Work of prominent climate change denier was funded by energy industry
A prominent academic and climate change denier’s work was funded almost entirely by the energy industry, receiving more than $1.2 million from companies, lobby groups and oil billionaires over more than a decade, newly released documents show. Over the last 14 years Willie Soon, a researcher at the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics, accepted more than $1.2 million in money from the fossil-fuel industry while failing to disclose that conflict of interest in most of his scientific papers. The documents were obtained by Greenpeace through freedom of information filings. They show that Dr. Soon, in correspondence with his funders, who included Southern Company, ExxonMobil and the American Petroleum Institute, described many of his scientific papers as “deliverables” that he completed in exchange for their money. Soon did not respond to requests for comment. But he has in the past strenuously denied his industry funders had any influence over his conclusions. (The New York Times; The Guardian)
Benetton agrees to contribute to Rana Plaza compensation fund
Italian fashion brand Benetton has agreed to contribute to a compensation fund for victims of the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh, nearly two years after more than 3,000 people making clothes for western brands were injured or killed. The move comes after more than 1 million people signed a petition on the campaigning site Avaaz. Benetton is the last of the major retailers who sourced from the eight-floor building to back the fund, and has promised to confirm the amount it will pay before the second anniversary of the disaster on 24 April. Campaigners are hoping the brand will make up the $9 million required to meet the $30 million total that would fully compensate victims and their families. Originally the company backed a separate victim support scheme led by Brac, a Bangladeshi development organisation. But pressure groups, such as the Clean Clothes Campaign and Labour Behind the Label, said the scheme did not amount to proper compensation. (The Guardian)
Strategy
Target to double “Made to Matter” organic and sustainable product brands
American retailer Target has declared that it will increase its “Made to Matter” product line, which includes a variety of brands that are made with organic and sustainable ingredients. Made to Matter launched last year, with the roll out of iconic brands including Burt’s Bees, Annie’s Homegrown, Clif Bar, EVOL, method and Target’s own private label product line. Last Friday, the retail giant announced it would almost double the number of brands from 16 to 31, and the company expects sales from these labels to reach $1 billion in 2015. According to the company, more products are in the pipeline, including juice cleanses, water filters, baby food and vitamins. So far Made to Matter has been a success for Target. If all of these products were bundled under one label, it would be a top ten brand in terms of sales. (Triple Pundit)
International Development
Somalia faces financial crisis as banks cut remittances
According to a report by the charity Oxfam and development agency Adeso, Somalia could be facing a financial crisis after the last major US bank stopped money transfers to the country and to the Dadaab and Kakuma refugee camps in Kenya. The move follows a statement by United States Treasury undersecretary David Cohen that remittances could be funding terrorism and money laundering. Remittances wired home by expatriates account for more than one-quarter of Somalia’s GDP. A fortnight ago, California-based Merchants Bank closed all its accounts with Somali money transfer operators and Australia’s Westpac Bank has announced that it will soon follow. The move follows a similar decision in 2013 by Barclays. Oxfam Somalia Country Director Enzo Vecchio said more than 40 per cent of people living in Somalia rely on remittances to meet their basic daily needs, and unless governments take action many Somali families will struggle to survive. (The East Africa)
Circular Economy
Report: Scotland could use oil price crash to kick-start carbon capture
One consequence of the recent oil price decline has been big cuts in North Sea oil exploration and the accelerated decommissioning of related infrastructure. Shell’s recent announcement that it is to begin decommissioning the Brent Delta platform is one example of this. While this is bad news for Aberdeen and other centres of the extraction economy, decommissioning also brings opportunities. Recent research by Green Alliance explores circular economy opportunities for Scotland, including the potential for recycling or reusing old rig infrastructure. The most ambitious solution would be not to remove the infrastructure at all but to repurpose it as part of a new carbon capture and storage (CCS) network. This would lower the cost of decommissioning and help to get CCS up and running sooner and more cost effectively. Shell’s proposed Peterhead CCS project already incorporates pipeline reuse, showing that this is a viable option, according to Jonny Hazell, senior policy adviser at Green Alliance. (The Guardian)
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