Published on May 16, 2013
- Reports:
The report is based on research conducted at the Political Economy Research Institute of the University of Massachusetts Amherst to compile a ranking of the Toxic 100 Water Polluters.The report shows that leading energy and chemical manufacturing companies are dumping massive amounts of toxic chemicals into surface waters, putting in danger the lives and wellbeing of those exposed to the resulting pollution.
Published on May 14, 2013
- Reports:
Food & Water Watch closely examined five years of State Department diplomatic cables from 2005 to 2009 to provide the first comprehensive analysis of the strategy, tactics and U.S. foreign policy objectives to foist pro-agricultural biotechnology policies worldwide. Read the full report to learn more.
Published on May 14, 2013
- Reports:
Food & Water Watch closely examined five years of State Department diplomatic cables from 2005 to 2009 to provide the first comprehensive analysis of the strategy, tactics and U.S. foreign policy objectives to foist pro-agricultural biotechnology policies worldwide.
Published on May 07, 2013
- Fact Sheets:
Taken together, spills of toxic fracking fluid and fracking wastewater, groundwater contamination from methane and fracking fluid, local and regional air pollution problems, explosions and fires, and climate-threatening levels of methane emissions demonstrate the shortsightedness of relying on the dirty energy from shale development.
Published on April 23, 2013
- Fact Sheets:
Nestlé Waters is determined to build and operate a water bottling plant in the Columbia River Gorge town of Cascade Locks, seeking to bottle and sell essential spring water resources.
Published on April 23, 2013
- Fact Sheets:
Using ractopamine, a drug that makes livestock grow lean meat faster, may pose human health risks and can compromise animal health and welfare.
Published on April 12, 2013
- Fact Sheets:
The rise of genetic engineering (GE) has not only diminished the ability for farmers to practice their own methods of seed selection, but also turned another sector of agriculture into a business monopolized by a few corporations. Monsanto, the largest supplier of GE seed traits, now controls 60 percent of corn and 62.5 percent of soybean seeds and seed trait licenses in the United States.
Published on April 08, 2013
- Fact Sheets:
Roundup herbicide. Agent Orange. PCBs. Genetically engineered seeds. These may not seem related, but they all have something in common: Monsanto.
Published on April 04, 2013
- Issue Briefs:
In November 2012, California’s Air Resources board auctioned off the first round of carbon permits for its voluntary cap-and-trade market, which officially went live on January 1, 2013. This initiative came out of California Assembly Bill 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act, which sets a goal of lowering greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 (a reduction of about 30 percent).
Published on April 04, 2013
- Reports:
The 2008 global financial crisis left many governments around the world with serious fiscal challenges. Eroded tax bases and growing health and retirement costs created or worsened local budget deficits across the United States, and a sovereign debt crisis rattled the European Union. Instead of confronting these problems head-on, a number of public officials across the globe sought to lease or sell public water and sewer systems to fund ongoing government functions or to pay down liabilities. That is, they have tried to use water privatization to create the illusion of having balanced the budget, when in fact they are just digging the hole deeper.
Published on April 03, 2013
- Issue Briefs:
In recent years, a push has been made to transform environmental protection around the world from regulatory regimes to cap-and-trade schemes. Under cap-and-trade, polluters are offered the opportunity to “pay to pollute,” turning decades of environmental efforts on their head and undermining improvements in environmental health. The linchpin of these cap-and-trade schemes is “offsets,” or credits from outside the regulated industry that polluters can buy in order to keep on polluting.
Published on April 03, 2013
- Reports:
Monsanto is a global agricultural biotechnology company that specializes in genetically engineered (GE) seeds and herbicides, most notably Roundup herbicide and GE Roundup Ready seed.GE seeds have been altered with inserted genetic material to exhibit traits that repel pests or withstand the application of herbicides. In 2009, in the United States alone, nearly all (93 percent) of soybeans and four-fifths (80 percent) of corn were grown with seeds containing Monsanto-patented genetics.The company’s power and influence affects not only the U.S. agricultural industry, but also political campaigns, regulatory processes and the structure of agriculture systems all over the world.
Published on April 03, 2013
- Reports:
You know who Monsanto is. Even if you don’t recognize the company name, you’ve come across some of its products: maybe you’ve used Roundup weed killer on your grass or garden, you’ve heard about the debate over treating cows with the artificial growth hormone rBGH, you’re worried about genetically modified organisms in your food, or you’ve learned about the U.S. military’s use of the toxic herbicide Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. These may not seem related, but they all are a major part of Monsanto’s legacy.
Published on March 15, 2013
- Fact Sheets:
Catch limits are protective caps on the number of fish that can be caught in a fishing year. They are a fundamental measure to prevent overfishing and ensure the long-term sustainability of fish stocks. These measures are set based on scientific assessments of the health of fish stocks.
Published on March 05, 2013
- Fact Sheets:
The biotechnology industry is aggressively promoting the environmental sustainability of genetically modified (GM) crops. The industry claims that GM crops can reduce herbicide use, increase yields to feed a hungry planet, and develop new crops that are adapted to climate change.
Published on March 05, 2013
- Fact Sheets:
With the rise of GM crops, coexistence between organic, non-GM and GM production has become more diffi cult due to the potential for gene flow and commingling of crops at both the planting and harvesting levels.
Published on March 05, 2013
- Fact Sheets:
When it comes to labeling genetically modified (GM) foods, the United States lags behind nearly 50 developed nations, including all European Union member states, Australia, Brazil, China, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, Saudi Arabia and South Korea. The European Union requires all food, animal feeds and processed products with biotech content to bear GM labels.
Published on March 05, 2013
- Fact Sheets:
Despite the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) approval of many genetically modified foods, questions persist about the safety of eating them. Safety concerns should result in a halt to all sales of genetically modified foods until these questions are addressed. At the very least, consumers should have the right to know if the foods they are buying and eating have been genetically modified.
Published on March 05, 2013
- Fact Sheets:
Roundup, an herbicide produced by Monsanto that contains the active ingredient glyphosate, has been vigorously applied to crops for years. Most genetically modified (GM) crops are designed to be tolerant of specially tailored herbicides. Farmers can spray the herbicide on their fields, killing the weeds without harming the GM crops. With the development of Roundup Ready crops, the application intensity of Roundup has only increased.
Published on March 04, 2013
- Issue Briefs:
Around half of the fish that the world eats for dinner comes from fish farms. Aquaculture is promoted as a sustainable way to meet rising consumer demand for seafood. But fish farming relies on small, wild fish to feed farmed fish, pollutes the waters around it with wastes and chemicals and threatens wild fish biodiversity through escapes and disease transmission.
