Obama touts progress on climate, calls for economic help for coal states
President Obama took credit in his final State of the Union address on Tuesday for surging growth in solar and wind power during his seven years in office. Obama framed the expansion of renewable energy as an economic success story: “Why would we want to pass up the chance for American businesses to produce and sell the energy of the future?” he asked. He called for stepping up investment in communities hurt by the decline of fossil fuels, alluding to plans announced last year to expand jobs and training in coal states. The White House is also expected to announce a proposed regulation to limit emissions from oil and gas operations on federal land. Obama suggested that the world had moved beyond the debate over climate change, despite a large caucus of sceptics in Congress. “Look, if anybody still wants to dispute the science around climate change, have at it,” he said. “You’ll be pretty lonely, because you’ll be debating our military, most of America’s business leaders, the majority of the American people, almost the entire scientific community, and 200 nations around the world who agree it’s a problem and intend to solve it.” (Washington Post)
Lobbying
Bayer revises position to propose extra protections for bees from pesticides
Chemicals and pharmaceuticals giant Bayer has said it has put forward proposals for extra protections for bees after initially accusing the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of overestimating the harm caused to the vital pollinators by a widely used pesticide. A preliminary risk assessment released by the EPA last week found that that imidacloprid, one of the world’s most common pesticides, can cause honeybee populations to fall in some circumstances. Bayer, who initially said the report appeared to overestimate the potential for harmful exposures, has now clarified its stance, saying it believes the assessment is “quite good and scientifically sound”. The EPA is in the process of reviewing the impact of three other neonicotinoids on bees and other species, with the outcome set to be unveiled in December. But environmentalists have accused the EPA of being too slow to assess the harm caused by pesticides to bees and have urged the regulator to follow Europe in banning them. (Guardian)
Sanders is first to sign ‘Fix Democracy’ pledge rejecting fossil fuel cash
Bernie Sanders is the first US presidential candidate to sign onto an ambitious “Fix Democracy” pledge launched by Greenpeace and more than 20 other organisations, including Friends of the Earth and the Rainforest Action Network. In doing so, Sanders rejects campaign contributions from the fossil fuel industry and pledges to support a “people-powered democracy”. “A critical way for candidates to show they support a people-powered democracy is by rejecting fossil fuel money and supporting voters’ rights,” said Annie Leonard, executive director at Greenpeace USA. “Our democracy is in crisis,” reads the letter sent this week to all major presidential candidates from both parties. “Never before have corporations and special interests wielded so much power at the expense of ordinary Americans.” The group holds less hope for Republican candidates and for Sanders’ chief rival Hillary Clinton. Along with GOP hopefuls Jeb Bush and Ted Cruz, Clinton is among the 2016 campaign’s top three beneficiaries of contributions from oil and gas employees. (CommonDreams)
Human Rights
US top court rejects Nestlé bid to throw out child slavery suit
The US Supreme Court has rejected a bid by Nestlé and food processing companies ADM and Cargill to throw out a lawsuit seeking to hold them liable for the use of child slaves to harvest cocoa in Ivory Coast. The plaintiffs, who were originally from Mali, contend the companies aided and abetted human rights violations through their active involvement in purchasing cocoa from Ivory Coast. While aware of the child slavery problem, the companies offered financial and technical assistance to local farmers in a bid to guarantee the cheapest source of cocoa, the plaintiffs said. The case focused in part on a 2013 Supreme Court decision regarding Royal Dutch Shell that made it harder for plaintiffs to sue corporations in US courts for abuses alleged to have occurred overseas. In the Nestlé case, the appeals court said the plaintiffs could update their lawsuit to see if they could meet the higher burden required under the Supreme Court ruling. Several business groups, including the US Chamber of Commerce, urged the court to hear the case. (Thomson Reuters Foundation)
Lego changes bulk buy policy after Ai Weiwei backlash
Lego has said it is reversing its policy on bulk purchases and will no longer ask customers what they want to use the bricks for. The U-turn follows a recent controversy involving Chinese artist Ai Weiwei known for his criticism of the Chinese government, to whom the company refused to sell its bricks directly. At the time, the company said its policy was to reject requests if it believed the bricks would be used to make a political statement. Ai, who wanted the bricks for an artwork on political dissidents, accused the company of censorship, and ended up using bricks donated to him by the public. In a statement posted on its website on Tuesday, Lego said it used to ask customers ordering bulk purchases for the “thematic purpose” of their project, as it did not want to “actively support or endorse specific agendas”. As of 1 January the company will instead ask that customers make clear the group does not support or endorse their projects, if exhibited in public. (BBC)
Image source: image by estefania17 / Public domain
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