made possible by an unusual collaboration between Brazilian ecologists and U.S. multinational corporations [General Motors and American Electric Power]. They [the multinationals] hope to one day recoup their investment from institutions that will pay big companies, through the much-vaunted carbon sequestration market, to keep the atmosphere clean. (Andrew Downie, Washington Times, 31 July 2001)

BIOTECHNOLOGY: US Codex Task Force Member Derides UN - A US delegation member on the UN's Codex Alimentarius Commission chides the United Nations in a Wall Street Journal letter today, saying that the "UN's repeated insistence upon excessive, unscientific biotechnology regulation will slow agricultural research and development, promote environmental damage and bring famine and death to millions in developing countries." (UN Wire, 30 July 2001)

EnBW says to invest millions of marks in renewables: Germany's third biggest utility EnBW said last week it plans to invest "millions of marks" in renewable energy projects. (Reuters, 30 July 2001) 

Garment industry plagued by poor environment, low wages: A recent study conducted by the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare has exposed the unhealthy and polluted working environment in the garments sector. The study also recommended that the ministry impose a minimum investment ceiling of Dh7 million in order to obtain a licence for a garment factory to ensure owners create a healthy working environment.  (Saifur Rahman, Gulf News [United Arab Emirates], 29 July 2001)

Hard Times for Coffee Farmers: Latin America is littered with monuments to the boom-bust history of tropical cash crops: the moldering palaces of rope-fiber growers in the Yucatan, Central America's abandoned banana plantations, the crumbling mansions of sugar barons in Cuba. But no bust has been crueler than the current collapse of coffee prices. Few have sparked such massive displacement of small-scale farmers and crops, or posed such a threat to the environment. (Mark Stevenson, Associated Press, 27 July 2001)

More than 300 firms sign up for UN Global Compact: Though it so far has little to show for its efforts, participating firms are to post their techniques for dealing with the many labor, human rights and environmental challenges spawned by globalization on the program's Web site in October.  Doyle [U.N. Assistant Secretary-General Michael Doyle] acknowledged the program's form was in part dictated by a recognition that the corporate world was unwilling to accept binding global standards on corporate governance.  But environmental and human rights groups that have been participating in the program from the start said they were nonetheless underwhelmed by the Global Compact's achievements to date.  "Viewing the program solely as a learning experience represents a wasted opportunity in assuring corporate responsibility," said Arvind Ganesan, the Washington-based director of business and human rights programs for Human Rights Watch. "The progress we expected on moving beyond just a learning forum hasn't occurred yet."  Ganesan of Human Rights Watch said that since the program had issued guidelines on how businesses should behave, it should at least try to assure the guidelines were being applied, for example by procuring goods only from responsible companies.  (Irwin Arieff, Reuters, 27 July 2001)

Hudson River Cleanup Clash to Echo in U.S.: If EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] scales back PCB dredging plan, environmentalists fear a pattern of future policy rollbacks by Bush. - At the heart of the struggle is whether the General Electric Co. can be forced to clean up the Hudson River, which has become the nation's largest Superfund cleanup site. The company's plants along the river flooded the waterway with more than 1 million pounds of PCBs--chemicals linked to cancer in humans and animals--until the practice was banned by the federal government in 1977. (Josh Getlin, Los Angeles Times, 27 July 2001)

U. S. Could Lose on Climate: With the United States opting out of the Kyoto climate treaty, American businesses may be left on the sidelines while the rest of the world plays a new game: pollution trading. (Geir Moulson, Associated Press, 27 July 2001)

Carrots and sticks to turn big business greener: Stricter environmental laws, flagged by last week's climate change conference, have companies scrambling to link investment strategies to making money from helping save the planet.  Governments from 186 countries returned home from a climate change meeting in Bonn with the task of making the 1997 Kyoto protocol on combatting global warming into law. (Andrew Callus, Reuters, 27 July 2001)

Lieberman may subpoena Bush environmental records: [U.S.] Democratic Sen. Joseph Lieberman said yesterday he may decide as early as today whether to seek what would be the first congressional subpoenas against the Bush administration.  Lieberman, chairman of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, said he wants to know whether there was any undue industry influence in the administration's decision to roll back environmental regulations. (Thomas Ferraro, Reuters, 27 July 2001) 

Alaska oil spills raise worries ahead of ANWR vote: Oil spills on Alaska's North Slope have raised environmental hackles, days before a Congressional vote on the Bush administration's plan to open the nation's arctic refuge to oil drilling.  The incidents, which include last week's 420-gallon (10-barrel) oil spill from a pipeline in Prudhoe Bay - a field that sprawls over roughly 400 square miles (1,036.000 sq km) of tundra - have drawn concern that even routine oil operations in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) would cause lasting environmental damage. (Richard Valdmanis, Reuters, 27 July 2001)

Study links pesticides to male infertility: French and Argentine researchers produced new evidence today showing that exposure to pesticides and solvents could be contributing to falling sperm counts and rising levels of male infertility. (Reuters, 27 July 2001)

Thousands ill as Phnom Penh air pollution doubles: Tens of thousands of residents of the Cambodian capital are suffering respiratory problems as construction activity has increased dust levels, a senior government official said yesterday. (Reuters, 27 July 2001)

Attempt To Weaken Clean Air Standards Called An Attack On Public Health [USA]: Industry Up To Old Tricks Again (Earthjustice, 27 July 2001)

CLIMATE CHANGE: US Will "Do Our Own Thing," Says Whitman [US Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christie Whitman] (UN Wire, 27 July 2001)

Officials Yield on Environment Papers: The Bush administration has agreed to allow a Senate committee access to documents involving decisions to roll back several major environmental regulations, avoiding a potential legal confrontation with Congress. (H. Josef Hebert, Associated Press, 27 July 2001)

Hard Times for Coffee Farmers: Latin America is littered with monuments to the boom-bust history of tropical cash crops: the moldering palaces of rope-fiber growers in the Yucatan, Central America's abandoned banana plantations, the crumbling mansions of sugar barons in Cuba. But no bust has been crueler than the current collapse of coffee prices. Few have sparked such massive displacement of small-scale farmers and crops, or posed such a threat to the environment. (Mark Stevenson, Associated Press, 27 July 2001)

'Cause coffees' produce a cup with an agenda: 'Shade-grown,' 'fair trade' and other eco-friendly, socially aware blends of java are attracting consumers (Patrick McMahon, USA Today, 26 July 2001)

CHEMICAL SAFETY: Documents Available Free on Internet - The World Health Organization yesterday announced that thousands of chemical safety documents are now available free at the Web site of the International Program on Chemical Safety, a joint effort of the WHO, the International Labor Organization and the UN Environment Program. (UN Wire, 26 July 2001)

Shell, MOSOP Break Truce: The peace agreement reached between the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) and Shell Petroleum Development Company at the Port Harcourt sitting of Oputa Panel has broken down as representatives of Ogoni are now accusing SPDC [Shell] of insincerity. (P.M. News [Lagos, Nigeria], 26 July 2001)

Nigerian commission arranges Shell-Ogoni meeting: Nigeria's human rights commission yesterday arranged for a meeting in September between Shell and Ogoni leaders to discuss the possibility of the oil company resuming operations in the Ogoniland region. (Cletus Akwaya, Reuters, 26 July 2001)

Japan business body says hard to meet Kyoto target: Japanese industry is already so energy efficient that it will be difficult for Japan to reach the emission cut target set out in the Kyoto climate treaty, an official at Japan's largest business body said in an interview.  (George Nishiyama, Reuters, 26 July 2001) 

UK water industry says climate change threat urgent: Climate change will hit water and wastewater services first and most strongly, and preparations to combat the threat must start now, Britain's water industry body Water UK said yesterday. (Reuters, 26 July 2001)

High Time for UN to Break 'Partnership' with the ICC [International Chamber of Commerce]: The ICC has a long history of vigorously lobbying to weaken international environmental treaties and these efforts have continued even after the group has pledged support for the Global Compact principles. For instance, rather than "supporting a precautionary approach to environmental challenges," Principle 7, and rather than undertaking "initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility," Principle 8, the ICC promotes a narrow corporate agenda, dominated by the commercial interests of some of the world's most environmentally irresponsible corporations - an agenda that often effectively undermines a precautionary approach and basic environmental responsibility. (Corporate Europe Observatory, 25 July 2001)

Environmentalists sue to halt federal clean water violations by Pacific Lumber Co. in Northern California: Charging that Pacific Lumber Company is illegally dumping pollution and violating the Clean Water Act, the Environmental Protection Information Center ("EPIC") filed a federal lawsuit today in the United States District Court to challenge logging operations in one of the most imperiled watersheds on California's North Coast. (Earthjustice and Environmental Protection Information Center, 25 July 2001)

HUMAN GENOME: Warning on gene therapy - Social causes must not be overlooked - Public health policy-makers should not rely too heavily on gene therapy to help cure diseases, warned a British molecular biologist....Many "incurable" diseases resulted from toxicity from pesticides and chemical use, not only from genetic impairment. (Anchalee Kongrut, Bangkok Post, 25 July 2001)

ORANGE ORCHARDS: Growers face curbs on pesticides, water use and expansion [Thailand]: Local leaders move against health risks - Local leaders have agreed to contain any further expansion of orange orchards in Chiang Mai's Mae Ai district to limit pesticide contamination. A meeting of the tambon administration organisations in the district yesterday hoped the measures would reduce health risks faced by villagers. (Onnucha Huttasingh, Bangkok Post, 25 July 2001)

Loggers try to demonise environmental groups as 'terrorists': Emboldened by their powerful new friends in the White House, some of America's most prominent lumber and mining companies have launched an offensive against grassroots environmental activists. They are trying to associate them with "terrorist" acts of sabotage and urging the government to strip them of tax-exempt charitable status. (Andrew Gumbel, Independent [UK], 25 July 2001)

Global warming: sue the US now - The prospects for poor countries look so bleak that we could be experiencing the end of development. The trickle of investment they receive focuses on exploiting natural resources. Getting the resources to tackle climate change seems impossible. But there is an action of last resort. A group of especially threatened small island states, or a country like Bangladesh, could act as the focus for a test case for the emerging international legal architecture. Perhaps it is time to take the US to court. It could happen in a variety of ways. But, even if existing legal machinery proved ineffective, we could follow the successful example of the international criminal court and create a new legal forum. (Stephen Timms, New Economics Foundation, in Guardian [UK], 25 July 2001)

U.S. and the Kyoto protocol: The United States of America as the world's leading producer of industrial pollutants ought to be in the vanguard of the crusade for environmental purity and the conservation of global resources for development....In Africa and other non-industrial regions, it is an irony that some countries are already suffering the repercussions of a problem to which they have made the least contribution. The greenhouse gas emissions are produced from industrial machines, vehicles and similar contrivances. The industrialised countries are mostly responsible. In other words, the U.S. and its allies are directly hurting the rest of humanity. For the sake of profit for investors, these big polluter nations are making the world unsafe for those who cannot afford the cost of any mitigation. The price is already being exacted from Nigeria, which is expected to spend billions of dollars just to maintain the same spot relative to the present position of the ocean line. (editorial, Guardian [Lagos, Nigeria], 25 July 2001)

Gas flaring: Erring firms may lose licences - All forms of gas flaring on Nigerian soil must stop by year 2004. And that is final. Any oil company that defaults in this regard risks forfeiting its operating licence. Minister of State for Environment, Dr. Imeh Okopido, gave this stern warning yesterday at a forum of the Third World Colloquium on Environment organised by the African Maritime Limited in Lagos yesterday, thus dashing all hopes by jittery oil companies of possible shift in government position on the issue. (Tola Akinmutimi, Guardian [Lagos, Nigeria], 25 July 2001)

Papers see Bonn as political win, environment loss: European newspapers yesterday hailed the hard-fought compromise on the Kyoto climate accord as a political victory over the United States, but questioned how much environmental value the new deal would have. (Reuters, 25 July 2001) 

A statement/submission presented by Mr. Ron M. Van Den Berg Managing Director, The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC), To The Human Rights Violations Investigation Commission [Nigeria] - 24/07/01 (Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited, 24 July 2001)

Earthjustice lawsuit challenges EPA's failure to control pollution from consumer and commercial products [USA] -  Emissions from Paints, Aerosols Threaten Public Health: Challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s fundamentally dysfunctional air toxics program, Earthjustice has filed seven lawsuits each day for a week. Today’s final suit addresses EPA’s failure to regulate pollution from consumer and commercial products, such as paints, aerosol sprays, and solvents. (Earthjustice, 24 July 2001)

Landmark victory for public health & the environment [USA]: Court Rules EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] Regulations For Hazardous Waste Burners Inadequate - Earthjustice today secured a landmark victory for public health and the environment pertaining to critical clean air standards. In its ruling today, the United States Court of Appeals struck down as inadequate and unlawful EPA regulations for incinerators and cement kilns that burn hazardous waste. Earthjustice filed suit on behalf of the Sierra Club in 1999 to challenge the EPA regulations. (Earthjustice, 24 July 2001)

CLIMATE CHANGE: Annan, Other Leaders React To Bonn Compromise - Commentators Consider US Role After Bonn (UN Wire, 24 June 2001)

What they said at the Bonn climate conference: Here are some quotes from key players at the climate summit in Bonn where world governments clinched a historic deal yesterday to save the Kyoto protocol on cutting emissions of greenhouse gases. (Reuters, 24 July 2001)

Official Blames Acid Rain, Stress, Others On Gas-Flaring: Gas-flaring, which has become a regular feature in the Niger Delta region for several decades, has been blamed for ecosystem heat, stress and acid rain, including the destruction of fresh water-fishes, forests and property. [Nigeria] (Guardian [Lagos, Nigeria], 24 July 2001)

Toxic Texas is Bush’s heartland: During Mr Bush’s six-year stint as governor, Texas became number one among the 50 states for ozone precursor emissions. Two years ago, Houston - the state’s biggest city - took Los Angeles’ place as the smog capital of America. With five other major metropolitan areas in Texas, it was warned by the federal environmental protection agency that its smog levels threatened health. (Robert Tait, The Scotsman [Edinburgh], 24 July 2001)

{···español} México ocupa el lugar 73 en sustentabilidad ambiental entre 122 naciones: El Plan Puebla-Panamá, en riesgo de inviabilidad ecológica, advierte el Cespedes (David Zuñiga, La Jornada [Mexico], 23 julio 2001)

Earthjustice Lawsuit Demands EPA Compliance with Congressional Mandate [USA]: Challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s own failure to comply with the Clean Air Act, Earthjustice today filed the sixth of seven lawsuits against EPA on behalf of Sierra Club. Today’s lawsuit addresses EPA’s failure to report to Congress on its own progress -- and that of the States -- in implementing the Clean Air Act’s air toxics provisions. (Earthjustice, 23 July 2001)

Agreement at Climate Talks - Now the Hard Work Begins (Greenpeace, 23 July 2001)

Kyoto climate change deal agreed (BBC News, 23 July 2001)

Study sees Earth's temperature soaring by 2100: The Earth will become a much hotter place over the next century, according to researchers who predict in a study published last week there is a 90 percent chance the planet's average temperatures will rise 3 to 9 F (1.7 to 4.9 C) by 2100. Researchers at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, used a computer model to predict probable long-term increases in the Earth's temperature if no actions are taken to curb the emissions of gases and pollutants that many scientists blame for global warming. (Will Dunham, Reuters, 23 July 2001)

Cambodia moves to axe illegal logging: The Cambodian government last week approved legislation designed to curb illegal logging by imposing stiff prison sentences and hefty fines on offenders. (Reuters, 23 July 2001) 

Study estimates environmental costs of energy output: The cost of producing electricity from coal or oil would double if costs such as damage to the environment and health were taken into account, according to the results of a study published last week. The cost of electricity production from gas would increase by 30 percent if these so-called "external costs" were factored in, the European Union-funded research study found. (Reuters, 23 July 2001)

G8 plan for Africa pointless without renewable energy support (joint statement by Greenpeace, WWF and ECA Watch, 22 July 2001)

BP: a friend of the earth? [regarding FTSE4GOOD]: Jill Insley explains how the oil giant became a 'socially sound' investment: A fund holding shares in oil and pharmaceutical companies is unlikely to meet most people's definition of an environmentally or socially sound investment. So it's not surprising that FTSE4Good, new stock market indices intended to track the prices of socially responsible companies which include BP, Shell, GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca, have attracted heavy criticism. (Jill Insley, Observer [UK], 22 July 2001)

UNEP Welcomes New African Environment Initiative (United Nations Environment Programme [UNEP], 20 July 2001)

NAFTA Panel Examines Air Pollution: Electricity plant emissions and waste made up the largest portion of industrial pollution in Canada and the United States in 1998, according to a report issued Friday. (Associated Press, in Las Vegas Sun, 20 July 2001)

UN climate expert warns on greenhouse gases: The world's emissions of greenhouse gases must begin to fall within as little as 10-15 years if it is to avert the worst impacts of climate change, a prominent climate expert said on Friday. (Vanessa Houlder, Financial Times, 20 July 2001)

Unchecked incinerator pollution underscores pervasive problem: Toxic Emissions from Many Categories Remain Uncontrolled - While the Environmental Protection Agency flounders with a dysfunctional regulation program for air toxics, unchecked pollution threatens Americans’ health. To address EPA’s regulatory lapse, Earthjustice filed today the fifth of seven lawsuits against EPA on behalf of Sierra Club. (Earthjustice, 20 July 2001)

Federal officials [in USA] hold public hearing in midst of worst refinery polluters in the nation: Communities Hold Rally Demanding Bush Administration Enforce Clean Air Act (Earthjustice, 20 July 2001)

Kyoto or not, US group to trade greenhouse gases: As diplomats weigh the future of the ailing Kyoto global warming pact in Bonn through next week, a group of US-based traders in the heartland aims to help cut greenhouse gas emissions by creating a market for the right to produce them.  Chicago Climate Exchange (CCE), headed by former Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) economists, is building the world's first market for greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane. (Timothy Gardner, Reuters, 20 July 2001) 

Pacific's Tuvalu looks for help as it slowly sinks: Tiny Tuvalu, which could be submerged by a rising Pacific Ocean within 50 years, has reached out for help to save its people but so far has had little luck with regional heavyweight Australia. (Paul Tait, Reuters, 20 July 2001) 

ENVIRONMENT-US: Old Computers A Toxic Time Bomb (Lili Beit, Inter Press Service, 20 July 2001)

Roadmap points the way ahead for biotechnology: Business experts serving on ICC [International Chamber of Commerce] commissions covering environment, trade and investment, intellectual property and marketing have combined to draw up a Global Roadmap for Modern Biotechnology. The roadmap contrasts business and government positions on all the basic issues under debate, including promoting innovation, building consumer trust and health and environmental issues. (International Chamber of Commerce, 20 July 2001)

G8's impotence in reforming their export credit agencies: NGOs call on G8 governments to soon adopt high level binding common environmental guidelines for their Export Credit Agencies. (Halifax Initiative, 19 July 2001)

World Bank Incorporates Environmental Concerns into Lending Programs: A new strategy that aims to integrate environmental concerns into the World Bank's lending programs was approved by the bank's Board of Directors Wednesday. (Environment News Service, 19 July 2001)

World Bank adopts new, sounder environmental strategy: The World Bank on Wednesday said it had adopted a new environmental strategy that would ensure that development in poor countries does not come at the cost of pollution and degradation of natural resources. (Reuters, 19 July 2001) 

Two jailed Mexican logging activists lose appeal: A Mexican court rejected an appeal on Tuesday by two Mexican peasant activists jailed two years ago while leading an anti-logging protest, a defense lawyer said. (Reuters, 19 July 2001)

Teflon frying pans release host of chemicals - study: Frying eggs got a whole lot easier when Teflon was invented in the late 1930s, but Canadian researchers warned on Wednesday that the nonstick coating is releasing chemicals into the environment that take centuries to break down and whose long-term effects are unknown. (Ian Karleff, Reuters, 19 July 2001)

World Bank Launches New Environment Strategy Document stresses environmental concerns must be fully 'mainstreamed' into all Bank activities: The World Bank's Board has endorsed a new environment strategy that aims to further integrate environmental concerns into the Bank's projects and programs.  The result of two years of consultations across the globe and through the Internet, the strategy will ensure economic growth does not come at the expense of people's health and future opportunities because of pollution and degraded natural resources and ecosystems.  "We have strived to integrate environment into the development agenda of the Bank because sustainability is at the heart of development," said Ian Johnson, Vice President for the Bank's Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development Network.  (World Bank, 18 July 2001)

Financial Sector Responding To Climate Change - Impatient With Pace Of Political Progress: At a meeting here today, senior executives from leading financial companies told government officials gathered in Bonn for the climate change negotiations that key business sectors, facing both liabilities and opportunities associated with global warming, will see a new investment dynamic emerge. The bankers and insurers predicted that capital will shift from "carbon fuels toward renewable energy, efficiency programmes, and advanced public transit systems." (United Nations Environment Programme [UNEP], 18 July 2001)

Bush, Koizumi torched over climate change: Visiting lawmakers expressed exasperation with the US administration's stance on global warming on Monday and urged Japan to break ranks with Washington. The visit to Washington by parliamentarians from Japan, South Africa and Europe came on the first day of UN talks in Bonn, Germany, to save the 1997 Kyoto Protocol on climate change. (Danielle Knight, Inter Press Service, in Asia Times, 18 July 2001)

Earthjustice lawsuit challenges EPA's failure to crack down on supertoxins: EPA [U.S. Environmental Protection Agency] Fails to Protect Americans from Worst of Toxic Air Pollutants - Continuing to stress the need for stronger and timelier implementation of clean air safeguards, Earthjustice today filed the third of seven lawsuits challenging the federal government’s chronic failure to protect Americans from the health hazards of toxic air pollution. Representing Sierra Club, Earthjustice is filing one lawsuit each day for a week, to compel EPA to do its job. Today’s lawsuit focuses specifically on supertoxins – dioxins, PCBs, and mercury as well as four other pollutants that Congress singled out for especially careful regulation. (Earthjustice, 18 July 2001)

Air pollution kills 3 lakh [300,000] in South Asian cities a year: Survey - The World Bank has stressed the need for launching out a strong campaign to create public awareness about urban pollution and halting the use of high emitting two-stroke engines that cause premature deaths in cities and their suburbans, reports BSS. (Independent [Bangladesh], 18 July 2001)

Pipeline Repaired Despite Community Protest: A pipeline rupture in southeastern Nigeria that caused the spillage of 10,000 barrels of crude oil and forced two major refineries to shut down temporarily has been repaired despite opposition by affected communities, officials said on Tuesday. (UN Integrated Regional Information Network, 18 July 2001)

Bush administration seeks to delay water cleanup: The Bush administration late Monday sought to delay a Clinton administration regulation designed to clean up more than 20,000 polluted rivers, lakes and other bodies of water across the United States. (JoAnne Allen, Reuters, 18 July 2001) 

Firms Challenged Over Environment [Kenya]: Manufacturers have been told to observe international environmental standards or risk global sanctions. Environment and Natural Resources Minister Katana Ngala said the world market is rejecting goods whose production generated harmful substances or led to over-utilisation of natural resources. (Ngumbao Kithi, The Nation [Nairobi], 18 July 2001)

Ex-Republican senator aims at power plant emissions [USA]: Vermont Sen. Jim Jeffords, who quit the Republican party, giving control of the Senate to the Democrats, said on Tuesday that as head of the Senate Environment committee he would try to cap US power plant emissions to help curb global warming. (Reuters, 18 July 2001)

Vanishing Pacific island group appeals to be saved: A tiny South Pacific group of atolls is appealing for help on the Internet to stop its 500 people vanishing into the ocean because of rising sea levels they blame on climate change. [Taku'u, Papua New Guinea]  (Michael Christie, Reuters, 18 July 2001)

Texaco to Put Pollution Devices Back on Its Wells: Texaco Inc. has agreed to outfit two Central Valley [California] oil fields with air pollution control devices and pay $568,000 for removing the equipment in the first place, the federal government announced. (Los Angeles Times, 17 July 2001)

Planning a Thorough Revamp of Green Laws [South Africa]: The environmental affairs and tourism department is embarking on a comprehensive law reform programme which will bring SA's environmental law in line with the constitution and international environmental law. The new laws will force businesses to clean their act when it comes to complying with environmental standards such as air and noise pollution. The reforms will also tighten loopholes businesses have used to avoid taking responsibility for their actions. (Sanchia Temkin, Business Day [Johannesburg], 17 July 2001)

Earthjustice lawsuit challenges EPA's failure to control hazardous air pollution in cities [USA]: Missed Deadlines Leave Urban Areas Waiting for Public Health Protections - Responding to a rash of missed clean air deadlines, Earthjustice today filed the second of seven lawsuits challenging the federal government’s chronic failure to protect Americans from the health hazards of toxic air pollution. Earthjustice represents Sierra Club in its second suit this week against the Environmental Protection Agency.  Today’s lawsuit challenges EPA’s failure to implement a key requirement in the Clean Air Act: the Act’s mandate to reduce emissions of the hazardous air pollutants that are the greatest threat to public health in urban areas. These pollution sources include chemical plants and various types of waste incinerators, among others, but the list is incomplete and most of the sources remain unregulated. (Earthjustice, 17 July 2001)

San Joaquin Valley [California] Medical, Community and Environmental Groups Announce Upcoming Lawsuit To Enforce Clean Air Act: At Fresno City Hall, medical, community, and environmental groups announced their intention to sue both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District in 60 days for failure to stop the air pollution that threatens the health of all San Joaquin Valley residents....Agriculture: Polluter and Victim  (Earthjustice, 17 July 2001)

Half of the country's factories are ignoring the air pollution laws: Surprise inspections of factories around the country by Environment Ministry officials last year revealed an trend toward ignoring air pollution regulations. Polluting emissions at about half of the 49 factories inspected were above acceptable limits. (Zafrir Rinat, Ha'aretz [Israel], 17 July 2001)

EU urged to focus farm reform on environment: Reform of the EU's Common Agricultural Policy should require farmers to earn the right to subsidies based on better environmental use of land, European industrialist Lord Haskins said this week. (Reuters, 17 July 2001)

Earthjustice lawsuits challenge widespread defects in federal toxics program [USA]: First of Seven Suits Seeking Timely Clean Air Regulations Filed Today - Earthjustice today filed the first of seven lawsuits challenging the federal government’s chronic failure to protect Americans from the health hazards of toxic air pollution. The defendant is the very agency tasked with providing such protection: the Environmental Protection Agency. The plaintiff is Sierra Club. To compel EPA to do its job, Earthjustice will file one lawsuit each day for the next week.  All seven lawsuits address EPA’s failure to establish controls for such highly toxic air pollutants as dioxins, PCBs, and mercury ¾ pollutants that even in tiny doses can cause devastating health effects.  (Earthjustice, 16 July 2001)

Slowly but surely, clean water becomes reality in China: The Chinese Ministry of Water Resources announced Friday that it will launch a project to improve environmental conditions around the Cetian reservoir in central China. The site has been polluted heavily by industry, and is also home to one of China's nuclear missile bases. The ministry will invest $209 million to control pollution around the reservoir which is a major source of potable water in that area. "Coal, the chemical industry, medicines, and gasoline are the main sources of pollution here," said Zhang Hai, an official with the Environmental Protection Bureau which supervises the project. (Anjuli Bose, Earth Times News Service, 16 July 2001)

Oil Spill: Abia Communities Send SOS to FG, State: The Umuagu-Umuhu and Ihite-Ude Ofeme communities in Abia, currently being ravaged by oil spillage, have sent a distress call to the state and federal governments for urgent assistance, especially in the provision of potable water. [Nigeria] (Tony Edike, Vanguard [Lagos], 16 July 2001)

Greenhouse melts Alaska's tribal ways: As climate talks get under way in Bonn today, some Americans are ruing the warming their president chooses to ignore (Duncan Campbell, Guardian [UK], 16 July 2001)

Smog Feared in Power Buildup Electricity: Bush administration's plan for up to 1,900 plants over 20 years poses a threat to air quality, especially in the Midwest and South, experts say. [USA] (Gary Polakovic, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2001)

Oil Firms to Clear Spillage Mess, Government Orders [Nigeria]: The Federal Government has directed that all oil companies involved in oil spillages in their areas of operation must take full responsibility of clearing up the environment they messed up. (This Day [Lagos], 16 July 2001)

European Timber Trader Linked with Liberian Arms Trafficking: In an open letter sent to the DLH Group today in Denmark, environmental and human rights organizations called upon the company’s Chief Executive Officer to stop dealing with Liberian logging companies implicated by the United Nations in arms trafficking. (Greenpeace/Nepenthes/Global Witness, 16 July 2001)

ASIA: Warming-Induced Drought Linked To Starvation: From Afghanistan to North Korea, a record lack of rainfall caused by global warming is destroying crops and forcing tens of millions deeper into poverty, Associated Press reports. Five million face starvation in Afghanistan and Tajikistan alone, according to the United Nations.  (UN Wire, 16 July 2001)

G8 report sees renewables as key energy for poor:  Green energies like wind and solar power could play a major role in improving the lives of millions of the world's poorest people, says a report to be handed to world leaders at a summit in Genoa, Italy next weekend.  The report, co-written by Mark Moody-Stuart, the chairman Anglo-Dutch oil giant Royal Dutch/Shell, says the G8 countries should aim to ensure renewable energies reach one billion people by the end of the decade, according to a draft seen by Reuters on Friday. (Robin Pomeroy, Reuters, 16 July 2001)

US business looks beyond the Kyoto "quagmire" [regarding Global Climate Coalition (GCC), the anti-Kyoto business association] (Patrick Connole, Reuters, 16 July 2001)

China to be keen observer at Bonn climate talks: China, cited by President George W. Bush as a key reason why the United States walked away from a treaty aimed at cutting greenhouse gases, said on Friday it would send observers to next week's climate talks in Germany....Most developing countries like China are waiting for developed countries to take the lead in reducing emissions.  But some experts say China, the world's most populous country and home to many of the world's most polluted cities, is cleaning up its act even without the force of treaty obligations. (Paul Eckert, Reuters, 16 July 2001)

13 Negri projects violate EIA [environmental impact assessment]: The state department of environment (DOE) has found that more than half of projects in Negri Sembilan which require environmental impact assessments have violated the EIA conditions.  The state DOE report for last year showed that of the 21 projects involved, 13 had failed to abide by the main conditions in the EIA. [Malaysia] (Hah Foong Lian, The Star [Malaysia], 16 July 2001)

Energy Firms Give Commitment to Environment Friendly Operation: The American energy consortium, AES Nigeria Barge Limited, which has taken over the construction of the Lagos State Independent Power project from Enron has reiterated commitment to minimising environmental impact in course of carrying out its operation and service to the state through improved technology. (Vanguard [Lagos], 16 July 2001)

Resort nation of Maldives looks to eco-tourism: The resort nation of the Maldives, critical of other countries for being lax on global warming, is working hard to ensure its own practices are environmentally friendly. (Scott McDonald, Reuters, 16 July 2001)

BP Joins Alliance to Save Energy; Only Oil Company Partners With 70 Leading Companies In Their Industries Promoting Energy Efficiency - The first petroleum company in the world to recognize climate change as a threat to the environment, BP today becomes the only oil company to join the Alliance to Save Energy, which includes 70 other leading companies in their industries that are committed to promote energy efficiency domestically and overseas. (Alliance to Save Energy, 16 July 2001)

Bush cuts 'green' aid to Third World:  President George W Bush is undermining attempts by Third World countries to develop renewable sources of energy and fight global warming, The Independent on Sunday can reveal.  He is planning to slash US aid to help them combat climate change, and is watering down a personal initiative by Tony Blair for the world's richest countries to promote solar, wind and other clean energy in developing nations.  (Geoffrey Lean, Independent on Sunday [UK], 15 July 2001) 

DTI [United Kingdom Department of Trade and Industry] courts 'ethical' Shell in drive to develop green energy: The Government is in talks with Shell to try to persuade the oil giant to invest in developing renewable energy plants in the UK.  Shell recently announced it would invest between $500m (£360m) and $1bn (£650m) in renewable energy worldwide – and the Government wants a significant chunk of this to be spent in Britain.  (Heather Tomlinson, Independent [UK], 15 July 2001) 

Serious Concerns Regarding Forest Certification: Many forest conservationists, myself included, have eagerly embraced forest certification, particularly standards set by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), as a promising tool to protect forests. However, it is rapidly becoming apparent that certification is no panacea, and serious flaws in the principles of forest certification pose real dangers to the World's forests. (Glen Barry, President, Forests.org, 14 July 2001)

Project Launch: It is with pleasure that Global Witness takes up its position as the Independent Observer of the forest sector in Cameroon....Those companies identified of breaking Cameroonian Law will be regularly identified and sanctioned. [appointment of Global Witness as an independent observer by the Government of Cameroon, Ministry of Environment and Forestry] (Global Witness, 13 July 2001)

Rio Tinto: Global Compact Violator - PT Kelian: A Case Study of Global Operations - In the third article in our series on Global Compact corporations, Danny Kennedy of Project Underground takes a look at Rio Tinto, the world's largest mining company. Just by looking at the company's practices at one mine in Indonesia over the last year, he finds evidence of brutal human rights and environmental violations. (Danny Kennedy, Project Underground, CorpWatch website, 13 July 2001)

Parts of Asia face deadly climate changes and natural disasters: With much of the world transfixed by the goal of economic growth and maintaining oil supplies, parts of Asia face deadly climate changes and natural disasters blamed on pollution and atmospheric warming. (Scott McDonald, Reuters, 13 July 2001) 

Unilever admits to toxic dumping: will clean up but not come clean: Finally conceding to citizens groups and Greenpeace, the Anglo-Dutch multinational Unilever has agreed to permanently close its mercury thermometer factory in India, the largest in the world. While the company will implement a cleanup of 5.3 tons of mercury wastes it illegally dumped at a local scrapyard, it still refuses to accept responsibility for local citizens and workers at the factory in Kodiakanal, who may have been exposed to the highly toxic metal. (Dyan M. Neary, Earth Times News Service, 13 July 2001)

Future climate change could be sudden - scientists: Future changes in the earth's climate may happen suddenly, triggered by man-made factors such as smokestacks and exhaust pipes, scientists said yesterday [at conference in Amsterdam] (Matt Daily, Reuters, 13 July 2001) 

Premcor agrees to cut Illinois refinery pollution: Premcor Inc. agreed to spend $20 million to install new pollution control equipment that will cut emissions of sulfur dioxide and particulates, the US Justice Department said Thursday.  St. Louis-based Premcor, an independent oil refiner, will also pay $2 million in civil penalties for violations of the Clean Air Act, the government said in a statement. The US government and the state of Illinois, where Premcor has an oil refinery, accused the company of making major modifications to the refinery without installing pollution control equipment mandated by the Clean Air Act's so-called new source review requirements. (Reuters, 13 July 2001)

Diesel Cancer Risk Dwarfs All Other Air Toxics Combined: New EPA [U.S. Environmental Protection Agency] Data Reveal Much Higher Than Expected Risk Levels (Environmental Defense, 12 July 2001)

Experts dismiss climate report: A new report which paints a pessimistic future for the world's climate has been dismissed as "scaremongering" by some experts. (CNN.com, 12 July 2001) 

CLIMATE CHANGE: Warming Worse Than Feared, IPCC Says - Earth is heating up faster than at any time in the last 1,000 years, while the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has reached at least a 420,000-year and possibly a 20 million-year high, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said today in a 2,600-page report, Climate Change 2001 (UN Wire, 12 July 2001)

Industrial pollution cause of climate instability: Planet Earth is warming faster than at any time in the past one thousand years and there is little doubt that human activity is to blame, according to the latest and most definitive scientific assessment of climate change. (Steve Connor, Independent [UK], 12 July 2001)

Sunday morning political talk shows ignore corporate power issues [USA] - The study found that: Topics related to corporate power -- the environment, corporate crime, labor, mergers, consumer rights, corporate welfare, national health care, free trade agreements, redlining, blockbusting, multinational capital flight, tort reform, renewable energy, the commercialization of children, etc. -- make up less than 4% of the shows’ discussion topics...Corporate influence over the networks, the shows and the guests in part explains the remarkable omission of issues related to corporate power. Multinational conglomerates own the networks, major corporations sponsor specific shows, businesses regularly pay celebrity journalist lecture fees, and massive corporations fund the campaigns of the guest newsmakers. (Essential Information, 12 July 2001)

Benchmarking Corporate Environmental and Social Reporting: Recent survey examines the environmental and social reporting practices of the 100 largest global firms. With increasing shareowner interest in the environmental and social performance of their companies, more and more firms are trying to meet demand with increased reporting. While international cooperative efforts such as the Global Reporting Initiative are working to standardize such disclosure, companies can find themselves in uncharted territory in the meantime. A recent survey, "The State of Global Environmental and Social Reporting: The 2001 Benchmark Survey," was conducted to help companies gauge their progress on reporting and identify areas that need improvement. (Mark Thomsen, SocialFunds.com, 12 July 2001)

Global warming much worse than predicted, say scientists: Global warming is happening now, caused by human actions, and threatens the Earth with disaster, the world's leading atmospheric scientists insisted yesterday as politicians struggled to repair the Kyoto treaty on climate change which the United States torpedoed in March. (Michael McCarthy, Steve Connor, Richard Lloyd Parry and Stephen Castle, Independent [UK], 12 July 2001)

How the world is threatened by massive change: The effects of relentlessly rising global temperatures in the coming century are likely to be catastrophic for the world, the second volume of the new IPCC report spells out with more chilling confidence than ever before. (Michael McCarthy, Independent [UK], 12 July 2001)

Plantations to be charged with open burning: Eight oil palm plantations around Sibu, which defied the ban on open burning, will face prosecution in court. [Malaysia] (The Star [Malaysia], 12 July 2001)

Washington State/Alaska company sentenced in asbestos case: Great Pacific Seafood and Stiles pleaded guilty to having five of its employees directly or indirectly exposed to asbestos fibers without the proper training, equipment or protective clothing. The hazardous nature of abatement was never disclosed to two of the employees. (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 12 July 2001)

Exxon global warming boycott gets new push: Green protestors widened their boycott campaign against Exxon Mobil on Wednesday and although analysts said retail sales showed no sign of suffering they warned there might be some damage longer term to the oil giant's famous brand. (Stefano Ambrogi, Reuters, 12 July 2001) 

US energy companies propose carbon dioxide emission caps (Reuters, 12 July 2001) 

Ryan alleges environmental violations at former Texaco refinery in Lockport: Allegations of groundwater contamination and open dumping are contained in a complaint filed today by Attorney General Jim Ryan and Will County State’s Attorney Jeff Tomczak against Texaco Refining & Marketing, Inc. which operated a refinery at 301 W. 2nd St., Lockport, for 71 years until it closed in 1981. [Illinois, USA] (office of Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan, 12 July 2001)

Bangkok Conference on Biotechnology Calls for Greater Transparency on GMOs: A three-day international conference in Bangkok on "New Biotechnology Food and Crops: Science, Safety and Society" concluded with recommendations that all stakeholders commit to greater transparency on genetically modified organisms and that governments increase their support for independent and publicly funded scientific research into the risks and benefits of GM foods and crops. (OECD, 12 July 2001)

Bangkok conference on GMOs [genetically-modified organisms] endorses consumers right to know: The rights of consumers are supreme and must be respected. Consumers have an absolute right to know what is in the food they consume stated Suwit Khunkitti, Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand at the OECD Conference on Biotechnology in Bangkok. (Consumers International, 12 July 2001)

New Biotechnology Foods and Crops: Science, Safety and Society -  Bangkok Conference, 10-12 July 2001 (OECD [Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development])

Growing Population Stamps Heavy Ecological Footprint: Speaking on the occasion of World Population Day, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan linked the growing population to ecological stress on the planet's resources. Calling attention to deforestation, pollution and carbon dioxide emissions, he said, "Our ecological footprints on the earth are heavier than ever before." (Environment News Service, 11 July 2001)

Beijing Promises Billions of Spending on Environment for Olympic Bid: Knowing the environmental issue will be a key factor when the International Olympic Committee votes for 2008 Olympic Summer Games host city in Moscow on Friday, Beijing promises to spend more than US$12 billion to transform the city of 13 million residents from one of the most polluted capitals to a green space before the 2008 Games, AFP reported on Tuesday. (China News Digest, 11 July 2001)

Greenhouse emissions back on the rise: Nation's Kyoto goal would require 12.8% cut (Japan Times, 11 July 2001)

CLIMATE CHANGE: Warming Threatens Food Production, Report Says - Forty of the world's poorest countries are likely to face food production losses as high as 25% because of global warming, according to a report to be released today at the opening of the Open Science Conference on global change in Amsterdam. (UN Wire, 10 July 2001)

US: Bush Calls For Reduction In Global Warming Aid - US President George W. Bush wants to cut US aid that would assist developing countries in combating global warming, Associated Press reports. Bush has previously faulted the Kyoto Protocol for excluding developing countries from its target requirements. (UN Wire, 10 July 2001)

Nigeria Loses $5.8bn On Unsustainable Development: Nigeria has been losing an estimated $5.8 billion annually to unsustainable development, the Minister of Environment, Alhaji Moham-med Kabir Sa'id, said in Abuja yesterday. (Tayo Ajakaye, This Day [Lagos], 10 July 2001)

Rosy outlook for wind power as new markets emerge: The wind power sector is seen advancing by leaps and bounds over the coming decade as new countries enter the wind map, delegates said at the end of a five-day wind energy conference and exhibition in Copenhagen.  (Birgitte Dyrekilde, Reuters, 10 July 2001) 

When disaster strikes: What happens when a brand becomes tainted? The oil spills were bad enough, but Shell's reputation went belly up after it was implicated in human rights violations in Nigeria. John Vidal on how it went about revamping its image (John Vidal, Guardian [UK], 9 July 2001)

REPUBLIC OF CONGO: New Deal Makes Rainforest Off-Limits - Under a new deal with the Republic of Congo government announced Friday, timber company Congolaise Industrielle des Bois (CIB) pledged to relinquish its harvesting rights in the Goualogo Triangle rainforest in the north of the country, which has been described by scientists as the most pristine rainforest remaining in Africa. (UN Wire, 9 July 2001)

Japan resists EU pressure to ratify Kyoto treaty: Japan on Monday resisted pressure from the European Union to ratify the ailing Kyoto climate treaty, insisting that US participation was essential if it were to have any meaning. (David Ibison and Michael Mann, Financial Times, 9 July 2001)

UK Green Party plans Esso forecourt picket: Britain's Green Party said on Friday that its members will stage a nationwide picket of Exxon Mobil's Esso brand petrol stations in mid-July in protest at the company's stance on global warming. (Reuters, 9 July 2001)

Business power must be checked (Matt Phillips, senior campaigner at Friends of the Earth, in The Observer [UK], 8 July 2001)

How the world mining industry had to dig itself out of a hole: The chairman of Rio Tinto argues that when his company engaged with its critics, it realised that extraction and sustainable development need not be contradictions (Sir Robert Wilson, Chairman of Rio Tinto, in The Observer [UK], 8 July 2001)

Bush cuts aid to India for reducing global warming: US President George W Bush has proposed a cut in the aid to India and other third world countries to help them combat global warming. (Times of India, 8 July 2001)

Environment Protection Authority to be revived: DC [Deputy Commissioner] - The Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner has assured to revive the District Environment Protection Authority and to take suitable measures against environmental problems arising due to negligence of industries, at a meeting of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board meeting held here on Thursday. (Times of India, 8 July 2001)

Environmental ruling near on Thailand-Malaysia pipeline: Thai environmental authorities are expected this month to decide whether a controversial gas pipeline from the Gulf of Thailand to Malaysia will be allowed to proceed, sources close to the project said yesterday. (Reuters, in Gulf News [Dubai], 7 July 2001)

Pollution on the rise in Hyderabad: More than 80 per cent diseases people suffer in the state are due water borne diseases, according to Principal Secretary, Environment and Forests, V P Jauhari....In spite of more than 200 laws on it, the environment is being destroyed, Mehta [Supreme Court advocate and environmental activist M C Mehta] said adding that when a case is filed against an industry, there was powerful lobbying for the industry but no lobbying for the environment. (Times of India, 7 July 2001)

Banks support environment program: The Bankers Association of the Philippines (BAP) together with the Chamber of Thrift Banks (CTB) and the Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines (RBAP) took a major step in the protection of the environment by launching recently the Banking Sector's Joint Statement on the Environment and Sustainable Development. (Manila Bulletin, 7 July 2001)

Oil spill: Shell suffered a major spill last weekend in the Niger Delta, 'The Guardian' reported on Tuesday. (UN Integrated Regional Information Network, in allAfrica.com, 7 July 2001)

Mobil investigates Australia petrol spill (Reuters, 6 July 2001)

UK study shows policy change needed to help cut CO2: Britain's target of cutting carbon dioxide emissions by 20 percent by 2010 will not be met with current environment and energy government policies, the conclusion of a study from the Forum for the Future highlighted. (Reuters, 6 July 2001) 

Businesses support Kyoto climate treaty: WWF, the conservation organization, welcomes today's call on governments by more than 90 companies grouped together in the "e-mission 55 - Business for Climate " initiative to finalise the Kyoto Protocol. (World Wildlife Fund, 5 July 2001)

New EU law aims to double green energy by 2010: The European Parliament approved a law yesterday that aims to double the share of renewable power in European Union's energy mix by 2010, forming a cornerstone of the EU's climate change policy. (Robin Pomeroy, Reuters, 5 July 2001)  

Esso says concerned over Body Shop's UK boycott move: Esso yesterday expressed dismay over the Body Shop's decision to back a UK boycott of Esso garages in protest at its parent company's stance on global warming and its past record on renewable energy spending (Stefano Ambrogi, Reuters, 5 July 2001) 

Rhodes Ichthyology Head Warns That International Fishing Fleets Are Stripping African Oceans: The discovery in Port Elizabeth that a Taiwanese trawler has been plundering our oceans has highlighted the problem of a lack of policing of international fishing, especially off the African coastline. Rhodes Ichthyology head Dr Peter Britz said in a wide-ranging interview Thursday that there was a widespread problem of territorial and international waters being plundered by foreign fishing fleets. (Mike Loewe, East Cape News [Grahamstown, South Africa], 5 July 2001)

BP to invest 120mln euros in solar cell plant in Spain: BP Plc , the world's number three oil company, said yesterday it would invest 120 million euros ($101.7 million) to set up Europe's largest solar power cell factory in Spain (Reuters, 5 July 2001)

UK report says 60,000 affected by Turkish dam plan: Nearly 60,000 people would have their homes or land flooded by the proposed Ilisu dam project in southeast Turkey, a new report for the British government said yesterday.  Britain's government commissioned the environmental impact report to help decide whether to underwrite participation in the project by British builders Balfour Beatty Plc, part of a consortium negotiating to build the dam across the Tigris river. (Reuters, 4 July 2001) 

States [in USA] ask Ford to remove mercury switches: Ford Motor Co. has been asked by 26 state attorneys general to remove mercury light switches from vehicles getting replacements for their Firestone Wilderness AT tires. (Reuters, 4 July 2001)

Body Shop joins UK Esso boycott over Kyoto stance: The Body Shop said yesterday it will become the first company to publicly back a UK boycott of Esso service stations in protest at its parent company's support for the U.S. withdrawal from the Kyoto climate change pact. (Reuters, 4 July 2001) 

ARESE Launches New European Sustainability Index: ARESE, a Paris-based firm that conducts research on corporate social, environmental and sustainability performance, recently announced the introduction of the first of a series of new indexes.  The first index, the ASPI Eurozone, will track the financial performance of companies in the Eurozone that are leaders in sustainability.  ARESE's ratings for corporate sustainability performance are based on five criteria: community and international civil society; corporate governance; customers and suppliers; health, safety and the environment; and human resources and international labor standards. (Mark Thomsen, SocialFunds.com, 3 July 2001)

Co-op to ban pesticides in food amid health fears: The Co-operative Group, a major UK farmer and retailer, said yesterday it would ban more than 20 pesticides used to produce food worldwide amid fears about their impact on health and the environment. (Elizabeth Piper, Reuters, 3 July 2001) 

Shell to provide solar power for Chinese homes (Reuters, 3 July 2001) 

Government [UK Government] publishes Ilisu Dam report: The Government today published the long-awaited Environmental Impact Assessment of the proposed Ilisu Dam in Turkey. A preliminary review of the EIA summary suggests that it fails to provide assurance that the UK Government conditions of December 1999 will be met. (Friends of the Earth, 3 July 2001)

The Global Alternative [What are the elements of a transnational New Deal, and how do we bring one about? The emerging global social-democratic alternative involves a "grand bargain" between the two wings of the opposition: The developed world would get protection for its social standards, and the developing world would receive the flexibility and capital investment it needs for growth.] (Jeff Faux, American Prospect, 2-16 July 2001)

Time is running out for Japan and the Kyoto Protocol: Statement by Bill Hare, Greenpeace International Climate Policy Director (Greenpeace, 2 July 2001)

ENVIRONMENT-RIGHTS: Amazon Leaders Plan to Intensify Campaigns: Leaders of indigenous communities throughout the Amazon region plan to intensify their struggle against environmental destruction and work to build on recent political gains. The main struggle for environmental and cultural survival in Ecuador, Bolivia and Brazil will be against oil and gas companies, particularly as they move to lay new pipelines and other infrastructure in the biologically rich rainforest region, say indigenous leaders from these countries. [also refers to French Guiana and Suriname] (Danielle Knight, Inter Press Service, 2 July 2001)  

Mexico pushes industry to register toxic emissions (Reuters, 2 July 2001) 

ExxonMobil sued for MTBE spill in Long Island, NY: One of the largest suppliers of drinking water on Long Island sued Exxon Mobil Corp. last week for water contamination by a gasoline additive that was first used to help the environment. (Soo Youn, Reuters, 2 July 2001)

Alaska governor signs cruise ship regulation bill [to combat pollution] (Reuters, 2 July 2001)

ICI pulls out of cocaine war: ICI [British chemicals company] has pulled out of the controversial US project to spray vast areas of Colombia with herbicides in an attempt to eradicate its cocaine and heroin trade.  ICI does not want its name dragged into such a programme, particularly as there have been reports of children in Colombia who have inhaled the chemicals falling ill.  (Antony Barnett and Solomon Hughes, Observer [UK], 1 July 2001)

The NGO-Industrial Complex: A new global activism is shaming the world's top companies into enacting codes of conduct and opening their Third World factories for inspection. But before you run a victory lap in your new sweatshop-free sneakers, ask yourself: Do these voluntary arrangements truly help workers and the environment, or do they merely weaken local governments while adding more green to the corporate bottom line? (Gary Gereffi [Professor of sociology and Director of the Markets and Management Studies Program at Duke University], Ronie Garcia-Johnson [Assistant Professor of environmental policy at Duke University], Erika Sasser [Visiting Assistant Professor at the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences at Duke University], in Foreign Policy, July-Aug. 2001)

Toxics on the Hudson: The Saga of GE, PCBs and the Hudson River (Charlie Cray, Multinational Monitor, July/Aug. 2001)

Sowing Technology: The ecological argument against genetic engineering down on the farm (Craig Holdrege and Steve Talbott, Sierra Magazine, Sierra Club, July/Aug. 2001)

Spinning Science into GOLD: In the pursuit of profit, the biotech industry is manipulating more than genes (Karen Charman, Sierra Magazine, Sierra Club, July/Aug. 2001)

Sleepwalking with the enemy - or waking to the truth? Resource document for seminar "communities confronting mining corporations" [a critical assessment of major initiatives (including Mines, Minerals and Sustainable Development project) aimed at "reforming" mining/natural resource industries, and the responses of various NGOs] (Mines & Communities Website, presented in draft at the London Mining Seminar May 2001 and updated July 2001)

The Bonn Declaration: Third International Forum of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities on Climate Change (July 2001)

New Monsanto and GMO Propaganda: Seeds of Irreversible Change: Multinationals like Monsanto are facing real grassroots opposition in the world, especially over agro-chemicals and GMOs. Monsanto has led the big corporations towards diversionary tactics: they have issued codes of conduct and ethical charters to conceal their real objective of creating value for their shareholders. They are promoting their products as cures for third world hunger and disease, and as an alternative to the dangers of pesticides. They hope to win over a hostile public with advertising. (Agnès Sinai, Le Monde diplomatique, July 2001)