Remembering Some of the Earth Defenders Who Were Killed in 2019

Here are some of the brave souls who gave their lives in 2019 in defense of the environment. There have been an increasing number of environmental activists murdered in recent years. Many of the murders in 2019 took place in Brazil which is currently being ruled by far-right Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. In Brazil a total of 56 defenders were assassinated in 2017 alone. At least eight land defenders were killed in 2018 in the Brazilian state of Para alone.

Since becoming president Bolsonaro has all but declared war on the Amazon and the indigenous people of Brazil.Tashka Yawanawa, a chief of the indigenous Yawanawa people in the Brazilian Amazon says his community is facing "genocide". Some have suggested that the fires in Brazil are a form of genocide.

There are also concerns that Guatamalan Mayans could be facing genocide. By January 2019 reports surfaced that indicated Guatemala's community leaders were being killed for defending their land from from transnational companies. This comes after four decades of civil war that left more than 200,000 causalities, most of them indigenous Guatemalans. This has been described by some Guatemalan courts as genocide. In 2018 there were hundreds of attacks and dozens of murders in Guatemala. One such murder was that of 25 year old Ixil Maya nurse, Juana Raymundo, near the city of Nebaj. Raymundo was one of 20 similar murders that took place in Guatemala in the summer of 2018. Many of those that end up on U.S. borders are Guatemalans fleeing violence.

The killings continued in Guatemala in 2019. In July, Jorge Juc a 77-year-old indigenous Maya Q'eqchi' community leader was hacked to death with machetes while he tended his cornfield in eastern Guatemala. Isidro Pérez and Melecio Ramírez were two more Guatemalan activists who were killed in July. These two indigenous rights activists and land protectors were murdered in Eastern Guatemala while attending a peaceful action.

Also in July, dozens of armed gold miners murdered Emyra Wajãpia Waiapi, he was the leader of Yvytotõ an indigenous village in northern Brazil. In September Maxciel Pereira dos Santos, a defender of Brazil’s indigenous tribes was executed in the Amazon town of Tabatinga.

In October five indigenous leaders were massacred in the southwestern region of Cauca in Colombia. Cristina Bautista, chief of the Nasa Tacueyó reservation and four of the community’s unarmed guards were killed, 6 others were wounded. In the last four years at least 700 social leaders, mostly Afro-Colombian and indigenous activists, have been murdered in Colombia.

In November, illegal loggers murdered Paulo Paulino Guajajara an Amazon Forest Guardian inside the Araribóia reservation in the northeastern state of Maranhão, Brazil. His partner was also injured but managed to escape. Not all of these murders occurred in central and south America many also took place in Asia, most notably in the Philippines and India. Poachers have also taken a toll on rangers in Africa. In November Ranger Kambale Kasuki Jean Aimé was ambushed and killed by armed assailants near Ngwenda village (Rutshuru Territory). One of the truck drivers was also murdered and a second ranger sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

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The Slaughter of Innocents: Our Complicity in the Murder of Environmentalists
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Another Amazon Environmentalist Killed (Video)
Environmentalists Murdered for Protecting the Amazon
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The Rising Toll of Murdered Environmental Activists

Each year environmental activists are killed for trying to defend the natural world. It is fitting that we start the year by remembering the brave souls who are on the front lines of efforts to protect their land, water or local wildlife. For every environmental activist killed hundreds more were assaulted. This includes the indigenous activists in Brazil who had their hands cut off with machetes by ranchers. To add insult to injury the perpetrators of these villainous acts are almost never caught.

The murderers are linked to agribusiness, mining, poaching and wildlife trafficking. These killings commonly take place in corrupt tropical and subtropical countries, particularly in Central and South America. Some of the most deadly countries are Brazil, the Philippines, Colombia, Mexico and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Indigenous people make up a disproportionately large proportion of the victims. This is but the most recent manifestation of a long history of indigenous murders.  In recent years these murders have reached their highest point since colonial times.

• In 2010 at least 96 environmental activists were killed. 
• In 2011 at least 106 environmental activists were murdered.
• In 2012 at least 147 environmental activists were slain.
• In 2014 at least 116 environmental activists were assassinated.
• In 2015 at least 185 environmental activists were killed.
• In 2017 a total of 207 environmental activists were murdered.
• In 2018 164 environmental activists were slain.

As reported by the Guardian a recent report indicates that at least 1,558 environmental activists in 50 states were killed between 2002 and 2017. Even by these conservative estimates, this represents a doubling of such murders in the last 15 years. These murders now occur at an average rate of four per week.

People in the north are complicit in the murder of these environmentalists.  Nathalie Butt, a researcher at the University of Queensland and the author of the study on murdered environmental activists said companies and consumers in wealthy countries in the northern hemisphere should take responsibility for products sourced in the south. "We need to make ethics and transparency an important part of the supply chain. We need to ensure that there is no blood on our hands," she said.

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Remembering Some of the Earth Defenders Who Were Killed in 2019
The Slaughter of Innocents: Our Complicity in the Murder of Environmentalists
Remembering Berta on International Women's Day
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The Persecution of Environmentalists
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2016 Corporate Sustainability Leaders

A bevy of iconic brands have been singled out as the world's leading sustainability companies. The results of the 2016 GlobeScan/SustainAbility survey of corporate sustainability leaders were released on June 7th 2016. The list is formally known as the The 2016 Sustainability Leaders and his year it was produced in partnership with Sustainable Brands,

The Sustainability Leaders Survey tracks expert opinions on the evolution of sustainability. These experts are now saying that values and purpose are "top drivers" of change. Leaders in sustainability excel at integrating social and environmental purpose into their core business. Leading companies also model innovation and set ambitious goals.

Mark Lee, Executive Director at SustainAbility commented: “Sustainability experts now believe that national governments and the private sector must take equal responsibility for advancing sustainable development over the next two decades, with 34% of experts rating each as vital to progress. Expectations for governments to lead have gradually decreased in recent years, while those for the private sector have been rising. Multi-sectoral partnerships are also seen as playing a central role.”

This year Unilever, Patagonia, Interface, IKEA, Tesla, Nestlé and Natura are among the top-rated global leaders on sustainability. Tesla is the only new addition in the top 13 this year.

The survey sampled 900 experts in 84 countries were asked to identify three companies that are leaders in integrating sustainability into their business strategy. Four in ten experts singled out Unilever as a global leader on sustainability. This is the sixth year in a row that Unilever has made the list. A feat not accomplished by any other company in the survey's almost two decade long history.

North America is the most competitive when it comes to sustainability: Patagonia leads with 16 percent followed by Nike at 10 percent, Interface at 8 percent and at Walmart 7 percent.

To see the full results of the survey click here.

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Glaxo­SmithKline Doing Well by Doing Good

Glaxo­SmithKline (GSK) is at the top of Fortune's 2016 Change the World list. They are being recognized for their exemplary corporate citizenship. In an age of rampant profiteering in the pharmaceutical industry, Glaxo­SmithKline (GSK) has stood out by making it their business to give back.

The practices of GSK stand in stark contrast to other recent pharmaceutical news. Martin Shkreli bought the rights to a life saving HIV drug called Daraprim,then he hiked up the price by 5,000 percent. CEO of Mylan Pharmaceuticals Heather Bresch raised the price of an EpiPen pack to more than $600.

As reviewed in Fortune, Glaxo­SmithKline is a 300 year old company that built its name with products like baby formula and penicillin. The company made almost $16 billion in 2015 and they use their wealth to do good. They are working on vaccines for malaria and the Zika virus and they support HIV treatment programs in places like Botswana. The prices they charge are a function of people's means and the company reinvests 20 percent of the profits to local health care infrastructure and worker training.

Sustainability is part of Glaxo. As they say on the website GSK is focused on, "improving the quality of human life." They are committed to reducing the environmental impacts of their products and they have set ambitious goals to reduce carbon, water and waste. They are leaders in green chemistry.

In 2014 Glaxo was recognised for outstanding sustainable business practices at the Singapore Environmental Achievement Awards 2014 and in 2010 they recieved the Environmental Stewardship Award from Nalco.

Glaxo is number one on Fortune's annual Change the World list. This list of 50 companies are leading efforts to address major societal problems, reducing damage to the environment, strengthening communities, serving the underserved, and significantly improving lives. They are also generating a profit. The average return on publicly traded stocks in last year’s list was 16.6 percent which was even better than the S&P 500.

For the complete Change the World 2016 list of companies click here.

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Green Business Award Winners in 2016 (Guardian and Environmental Leader)

Here is a summary of sustainable businesses, projects and individuals that are leading the way forward. As we teeter on the brink of tipping points, sustainability leadership is more important than ever. Awards that recognize the best companies, projects and individuals lead by example and serve as valuable models. In addition to well deserved recognition these efforts put sustainability on display, showcasing achievements that other businesses can follow. Here is a summary of green awards that have been handed out to businesses and individuals in the first half of 2016. This list includes Guardian's Sustainable Business Awards as well as Environmental Leaders Product and Project of the year awards.


Guardian 2016 Sustainable Business Awards

The sixth annual Guardian Sustainable Business Awards celebrate those organizations and individuals going above and beyond to tackle the global challenges we face. As explained by Environmental Leader:

"In the wake of the Paris climate talks and the launch of the global goals, 2016 is the year that businesses are ramping up their engagement with sustainability."

Bold move
Winner - Páramo
Runner up - Southern Water

Waste
Winner - Winnow
Runner up - Interface

Water
Winner - Innocent drinks

Finance for good
Winner - Social Stock Exchange
Runner up - Carbon Tracker Initiative

Supply chain
Winner - SABMiller
Runner up - Pennine Pack Ltd

Social impact
Winner - The University of Manchester
Runners up - Shared Interest Society and Neighbourly

Diversity and inclusion
Winner - Marcatus QED
Runner up - Microlink PC (UK) Ltd

Net positive
Winner - IKEA UK and Ireland
Runner up - Good Energy

Communicating sustainability
Winner - Climate-KIC
Runner up - CTC and Diva Creative Ltd

Collaboration
Winner - Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation
Runner up - Falcon Coffees Limited

Carbon and energy management
Winner - Wyke Farms
Runner up - ENWORKS

Built environment
Winner - The Enterprise Centre, University of East Anglia
Runner up - XCO2 Energy

Startup of the year 
Winner - Winnow
Runner up - Guru Systems

Sustainable business leader of the year 
Paul Corcoran

Unsung sustainability hero of the year
Rachel Bradley

Click here for the full list.

Environmental Leader's 2016 Product & Project Awards

The fourth annual Environmental Leader Product & Project Awards, recognizes excellence in the fields of environmental sustainability and energy management. As explained by Environmental Leader:

"Each year since the inception of the Environmental Leader Product and Project Awards program, the range and quality of the entries has risen... The community of providers continues to address the rising demand for cost-effective solutions to address complex environmental, sustainability, and energy management challenges. And end-user organizations are becoming more creative in applying the available solutions to get real results."

Product of the Year Award winners:

3M: 3M Petrifilm Plates
AkzoNobel's Marine Coatings Business, International: Carbon Credits
Big Ass Solutions: Essence
Big Ass Solutions: Haiku Light
Bloomberg LP, The Water Risk Valuation Tool: Lee Ballin
DePuy Synthes, Companies of Johnson & Johnson: ATTUNE Knee System LOGICLOCK tibial Base
DePuy Synthes, Companies of Johnson & Johnson: Attune Knee INTUITION
Ecometrica: the Ecometrica Platform
Enablon: The Enablon Enterprise-Class Platform
FoundationFootprint: FoundationFootprint
GridPoint: GridPoint Energy Management System
Hilton Worldwide: LightStay
IHS: Repsol EMISphere
Lakeshore Recycling Systems: Lakeshore Recycling Systems Sustainable Business Model
Leidos: AMPLIFY Application Management Platform for Energy Efficiency Programs
Panasonic Industrial Devices Sales Co. of America: Panasonic Vacuum Insulation Panel
Petro-Canada Lubricants Inc: HYDREX XV
Quantis: Life Cycle Perceptions Game
Rapport: Rapport
Source Intelligence: Supply Chain Compliance Tool
SunPower Corporation: Cradle to Cradle Certified SunPower E and X Series DC Panels
Thermo King, a brand of Ingersoll Rand: Thermo King Truck and Trailer Refrigeration Units in Europe
Thinkstep Compliance Limited: EC4P
Thinkstep Compliance Limited: BOMcheck Substances Declarations Web Database
Trane, a brand of Ingersoll Rand: CenTraVac Water Chiller Models CVHH and CDHH
Trane, a brand of Ingersoll Rand: Sintesis
UL EHS Sustainability: cr360
Urjanet: Urjanet Utility Data Service
Waste to Energy Partners: Bolder Black
WeNow: WeNowBox

Top Project of the Year Award winners:

ALDI Inc: ALDI Energy Management Systems, Siemens Rollout
AMD: 25 x 20 Energy Efficiency Initiative
Ameresco: Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport
Arby's, Ecova, Powerhouse Dynamics and Weathermatic: How Arby's Leveraged Ecova and a Partnered Water Meter Solution to Save over 7M Gallons of Water
Caesars Entertainment: Enterprise Waste Diversion Project
Consumer Technology Association and National Cable & Telecommunications Association: Voluntary Agreement for Ongoing Improvement to the Energy Efficiency of Set-Top Boxes
Domtar: Plymouth K-Lime
Dow Water & Process Solutions: Camp de Tarragona DEMOWARE Municipal Wastewater Reuse Project
General Motors: Chevrolet Volt Battery Secondary Reuse Project
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport: Energy Management Program
IHS: Repsol EMISphere
Jackson Family Wines: Tesla Stationary Energy Storage System
Leidos: Hawaii Energy Conservation and Efficiency Program
MillerCoors: MillerCoors Irwindale Brewery Solar Array
Timberland: Empowering Haitian Farmers through Tree Planting
United States Business Council for Sustainable Development: United States Materials Marketplace

Click here to download the full Awards Report.

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Suspected Assassins of Berta Cáceres Arrested in Honduras

On May 11th the Honduran government arrested four men and charged them with the murder of indigenous environmental activist Berta Cáceres. She was killed because of her opposition to the Agua Zarca hydropower project in the Gulacarque river basin. Men affiliated with Desarrollos Energéticos S.A. (DESA), the Honduran company building the dam, are implicated in her murder.

The shots that killed Berta echoed around the globe. The world was outraged that the winner of the 2015 Goldman Environmental Prize, was savagely gunned down for what can only be described as her noble efforts to defend the rights of her people and protect the land on which they live.

After she was killed there was an unremitting cry for an independent international investigation. Berta's daughter even called for the suspension of aid to Honduras. As the pressure mounted, the Honduran government capitulated and arrested Berta's killers two months after she was murdered.

Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune commented on the apprehension of Berta's assassins in the following statement:

"Berta Cáceres was a remarkable and inspiring leader who fought tirelessly for indigenous rights and environmental justice for her community and the world. It is clear that the Honduran government heeded the massive international call for justice, and these arrests represent a small victory for Berta’s family, friends, and the entire environmental justice and human rights community. Now we join with those demanding to know the truth about who orchestrated the assassination. Tragically, this kind of justice is increasingly rare, and the murder of activists is frighteningly common. The fight for a safe, clean, and equitable future for all is far from over, but we stand with activists across the world who continue to work toward this shared vision, and we will strive to honor Berta’s unparalleled passion. Berta’s life may have been tragically cut short, but her legacy will live on for generations to come."

In a world that can seem awash with ignorance and apathy, Berta stands out for being a dedicated soul who fought the good fight, to the bitter end. She called us all to, "undertake the struggle in all parts of the world."

Berta Cáceres, remember that name and be inspired by her legacy.

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The Top Sustainability Focused Innovations of 2015

Innovation is more than a buzzword, it is an absolutely essential component of the required efforts needed to address the environmental and climate crisis we are facing. Here is a summary of some of the best sustainability focused innovations of 2015 from Sustainia.

On December 6th, 2015 the fourth Sustainia awards celebrated a number of groundbreaking sustainability solutions, technologies and projects from around the world. In honor of COP21 the awards took place in Paris, home to the COP21 climate talks.

The Sustania Award Committee is composed of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Honorary Chair of Sustainia, Chair of Regions20 and Former Governor of California; Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, UNFCCC; Connie Hedegaard, Chair, KR Foundation, Former European Commissioner for Climate Action and Dr. Rajendra Pachauri Former Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC.

Sustania's top ten finalists for the most sustainable innovations of 2015 are:

Buildings: Archiblox (Australia) - energy-positive prefabricated houses.
Food: SunCulture (US) - solar-powered drip irrigation for smallholders.
Fashion: Vigga.us (Denmark) - leasing organic kids-wear.
IT: Mapdwell, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US) - 3D solar potential mapping tool.
Education: Seoul Metropolitan Government (South Korea) - citizen engagement for voluntary behaviour change.
Energy: Mobisol (Germany) - micro-financed off-grid solar power.
Health: Solar Ear (Brazil) - solar-powered hearing aids with open source design.
Cities: City of Johannesburg (South Africa) - green bonds finance city climate action.

The winner of the 2015 Sustania Award

In 2015 the Sustania Award went to a transportation redesign for the Indian city Chennai. This innovation was created by the Corporation of Chennai, Institute for Transportation & Development Policy and Chennai City Connect Foundation (India). The redesign is focused on creating streets for walking and biking as a solution to the city’s air pollution and traffic casualties.

The solution requires at least 60 per cent of the city’s transport budget to be allocated to a full-scale redesign including expanded footpaths, safe pedestrian crossings, protected cycle tracks, properly scaled carriageways, conveniently placed bus stops and clearly designated on-street parking.

Smart transport adaptations will reduce air pollution which is Chennai’s (and many other cities) top health risk. Given that motorized transport in cities are a leading source of greenhouse gas emissions, this is a solution with far-reaching health and environmental benefits. It is also designed to reduce the 10,000 traffic accidents and resulting deaths and injuries in Chennai.

Sustainia Community Award

The people's choice award known as the Sustainia Community Award went to resources finalist for a project called Social Plastic. It was designed by the: Plastic Bank (Canada) and it turns plastic waste into currency. This innovative solution to resource management offers communities a way to collect waste plastic and repurpose it as a form of currency. While removing plastic waste from the environment, it also gives individuals the chance to improve their livelihoods and encourages companies to purchase and use this recycled material. With as much as 12.7 tons of plastic washes into the ocean every year, this innovation is a way to save all the animals that are killed by plastic each year, it will also help protect human health from the toxins that leach from the plastic into the food chain.

The Plastic Bank (TPB) offers a concrete solution encouraging the behaviour change needed to meet this systemic challenge. Operating as a social enterprise , TPB removes plastic litter from beaches and oceans by offering local communities the opportunity to bring collected waste to a plastic bank facility, where it can be repurposed. In exchange, they receive basic goods and tools, in addition to access to 3D printers enabling them to create items for themselves and to sell within the community. Furthermore, TPB also encourages businesses to take part in the initiative by buying social plastic.

Over 400 people representing more than 70 different countries have already applied to operate a Social Plastic Recycling Market in their region. In 2015, meetings were held at the home offices of Unilever, Seventh Generation, Method Home and various other global brands to discuss the process for the ongoing purchase and promotion of Social Plastic®.. TPB was awarded the Recycling Council of British Columbia’s Innovation Award in May 2014 for developing 3D printing technology. Their open source 3D printing filament extruder can create the source stock for 3D printers using recycled Social Plastic®.

TPB’s Vancouver Lab is successfully producing recycled 3D printable filament for 30 cents per pound. This same filament can be used to create products that are worth $ 5, $ 10 or even $ 100 per pound, according to the organization. Repurposing at scale: Marine plastic waste can wash up on any shore, in any part of the world, as freely as the wind blows and the tides turn.

Click here for the complete list of Sutainia's 100 sustainable innovations for 2015.

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The Best of Green in 2015: Products, Projects, Leaders, Corporations, CEOs and Chemistry

Here are some of the best of the best in the green economy from 2015. This includes the best products and projects of the year, the top sustainability leaders and corporate citizens, leading innovative bioeconomy CEOs and the best green chemistry companies. These lists are derived from Energy Manager Today, edie, Corporate Responsiblity (CR) Magazine, Il Bioeconomista and the EPA.

Products

In alphabetical order here are the inaugural Energy Manager Today Product and Project Award winners for 2015:

Adobe - Stem Energy Storage
Big Ass Solutions, Haiku with SenseME
Blue Pillar, Aurora
EnergyCAP, Inc., EnergyCAP
Green Charge Networks, Energy Storage Platform
GridPoint, GridPoint Energy Manager
Hyster Company, PSI Industrial Lift Truck Engines Featuring Hyster Variable Power Technology
JLL, IntelliCommand Smart Building Solutions
Lennox International, Energence Ultra Rooftop Units
Lucid BuildingOS
Meazon SA, Zi-Clamp
NexRev Inc., DrivePak HVAC Efficiency Retrofit
Panoramic Power, Device Level Energy Management
Schneider Electric, Altivar Process
Schneider Electric, EcoBreeze AirEconomizer
Schneider Electric, Resource Advisor’s, Performance Analytics and Energy Performance Services
Urjanet, Urjanet Utility Data

Projects
 
ABM, Wright State University Building and Energy Solutions
ABM Government  ServicesGSA LA ESPC GS-09P- 12-KS-C-0023
Big Ass Solutions, Cassidy Elementary School, Lexington, KY
Bueno Crown Casino - Energy and Operational Savings across a multi-use entertainment complex
Cascades, Heat Recovery Steam Generator
Caterpillar, Thinking Outside AND Inside the Box to Reduce CO2 Emissions
Daintree Networks, Universal Music Group Energy Efficiency Project
Digital Lumens, Atlas Box Deploys
Digital Lumens to Achieve Energy Intelligence
Ensight Pty. Ltd., Energy Leadership, Program, Richards Bay Minerals
FirstFuel Software E.ON UK Energy Toolkit for SME (Small and Medium Enterprise) Customers
Powerhouse Dynamics, Saving the Bottom Line at Bertucci’s
Saint-Gobain Corporation
Vancouver Impact Mill, Heat Recovery
STV, Mother Clara Hale Bus Depot

UK Sustainability Leaders

The ninth edie Sustainability Leaders Awards celebrated a number of individuals and organizations in 2015. These people and companies setting the standard for more responsible business. 

Opening the awards, edie editor Luke Nicholls said: "The Sustainability Leaders Awards have become a shining example of how the green industrial revolution is entering the corporate mainstream. All of this year's finalists have shifted from talking about ambitious sustainability initiatives to delivering them at scale and at pace. And in many cases, they’re already seeing a huge return on investment."

Sustainable Business of the Year - Willmott Dixon
Sustainability Leader - Estelle Brachlianoff, Veolia
Carbon Management - National Grid
Energy Management - Heathrow Airport
Employee Engagement & Behaviour Change - Tesco with Global Action Plan
Sustainability Product Innovation - Genesis Biosciences
Sustainability Product Innovation: Energy Efficiency - Lontra
Sustainability Professional - Anthony Kingsley, Vacherin
Sustainable Business Models - Mud Jeans
Sustainability Reporting - Marks & Spencer
Sustainable Packaging - LINPAC Packaging
Sustainable Supply Chains - KPMG
Waste & Resource Management - DS Smith
Water Management - Southern Water

Best Corporate Citizens

The fifth annual ranking of Corporate Responsiblity Magazine's best corporate citizens including the top performers in the following sectors: business services, consumer items, consumer staples, energy, financial, healthcare, information technology, materials, media and entertainment, and utilities.

By industry, the best corporate citizens for 2015 are:

Business Services — Ecolab
Consumer Items — Hasbro
Consumer Staples — Campbell Soup Co.
Energy — Hess
Financials/Insurance/Real Estate — Jones Lang LaSalle
Healthcare — Johnson & Johnson
Information Technology — Microsoft
Materials — Sigma-Aldrich
Media & Entertainment — Walt Disney Co.
Utilities — Entergy

Innovative Bioeconomy CEOs

Here is Il Bioeconomista's inaugural list of the most innovative bioeconomy CEOs for 2015:

Vincent Chornet, Ceo of Enerkem (Canada)
Carlos Fadigas, Ceo of Braskem (Brazil)
Benjamin Gonzalez, Ceo of Metabolix Explorer (France)
Ilkka Hämälä, Ceo of Metsä Fibre (Finland)
Jennifer Holmgren, Ceo of Lanzatech (New Zealand/USA)
Maxim Katinov, Ceo of GFBiochemicals (Italy)
Hariolf Kottmann, Ceo of Clariant (Switzerland)
Jussi Pesonen, Ceo of UPM (Finland)
Marc Simmers, Ceo of Celtic Renewables (Scotland)
Tom van Aken, Ceo of Avantium (The Netherlands)

Green Chemistry

Here are the EPA's winning companies in the 2015 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge:

Algenol in Fort Myers, Florida, was recognized for developing a blue-green algae to produce ethanol and other fuels. The algae uses CO2 from air or industrial emitters with sunlight and saltwater to create fuel while reducing the carbon footprint, costs and water usage, with no reliance on food crops as feedstocks.

Hybrid Coating Technologies/Nanotech Industries of Daly City, California, was recognized for developing a safer, plant-based polyurethane for use on floors, furniture and in foam insulation. The technology eliminates the use of isocyanates, the top cause of workplace asthma.

LanzaTech in Skokie, Illinois, was recognized for the development of a process that uses waste gas to produce fuels and chemicals, reducing companies’ carbon footprint. LanzaTech has partnered with Global Fortune 500 Companies and others to use this technology, including facilities that can each produce 100,000 gallons per year of ethanol, and a number of chemical ingredients for the manufacture of plastics.

SOLTEX (Synthetic Oils and Lubricants of Texas) in Houston, Texas, was recognized for developing a new chemical reaction process that eliminates the use of water and reduces hazardous chemicals in the production of additives for lubricants and gasoline. If widely used, this technology has the potential to eliminate millions of gallons of wastewater per year and reduce the use of a hazardous chemical by 50 percent.

Renmatix in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, was recognized for developing a process using supercritical water to more cost effectively break down plant material into sugars used as building blocks for renewable chemicals and fuels. This low-cost process could result in a sizeable increase in the production of plant-based chemicals and fuels, and reduce the dependence on petroleum fuels.

Professor Eugene Chen of Colorado State University was recognized for developing a process that uses plant-based materials in the production of renewable chemicals and liquid fuels. This new technology is waste-free and metal-free.

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The Slaughter of Innocents: Our Complicity in the Murder of Environmentalists

All around the world, people who are on the front lines of efforts to protect our planet are murdered for their eco-advocacy. They put their lives on the line, and they are being slaughtered while the world does not appear to notice. Many other environmentalists are subject to intimidation, violence, stigmatization and criminalization. As revealed in a 2012 article, environmentalists are persecuted and killed all over the world. In 2012, there were a total of 147 environmentalists murdered. Although these heinous crimes are getting more media coverage, the frequency of these killing appears to be accelerating.

According to a report from Global Witness, titled Deadly Environment (PDF), the murder of those who advocate for the environment sharply increased between 2002 and 2013. During this time, at least 908 people are known to have been killed in 35 countries for little more than advocating for land rights, trying to protect trees or exposing the environmental impacts of mining operations. Even more tragic is the fact that these killers act with impunity as the conviction rate for these crimes is only around 1 percent.

The report shows that a troubling trend is emerging with more murders having occurred in recent years. On average there are now two activists murdered each week.

“There can be few starker or more obvious symptoms of the global environmental crisis than a dramatic upturn in killings of ordinary people defending rights to their land or environment,” said Oliver Courtney of Global Witness. “Yet this rapidly worsening problem is going largely unnoticed, and those responsible almost always get away with it.”

The report indicates that indigenous communities are most at risk and some of the most dangerous areas for environmentalists are in Latin America and Asia-Pacific. Brazil is the most dangerous place with 448 killings, followed by Honduras with 109 and the Philippines with 67.

Isidro Tendetza Antún

Recently, an Ecuadorean leader was murdered to keep him from sharing his story with world leaders at the recent UN climate talks in Lima, Peru. As the negotiations commenced in Lima, the tortured, bound and buried body of José Isidro Tendetza Antún was discovered. It is widely believed that he was killed for being a vocal defender of an Ecuadorian forest that is at risk from the Mirador copper and gold mine. Prior to his murder, his crops were burned and he was threatened.

In Ecuador, foreign multinational companies are invited by the government and they are afforded protections by the state, the police and the army. The same cannot be said for the country’s indigenous people. It is very likely that the Ecuadorian authorities are complicit in the killing of Tendetza.

Others have also been killed in Ecuador for their opposition to Mirador, they include Bosco Wisum in 2009 and Freddy Taish in 2013. In addition to these murders, at the end of 2014, a group of campaigners traveling in a “climate caravan” was repeatedly stopped by police on the way to COP20 in Lima. When this did not deter them, their bus was confiscated.

Tendetza’s killers, like those who killed Wisum and Taish, are still at large.

Prajob Naowa-opas

Not all murders go unsolved, the case of Prajob Naowa-opas is one such rare exception. Prajob lived in central Thailand. As head of his village he did everything he could to save his community form illegal dumping of toxic waste. He filed petitions and blocked trucks from making their lethal deliveries. Then one day, in broad daylight, a gunman silenced him forever by shooting him four times.

His killers, including a senior government official, have been sentenced to death for the crime. However, the sentences of 2 of the 3 have been commuted to life in prison for cooperating with authorities. Not only have Prajob’s killers been sentenced, but the dumping has been stopped and villagers have erected a statue as a token of their gratitude to their slain hero.

Justice is a rare occurrence in such crimes with only 10 out of 908 murdered environmental activists having been convicted between 2002 and 2013.

Remi Fraisse

It is not only disreputable companies and nefarious governments that are responsible for the these deaths. In France, a young environmental activist by the name of Remi Fraisse was killed during a protest against the controversial Sivens Dam Project in southwestern France. Initial investigation results suggest the 21-year-old protester may have been killed by a police concussion grenade. Activists are concerned that the dam would jeapordize 94 protected species that reside in the forest.

Countless others

The number of sad stories are far too numerous to review. Victims have ranged from a 70-year-old farmer like Jesus Sebastian Ortiz, one of several people in the Mexican town of Cheran killed for opposing illegal logging, to the shooting of indigenous anti-mining activist Juvy Capion and her two sons by Philippine armed forces.

It is not only murder but intimidation as well. Survival International released a video of a gunman terrorizing a Guarani indigenous community in Brazil, which has recently resettled on land taken from them by ranchers decades ago.

The situation is actually far worse than the 908 murders confirmed by Global Witness. Suspected murders in Ethiopia, Myanmar, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe were left out of the report because they could not be independently confirmed. There are also many places where Global Witness does not have access to information. This includes African countries such as Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic and Zimbabwe. All of these nations are suffering from resource-fueled unrest, but the incidences of violence and murder go unreported.

What must be done

Clearly, we need a more coordinated and concerted effort from human rights organizations and governments to monitor the issue and bring those responsible to justice. Global Witness would like to see a resolution related to the threats faced by environmentalists from the UN’s Human Rights Council. The private sector also has an important role to play overseeing their operations and their supply chains to make sure no harm is done.

“[I]t has never been more important to protect the environment, and it has never been more deadly,” said Oliver Courtney of Global Witness. “…We hope our findings will act as the wake-up call that national governments and the international community clearly need.”

John Knox, United Nations independent expert on human rights and the environment said, “The international community must do more to protect them from the violence and harassment.”

If we fail to stand up for those who have the courage to die defending our planet, we should consider ourselves complicit in the endemic culture of impunity.

Source: Global Warming is Real

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Video - Companies Combating Climate Change (CDP Report)

In this video, Lord Adair Turner, Former Chairman of the Financial Services Authority, James Bevan, Chief Investment Officer at CCLA and Paul Simpson talk about the CDP report which ranks companies in terms of their climate performance. This report comes on the heels of Standard & Poor's Ratings Services which stated that climate change will hit countries' economic growth rates and public finances. Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson recently said that climate change is, "the single biggest risk that exists to the economy today."

The IPCC has also indicated that we are a mere 30 years away from exhausting our carbon budget. The current emissions trajectory is dangerously unsustainable. To address the crisis we face both businesses and governments need to substantially raise their carbon reduction efforts.

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The Best and the Worst Climate Performers (CDP)

In addition to ranking corporate leaders, the most recent CDP report lists the leading sectors in terms of climate performance. It reviews regional and national climate leaders and laggards. The report also singled out a few large corporations which refused to disclose their climate performance data. Performance leaders are those who received an "A" grade in the report.

According to the CDP, the sectors most represented in the 2014 Climate Performance Leaders Index are Information Technology, Financials, Consumer Staples, Consumer Discretionary and Industrials. Together these four sectors constitute 86 percent of the A list index.

According to the CDP's climate performance list, almost half of the leaders are based in Europe, with a further third located in either the US or Japan. More than a quarter of the Spanish and Belgian companies that took part in CDP’s climate change program were awarded an A rating. Other nations that performed well are Portugal, the Netherlands and South Korea.

By contrast, the laggards on climate performance are Canada, Switzerland, Australia and China.

Of those corporations that failed to disclose vital climate change data, the three largest in terms of market capitalization are Berkshire Hathaway, Amazon and Comcast.

© 2014, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Climate Action Enhances Profit by 9.6% (2014 CDP Report)

Engaging climate change is becoming almost synonymous with profitability. According to a new study, the more a company does to address climate change the more it appears to profit. This is a solid refutation of the conservative line the we simply cannot afford to manage climate change. It flies in the face of the false argument that we must chose between combating climate change and economic growth.

Companies from Apple to Zurich are showing climate leadership is not only a corporate responsibility it is also spawns a bevy of bottom line benefits. According to new research from CDP, companies that assume the responsibility to engage climate change outperform their peers. In fact, in the period between 2010 and 2014, companies that showed leadership through action to mitigate climate change outperformed the Bloomberg World Index by 9.6 percent.

From a total of 1,971 companies a total of 187 earned a top grade and ended up on the CDP index. Together these companies have reduced their carbon emissions by 33 million tons in the last year alone. The A List represents just 9 percent of almost 2000 companies assessed but they account for $23 billion of the annual investment to reduce carbon emissions. The complete list of 1,971 companies invested $50 billion in carbon reduction.

The CDP says that these companies will yield win-win results; apply a business lens to climate change; raise the bar on investment; and shift away from short-termism.

This is the finding in The A List: The CDP Climate Performance Leadership Index 2014 (CPLI).

"The unprecedented environmental challenges that we confront today – reducing greenhouse gas emissions, safeguarding water resources and preventing the destruction of forests – are also economic problems," says Paul Simpson, chief executive of CDP. "One irrefutable fact is filtering through to companies and investors: the bottom line is at risk from environmental crisis."

© 2014, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Sustainability is Profitable According to the CDP's 2014 Climate Change Report

Some interesting insights came to light in the 2014 version of the annual CDP S&P 500 Climate Change Report. Overall the report suggests that companies in the S&P 500 are actively managing and planning for climate-change and the companies that do so are more profitable. The report indicates that for companies that are addressing climate change the return on equity was 18 percent higher than their peers and 67 percent higher than companies who do not disclose on climate change. The dividend yield for shareholders was 21 percent stronger then low ranking peers.

Further their results indicate that such efforts make them more stable with 50 percent lower volatility earnings over the past decade than low ranking peers.

As explained in the report, "Investors should take note that the debate has squarely moved from the moral to the material and should reward climate leaders with higher valuation multiples."

In addition to making some global observations, the report ranks companies based on their climate related disclosures to investors. Two indices are included in this report. the Climate Disclosure Leadership Index (CDLI) — a measure of a company’s transparency — and the Climate Performance Leadership Index (CPLI), a measure based on the transparency of the company’s actions to address climate change.

Bank of America, Cisco, General Motors and HP are among the eight leading S&P 500 companies in carbon-reduction efforts and disclosure. These companies along with Autodesk, BNY Mellon, Pepco Holdings and Spectra Energy, all earned an A grade for their actions to reduce climate change and the highest possible disclosure score, 100 out of 100 points.

To access the full report click here (PDF)

© 2014, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Activists Opposing Illegal Logging Murdered in Peru

The persecution and murder of environmental activists is an all too common event in our world, now four more people have been added to that list. The murders took place on September 1, 2014, near the Peruvian border with Brazil. All indications are that the four Asheninka natives were killed by illegal loggers. The Ashaninkas are Peru's leading Amazon ethnic group and they have been subject to growing violence.

One of those killed was the prominent anti-logging campaigner, Edwin Chota. Chota had been repeatedly threatened before his assassination and had asked for protection from Peruvian authorities. He was the leader of Alto Tamaya-Saweto, a community in Peru’s Amazon Ucayali region. He has fought for his people’s right to gain titles to their land and expel illegal loggers.

The other slain men were identified by a police as Jorge Rios, who was Chota’s deputy, Leoncio Quincicima and Francisco Pinedo.

The murders underscore the absence of military or police presence in the area. Indigenous leader Henderson Rengifo, called on the Peruvian state to do more protect indigenous people from criminal mafias.

Widespread corruption in regional governments allow these logging mafias to operate with impunity. This means courageous activists like Chota are forced to take on criminal logging syndicates while the government ignores their pleas for help.

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Event - 24 Reasons for Hope

This event calls each one of us to do our part to combat the climate crisis. We have to get beyond the dire scientific predictions warning us about rising seas and devastating drought. It is time for hope, time for us to realize that we have a choice to do something about the climate crisis. It is time for us to act. This movement encourages people to "dedicate a day for action." This can include anything from voting to marching to speaking out in your community.

As explained by Al Gore, the Founder and Chairman of The Climate Reality Project, Twenty-Four Hours to Change the World is about making a difference at this pivotal time in human history."

"It’s time to stand up and stop climate change. It’s time to turn the solutions we have into the clean energy future we want."

One of the most important things we can do is transition away from fossil fuels towards renewable sources of energy. This point is being driven home by the declining costs of renewables and the growing awareness of the dangers associated with fossil fuels. We are at a turning point in human history where clean energy goes mainstream. All that we need to bring this ambition to fruition is popular support and political will.

Make sure you listen in on the signature 24 Hours of Reality global broadcast which is taking place on September 16—17, 24 Hours of Reality: 24 Reasons for Hope.

This broadcast will celebrate the innovation and progress in climate solutions happening all across the planet. Hosted by former Vice President Al Gore, each hour will highlight a new milestone and reason to be hopeful about solving the climate crisis; from the smart growth strategies now guiding cities everywhere to the ways renewables are helping to increase energy access and combat poverty for millions.

To tell these success stories, the will feature presentations from Vice President Gore, conversations with cultural icons and activists like Mark Ruffalo and Wanjira Mathai, reports from the field, and town hall-style discussions with audience members like you. In between, musical performances from artists like Jack Johnson, Colbie Calliat, and Jason Mraz give hope a lively beat.

The program will kickstart a year of concerted action as each hour invites viewers to dedicate a day in the following 12 months to making a difference and working for climate solutions. The idea is to get millions of people around the world to act on climate change. These efforts will occur against the backdrop of negotiations by world leaders who are working on a new framework for global action.

For more information click here.

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