Growing oil palm plantations in Central America for the production of so-called “renewable” Biodiesel and other “eco-friendly” products has caused massive social and ecological destruction, as the following two articles from UpsideDownWorld.org explain.
The Friends of The Earth’s new report, “Spinning Food,” investigates how Big Food and agrochemical corporations are deliberately misleading the public — and reporters — on facts about industrial agriculture and organic and sustainable food production.
“Taking their cues from the tobacco industry, these companies have spent hundreds of millions of dollars in the past few years on stealth PR tactics, deploying over a dozen front groups to push coordinated messages attacking organic food production, defending pesticides and the routine use of antibiotics and promoting GMOs — messages that are making their way into the pages of our largest media outlets.”
Read Friends of The Earth’s introduction and the report here.
Via TV Morena
More damning evidence of the impacts of GMOs in Brazil, in this case soya, and a clear indication of what the rural and indigenous peoples can expect if GE eucalyptus trees are released there.
“Gunmen have attacked and set ablaze a Guarani Indian community in south west Brazil.
Initial reports indicated that a one year old baby had burned to death when the gunmen torched the Indians’ houses on June 24, but this has not subsequently been confirmed.
The Guarani fled the area, and two girls and one boy are reported to be missing.
The Indians of Kurusu Mba community peacefully re-occupied part of their ancestral land on June 22, having waited many years for it to be returned to them.
They were soon surrounded by gunmen who, according to one Guarani man, ‘fired shots above our heads.’ The ranchers and farmers who now occupy almost all Guarani land frequently employ armed men to terrorize the Indians.’
The Kurusu Mba community is enclosed by soya plantations. Intensive pesticide spraying pollutes streams used for drinking water.
Pope Francis took some strong positions on climate change and aired rational concerns with genetically modified crops in his most recent Pontificate, demonstrating a thoughtful understanding of environmental issues never witnessed before from the leader of the Catholic church.
In a recent piece published on Latin America in Movement Online, João Pedro Stedile wrote about meeting with Pope Francis at the World Meeting of Popular Movements in October of 2014. The meeting revolved around people’s struggles over land, shelter and decent work.
“In all the issues on which he has spoken out – the war in Syria, hunger, the migration of Africans to Europe, unemployment, homeless people, etc. – he has always spoken clearly and strongly, without fear of naming the guilty, abandoning the traditional diplomatic discourse that justified the position of the Vatican being always on the side of the powerful and international entities.”
Image courtesy of Twitter.com/RisingTideVT
(Essex,VT) – A climate justice organizer has locked herself to machinery at a Vermont Gas pipeline construction site in Essex, VT, calling for an end to fracking and the construction of new fossil fuel infrastructure.
“For almost three years, we’ve seen state agencies and Vermont Gas ignore the concerns of landowners, ratepayers and the public,” said Johanna Anderson, an outdoor educator and member of Rising Tide Vermont. “We’re here today to stop construction of a pipeline that has little public support and extreme regulatory uncertainty. We’re calling on the Public Service Board to do the same after next week’s technical hearings.”
Police are beginning to arrive on the scene. No arrests have been made.
Follow @RisingTideVT on Twitter for updates and photos.
Global Justice Ecology Project
