illplanet

SHELL $ 3.5 million penalties. It's a start!

2010-04-04T01:50:00.000-07:00

Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSA, RDSA.LN) has agreed to pay $3.5 million in penalties and spend an estimated $6 million to install pollution-reduction equipments at three U.S. refineries to reduce harmful air emissions.

The equipment is intended to cut output of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides by more than 1,450 tons a year at the facilities in Louisiana, Alabama and Puerto Rico.

Assistant Attorney General Ignacia Moreno said the settlement is an example of businesses' effort to comply with government environmental regulations. "We will continue to work with industry to achieve compliance under the Clean Air Act to remove harmful pollution from the air we breathe," she added.

Corporate Democracy

2010-04-02T12:21:00.000-07:00

On January 21, 2010, with its ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the Supreme Court ruled that corporations, having the status of a legal person, are entitled to the ‘human right’ (first amendment – freedom of speech) by the U.S. Constitution to buy elections and run government.

The court overruled two existing Supreme Court decisions. In Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce, the Court held that the government can limit for-profit corporations to the use of PACs to fund express electoral advocacy. McConnell v. FEC applied that principle to uphold the constitutionality of the McCain-Feingold law’s restrictions on “electioneering communications,” that is, corporate funding of election-eve broadcasts that mention candidates and convey unmistakable electoral messages. Striking down these decisions unleashes unlimited corporate and union spending in candidate campaigns, and dooms the 1907 Tillman Act, which also prohibits corporate contributions to candidates.

Corporations have long shown a willingness to spend and contribute hundreds of millions of dollars each election through loopholes in the law. Now that the Court has invalidated restrictions on corporate political spending, expect a flood of new money into the 2010 congressional campaigns, state candidate campaigns, judicial elections, and the 2012 presidential election.

U.S. Climate Change Bill passed

2009-05-22T19:33:00.000-07:00

The climate change bill requires industry to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and six other greenhouse gases by ca. 80 % by 2050. Even though weakend in implementation by the Republicans it certainly can be seen as a great first step finally imposing legal limits on US greenhouse gas emissions. On the one hand it seems incredible that we are only there yet, on the other hand having a closer look at the spent on lobbying on climate change it is a great achievement of common sense over profit. in January, the oil, gas and coal industry has increased its lobbying budget by 50%, spending $44.5m (£30m) in the first three months of this year to try to influence legislation, according to the Centre for Responsive Politics, which monitors the influence of money on Washington politics. According to the Centre for Public Integrity there are now about four climate change lobbyists for every member of the Senate and House of Representatives.

Exxon Mobil, for example, increased its spending on lobbyists in the first three months of this year to $9.2m, from $6.6m for the same period in 2008.

Having the US initiating processes like this and considering the ongoing negotiations with China (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/may/18/secret-us-china-emissions-talks) one may even allow themselves to feel positive about Copenhagen and call the Kyoto disaster history.

G 20 summit

2009-04-10T04:17:00.000-07:00

Clearly, the death of Ian Tomlinson is more than tragic. Nevertheless, it seems to me the real tragedy emerging from the events throughout G20 is that we all seem to be captured by the attraction of side-effects of the actual event. Is that it? Representatives of the world’s leading economies are meeting up to decide about global politics and economics and we are staring at what the police and some protesters in the street do? Why is that worth more controversy and press coverage then the actual outcome of the summit? Why was I feeling deeply ashamed standing outside the ExCell centre last week when there was the chance to look into the faces of the world’s leading politicians, when they where driving by only a few metres from us, looking back into our faces?

Because we were only a couple of hundred people standing there, it was ridiculous. Even worse, more than half of the people counted for journalists and police men. Where was everyone?? I felt deeply embarrassed and sad. There we have the opportunity – if not the duty – to show up representing the people of the world and say: we are here! You are deciding about us! We are the real people!

To me, the very issue lies in our phlegmatic but at the same time sensation-seeking fashion to absorb information and thereby miss out on what in fact is going on.

Innovative Barcelona

2008-02-17T07:58:00.000-08:00

Back from the MObile World Congress:
Having heard about a concept phone manufactured mostly from recycled materials and designed to consume less energy in production and operation than existing phone, made from recycled aluminium drinks cans, the rubber keyboard from old car tires; transmission towers that uses up to 50 percent less energy than standard towers. I was pretty shocked to read about the every day environmental awareness of the Spanish: while the amount of solid waste has risen by 60% since the 1990s there is only 9% pf it being fully recycled. having done some research on this , the main reason for it does not seem to be the lack of procedure or separate dust bins, the problem rather seems to be in the attitude of the citizens who apparently are not using the existing systems of waste separation. Well, back to our good old multinationals, i guess it is a good sign that brands that are viewed as 'cool' are at least trying to go a bit greener, even if it is just "greenwash" at the very least there will take a change in perception and attitude take place.

Unfortunately, the gap between innovative advancement in financially driven business and research and the shallow cessation of every day life in the streets of Barcelona showed once again that modern society does need to teamwork on our common goal: the global village and it's maintanance without it overheating.

Giants getting hot

2008-02-15T06:10:00.000-08:00

Hey hey, the multinationals are making a move. Twelve leading international companies , including Nokia, Nike, and Hewlett-Packard have signed the Tokyo declaration, which has been organised by WWF and Nokia! Doing though the multinationals pledge their support for a worldwide reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 50% in 2050.

Sony, who was targeting to reduce it's emissions by 7 % by 2010 from 2000 levels, already cut their annual emissions by 9 % (Stringer). Having understood that their is no contradiction between economical growths and "going green" (thanks to Mr Stern) it is now our turn to understand to not only paint the multinationals black but teamwork globally.

Well, call me a naive optimist, but in my humble opinion, this is the beginning of a just the change of direction that is needed.