SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
We already knew that the Trans Pacific Partnership is a threat to our jobs, our civil rights, and our national sovereignty, and now we know it's also a danger to our environment. On Wednesday, Wikileaks published a leaked version of the environmental chapter of the TPP, and it's just another example of putting corporate power ahead of public interest.
Because mega-corporations took part in negotiating the deal, the purpose of environmental chapter is first and foremost to protect trade, not our environment. It relies on so-called corporate accountability, and emphasizes "flexible, voluntary mechanisms, such as voluntary auditing and reporting, market-based incentives, voluntary sharing of information and expertise." Because - you know - corporate self-regulation has worked out so well for us in the past. This chapter does nothing to mandate that our environment is protected from the destructive nature of corporate greed, and nothing to punish trading partners or corporations who violate environmental standards.
Just like the other leaked sections of the TPP, the environmental chapter alone should be enough to make our lawmakers reject this deal. Instead, they're pushing forward, trying to take away Congress members' right to debate it, and keeping Americans in the dark about negotiations. For the sake of our jobs, our civil rights, our national sovereignty, and now also our environment, we must demand that our legislators reject the TPP.
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Because mega-corporations took part in negotiating the deal, the purpose of environmental chapter is first and foremost to protect trade, not our environment. It relies on so-called corporate accountability, and emphasizes "flexible, voluntary mechanisms, such as voluntary auditing and reporting, market-based incentives, voluntary sharing of information and expertise." Because - you know - corporate self-regulation has worked out so well for us in the past. This chapter does nothing to mandate that our environment is protected from the destructive nature of corporate greed, and nothing to punish trading partners or corporations who violate environmental standards.
Just like the other leaked sections of the TPP, the environmental chapter alone should be enough to make our lawmakers reject this deal. Instead, they're pushing forward, trying to take away Congress members' right to debate it, and keeping Americans in the dark about negotiations. For the sake of our jobs, our civil rights, our national sovereignty, and now also our environment, we must demand that our legislators reject the TPP.
Because mega-corporations took part in negotiating the deal, the purpose of environmental chapter is first and foremost to protect trade, not our environment. It relies on so-called corporate accountability, and emphasizes "flexible, voluntary mechanisms, such as voluntary auditing and reporting, market-based incentives, voluntary sharing of information and expertise." Because - you know - corporate self-regulation has worked out so well for us in the past. This chapter does nothing to mandate that our environment is protected from the destructive nature of corporate greed, and nothing to punish trading partners or corporations who violate environmental standards.
Just like the other leaked sections of the TPP, the environmental chapter alone should be enough to make our lawmakers reject this deal. Instead, they're pushing forward, trying to take away Congress members' right to debate it, and keeping Americans in the dark about negotiations. For the sake of our jobs, our civil rights, our national sovereignty, and now also our environment, we must demand that our legislators reject the TPP.