Humanists for Social Justice and Environmental Action supports Human Rights, Social and Economic Justice, Environmental Activism and Planetary Ethics in North America & Globally, with particular reference to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other Human Rights UN treaties and conventions listed above.

Wednesday

Intel's lead on conflict minerals presents a human rights challenge for business

Intel's lead on conflict minerals presents a human rights challenge for business

Intel Corp has spent more than five years figuring out how to rid its supply chain of minerals that finance violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo region, and now it is offering to show other companies how they can do the same.

Intel’s offer to “open source” its methods for verifying that none of its products contain minerals from armed groups involved in the DRC conflict could save other companies significant amounts of
money and give them a head start in meeting new U.S. regulations that require them to certify their products are conflict free.

“For us, this has always been about doing the right thing,” Intel CEO Brian Krzanich said at a meeting in the U.S. Senate offices on Wednesday with DRC officials where he announced the move.

Its decision to work on stanching a multimillion dollar mineral trade - used by rebel groups to finance one of the world’s longest running and most brutal conflicts - stands in contrast to how leading representatives of corporate America have responded to the tragedy.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Business Roundtable and National Association of Manufacturers have sued to overturn or limit the conflict minerals rule, adopted by Congress in 2010. They argued
before the U.S. Court of Appeals in January that it is impractical, too costly, and would force them to make political statements about the content of their products, in violation of their First Amendment freedom of speech rights.

At the heart of their arguments is that business should not \be dragged into fundamentally political issues and that they should not be held responsible for righting the wrongs of the world. Strategically their lawsuit is a pushback against the trend for global corporations to take more responsibility for labour conditions, environment, corruption and human rights - issues that traditionally were the realm of the state...

Voluntary accords have succeeded in setting a commonly agreed set of global standards, said Arvind Ganesan, director of the business and human rights division of Human Rights Watch. The technology industry has agreed on privacy standards; security standards have been negotiated. The United Nations has formed the Global Compact for business members who sign up to a common framework for human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. The U.N. Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in 2011 lay out responsibilities.

But voluntary accords can only help so much. “The strain today is that we never intended voluntary accords to be the only ones. Our thinking was that they would become law because we rarely see companies or governments adopt human rights out of enlightened self interest,” Ganesan said...

In the United States, corporate lobbies have challenged both the extractives disclosure and conflict minerals laws in court, arguing they overreach and impose too heavy a burden on business. Certainly they can carry sizable costs. The Securities and Exchange Commission estimates that about 6,000 companies are affected by the conflict minerals rule and it will cost them between $3 billion and $6 billion to check their supply chain, with ongoing annual costs of  $207 million to $609 million.
This is where Intel comes in. Carolyn Duran, Intel’s director of supply chain, said it took a long time to develop its system for bagging, tagging and verifying minerals as they reach the smelter. Now the costs are manageable and other companies can benefit by learning from its experience.

Elizabeth May to John Kerry on Keystone

Support Elizabeth's Letter to John Kerry | Green Party of Canada

lizabeth May has written to US Secretary of State John Kerry to urge him to reject the proposed Keystone XL pipeline.

- Keystone hurts the Canadian economy:
The Keystone pipeline -- along with the other proposed pipelines across
the country -- would carry unrefined bitumen mixed with “diluents”
(dilbit). These projects would make Canada's economy even more dependent
on the export of unprocessed fossil fuels, leaving us in a vulnerable
position when the carbon bubble bursts.

- Keystone doesn’t promote North American energy security:
As proposed, the diluents which are added to make dilbit would come
from Saudi Arabia,  so dilbit would not be the 100% Canadian product
being advertised. Since the diluents which are added to make dilbit
would come from Saudi Arabia, shipping raw bitumen by pipeline would do
nothing to unplug North American from Middle East energy dependency.

- Keystone won’t replace rail transportation:
We can do the math -- if Stephen Harper succeeds with his plan to
increase oil sands production to 6 million barrels per day (mbd), then
even with Keystone’s capacity of 0.8 mbd and Enbridge’s 0.5 mbd we would
be well short of transporting it all by pipeline. In fact, bitumen
transport by rail would have to increase, creating an even larger load
on our already struggling rail infrastructure

- Keystone limits our ability to reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions:
There is no doubt, based on the US State Department’s report, that
Keystone will lead to growth in the oil sands. And that is what this
issue is about. Reaching Stephen Harper’s goal of 6 mbd is simply not
possible without Keystone XL. At Copenhagen, Canada promised to reduce
CO2 emissions from our 2005 level of 737 megatons (MT) to 607 MT by
2020. Under Stephen Harper’s leadership our emissions are on track to be
734 MT -- all progress on emission reduction at the provincial level is
being wiped out by oil sands growth.

Canada needs a domestic energy strategy and a real climate plan that makes sense.

Add your name in support of Elizabeth’s letter to John Kerry. Together we
can send a message to the Obama administration that this pipeline is in
neither of our countries’ best interest.

Monday

Could Toronto be the next Lac-Mégantic disaster? | The Council of Canadians

Could Toronto be the next Lac-Mégantic disaster? | The Council of Canadians

A poll released by Forum Research this weekend shows that two thirds of Toronto residents feel rail shipments of flammable crude oil should not be allowed through Toronto.

The Toronto Star Reports that,  "out of 1,271 Torontonians aged 18 years or older, 69 per cent said the
dangerous good should not be carried by rail through Toronto."

Most Torontonians don’t know the train that exploded in  Lac-Mégantic was scheduled to pass through Toronto on the old CP rail  line north of Dupont St. a few days later,” said Forum president Lorne Bozinoff.

A leading rail transportation expert Greg Gormack, who has done research for CP, CN and the Canadian government, recently stated, “I’m not an alarmist, but a derailment can occur anywhere. What would happen if a train derailed say over the bridge across Yonge St. or Avenue Rd, right in the heart of the city? It would be cataclysmic!”
Even more alarming is numerous studies have indicated that the dangerous DOT-111 tank cars  — the type involved in July's fiery explosion at Lac Megantic, Quebec — caring highly flammable crude are, "trundling on rail lines through the heart of Toronto in aged tank cars widely recognized as substandard."  This mixture is more volatile than gasoline according to the recent Transportation Safety Board of Canada Report.
DOT-111 cars were flagged as problematic beginning in the 1990s due to their tendency to breach in a derailment. Yet, oil shipments by rail have increased dramatically in Canada to an estimated 140,000 in 2013, Bakkan crude which explosive than traditional crude.
"Also rising in number are the tank cars using the Canadian Pacific rail line that runs through Toronto from the Junction neighbourhood along Dupont St. before curving northward just west of the Don Valley."

Friday

Action Alert: Ontarians, support the legislation to stop for-profit blood collection | The Council of Canadians

Action Alert: Ontarians, support the legislation to stop for-profit blood collection | The Council of Canadians

The World Health Organization recommends a 100% voluntary blood collection
system for safety. Canadian Blood Services does occasionally advertise
when the blood supply is low, but for the most part they’ve been able to
meet their demands, even closing down a clinic in Thunder Bay because there was no need for additional blood....

There is simply no need for for-profit plasma clinics and it puts Canada’s current blood supply at risk. During the 1980s 20,000 Canadians were infected with hepatitis C, 11,000 with HIV.

TAKE ACTION!

The Ontario Liberal government has announced that they will introduce
legislation to stop the practice of for-profit plasma collection.
Please email or call your MPP today to support strong legislation
ensuring the safety of Ontario’s blood supply by making it our goal to
have 100% voluntary blood collection. We need all political parties to
support this very important legislation.

To find the contact information for your MPP please go to: http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/members/members_current.do?locale=en

For Twitter users, please tweet your MPP asking for their public support of a 100% voluntary blood collection system in Ontario.

Tags:

Monday

Gail McCabe to appear on Zoomer TV March 17

OCA: Tell the USDA: Don’t Approve New GMO ‘Agent Orange’ Crops!

OCA: Tell the USDA: Don’t Approve New GMO ‘Agent Orange’ Crops!

Tell the USDA: Don’t Approve New GMO ‘Agent Orange’ Crops!

Take Action:
































































































































































Remember
Agent Orange? The 2,4-D chemical concoction commissioned by the U.S.
Army to defoliate jungles and destroy food crops during the Vietnam
War?


U.S. corn and soybean farmers could soon be using more of this toxic
herbicide than ever before. Unless we convince the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) to put the brakes on plans to approve Dow
AgroSciences’ new “Enlist” brand corn and soy—GMO crops designed to
resist massive doses of 2,4-D herbicide.


Please sign our petitio
- See more at:
http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50865/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=8850&track=FB&tag=FB#sthash.uMeYOaaR.dpuf
Remember Agent Orange? The 2,4-D chemical concoction commissioned by the U.S. Army to defoliate jungles and destroy food crops during the Vietnam War?

U.S. corn and soybean farmers could soon be using more of this toxic herbicide than ever before. Unless we convince the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to put the brakes on plans to approve Dow AgroSciences’ new “Enlist” brand corn and soy—GMO crops designed to resist massive doses of 2,4-D herbicide.

Please sign our petition (at the site above)



Tell the USDA: Don’t Approve New GMO ‘Agent Orange’ Crops!

Take Action:
































































































































































Remember
Agent Orange? The 2,4-D chemical concoction commissioned by the U.S.
Army to defoliate jungles and destroy food crops during the Vietnam
War?


U.S. corn and soybean farmers could soon be using more of this toxic
herbicide than ever before. Unless we convince the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) to put the brakes on plans to approve Dow
AgroSciences’ new “Enlist” brand corn and soy—GMO crops designed to
resist massive doses of 2,4-D herbicide.


Please sign our petitio
- See more at:
http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50865/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=8850&track=FB&tag=FB#sthash.uMeYOaaR.dpuf

Tell the USDA: Don’t Approve New GMO ‘Agent Orange’ Crops!

Take Action:
































































































































































Remember
Agent Orange? The 2,4-D chemical concoction commissioned by the U.S.
Army to defoliate jungles and destroy food crops during the Vietnam
War?


U.S. corn and soybean farmers could soon be using more of this toxic
herbicide than ever before. Unless we convince the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) to put the brakes on plans to approve Dow
AgroSciences’ new “Enlist” brand corn and soy—GMO crops designed to
resist massive doses of 2,4-D herbicide.


Please sign our petitio
- See more at:
http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50865/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=8850&track=FB&tag=FB#sthash.uMeYOaaR.dpuf

Tell the USDA: Don’t Approve New GMO ‘Agent Orange’ Crops!

Take Action:
































































































































































Remember
Agent Orange? The 2,4-D chemical concoction commissioned by the U.S.
Army to defoliate jungles and destroy food crops during the Vietnam
War?


U.S. corn and soybean farmers could soon be using more of this toxic
herbicide than ever before. Unless we convince the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) to put the brakes on plans to approve Dow
AgroSciences’ new “Enlist” brand corn and soy—GMO crops designed to
resist massive doses of 2,4-D herbicide.


Please sign our petitio
- See more at:
http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50865/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=8850&track=FB&tag=FB#sthash.uMeYOaaR.dpuf

Tell the USDA: Don’t Approve New GMO ‘Agent Orange’ Crops!

Take Action:
































































































































































Remember
Agent Orange? The 2,4-D chemical concoction commissioned by the U.S.
Army to defoliate jungles and destroy food crops during the Vietnam
War?


U.S. corn and soybean farmers could soon be using more of this toxic
herbicide than ever before. Unless we convince the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) to put the brakes on plans to approve Dow
AgroSciences’ new “Enlist” brand corn and soy—GMO crops designed to
resist massive doses of 2,4-D herbicide.


Please sign our petitio
- See more at:
http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50865/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=8850&track=FB&tag=FB#sthash.uMeYOaaR.dpuf

Child marriage a human rights violation, advocates say | Amnesty

Child marriage a human rights violation, advocates say | Toronto Star

The issue of child marriage is part of a new Amnesty International campaign, launched ahead of International Women’s Day
on Saturday. In it, the human rights group calls on governments to
secure sexual and reproductive rights, saying the health and safety of
women and girls is under threat.
“It is unbelievable
that in the 21st century some countries are condoning child marriage and
marital rape while others are outlawing abortion, sex outside marriage
and same-sex sexual activity,” Salil Shetty, the group’s secretary
general, said in a statement.

Saturday

UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon pledges support for international campaign to fight FGM - video | Society | theguardian.com

UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon pledges support for international campaign to fight FGM - video | Society | theguardian.com

In a meeting with 17-year-old campaigner Fahma Mohamed from Integrate
Bristol and editors from the Guardian, the UN secretary general, Ban
Ki-moon, praises the power of journalism to bring about change, and
promises to do all he can to help roll out the successful UK model
internationally

Friday

Have western farmers been sacrificed for Big Oil? | The Council of Canadians

Have western farmers been sacrificed for Big Oil? | The Council of Canadians

Interesting question...

The Financial Post reports,
"The oil industry uses special cars to move oil, but competes with the
grain industry for locomotives and crews, (says) Wade Sobkowich,
executive director of the Winnipeg-based Western Grain Elevator
Association. ...(He says) it’s obvious rail companies are apportioning
their capacity differently — with the oil and gas industry getting a
larger portion and the grain industry a smaller one. Insufficient
capacity has resulted in a shortfall of 55,000 orders of railway cars
since last year’s harvest."