globalbriefs
News and resources to inspire concerned citizens to work together in building a healthier, stronger society that benefits all.
Toxic Redux Global Warming Releases
Imprisoned Poisons
During the industrial boom of the last half of the 20th century, thousands of manmade chemicals were created. Used in consumer products, pest control and crop pro- duction, they have also proved deadly, causing and contributing to cancers, birth defects and other health crises.
Once the connection was scientifically proven, the international community restricted or banned the use of 12 pollutants, including DDT and polychlorinated biphe- nyls (PCB), at the 2001 Stockholm Convention on POPs, or persistent organic pollutants (
Tinyurl.com/3sa2v47). This group of the world’s most toxic compounds takes decades to degrade, gradually accumulating in the fatty tissues of humans and wildlife.
Initially, climatic forces helped to limit the reach and impact of the chemicals in places like the Arctic, where POPs trapped in snow, soil and oceans were capped by sea ice, and atmospheric levels of the toxic substances moni- tored by Canada and Norway have steadily declined during the past decade.
Scientists at the Canadian environmental agency, Envi- ronment Canada, think that global warming is reversing the downward trend. They found that as the planet warms, sea ice and snow continue to melt and the pollutants, called legacy POPs, are being released back into the atmosphere with potential worldwide effects.
Once airborne, POPs can ride wind and ocean cur- rents to as far as Latin America and Africa. It also under- mines international treaties regarding human exposure to high-risk toxins.
Source:
SolveClimateNews.com
Fairer Trade B Corps Aim to Right the System
Traditional business models have re- cently experienced many manmade traumas, includ- ing the housing/ banking industry collapse, world recession, nuclear pollution in Japan,
the BP Gulf oil spill and the Massey Energy Company coal mining deaths in West Virginia.
The conventional response is that smarter regulation is needed to prevent such crises in the future, but a growing number of business analysts say the problems go deeper, and a new kind of corporate legal structure is needed that re- quires companies to operate for the good of society, not just for their shareholders. These new entities, called B Corpora- tions (the B is for benefit), are growing in number, having been adopted so far in Maryland, New Jersey, Vermont and Virginia.
According to B Lab, the nonprofit behind the concept, “Our vision is simple, yet ambitious: to create a new sector of the economy that uses the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. It will be comprised of a new type of corporation—the B Corporation—that meets rigor- ous and independent standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency.” Jay Coen Gilbert, a B Lab co-founder, says, “We can’t have a new economy unless we have a new type of corpo- ration. Corporate law actually works against sustainability.” Its certification effort helps consumers identify truly re- sponsible companies. It also works with private equity inves- tors to help them make better-informed investment decisions. Ultimately, it is pushing for new laws to, “…redefine fiduciary duty and hold companies accountable to create a material positive impact on society and the environment, as measured by an independent, transparent, third-party standard.”
Source:
GreenBiz.com
24 Collier/Lee Counties
swfl.naturalawakeningsmag.com
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