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The TPP Is a Grave Threat to Climate Action
MoveOn.org sent out the following message and accompanying petition its members on May 21. Make sure to sign the petition here.
Dear MoveOn member,
I'm writing because President Obama and the U.S. Congress need to hear from you before they rush toward approving a massive new trade agreement that would benefit corporations and undercut serious efforts to fight climate change.
May 22, 2015
MoveOn.org sent out the following message and accompanying petition its members on May 21. Make sure to sign the petition here.
Dear MoveOn member,
I'm writing because President Obama and the U.S. Congress need to hear from you before they rush toward approving a massive new trade agreement that would benefit corporations and undercut serious efforts to fight climate change.
This deal--the Trans-Pacific Partnership or TPP--has been called "NAFTA on steroids." It's the latest and largest in a series of international agreements that have attacked working women and men, fueled mindless and carbon-intensive consumption, and prevented governments from enforcing their own laws to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
NAFTA-esque deals around the world have been a disaster for democracy, good jobs, and environmental justice, which is why I hope you'll click here and sign the petition to stop the TPP from being rushed through Congress.
Trade deals such as NAFTA and the TPP bestow corporations with outrageous new powers, including the right to directly challenge participating governments for enacting any measures that jeopardize their profits. These corporate grievances are heard by unelected, unaccountable trade tribunals--and as history has shown, the energy and mining giants will seize on them to try to gut all manner of environmental laws.
Existing trade deals and World Trade Organization rules are already being used to block subsidies for renewable energy and other supports for the clean energy sector. And the expansion of such agreements has gone hand in hand with the accelerating rise in greenhouse gas emissions.
In short, this corporate free trade model that the TPP represents isn't only destabilizing our economies--it's also a key reason why our governments have failed to come to grips with the climate crisis.
Will you click here now, sign the petition, and send a message to President Obama and your representatives in Congress that if they're serious about fighting climate change, they must not rush TPP through Congress?
History tells a clear story of poorly written trade agreements spelling disaster for the environment. In 2009, Canada's largest province, Ontario, passed the Green Energy and Economy Act--an ambitious plan to curb fossil fuels. For four years, it increased production and use of renewable energy, created 31,000 jobs, and by 2013, only one coal plant remained in operation.
That's where the good news ends.
Because of Ontario's attempts to build its local wind and solar industries, Canada was challenged for violating trade obligations--and soon, a core element of the province's green energy plan was scrapped. The message was clear for governments everywhere: If you take robust steps to fight climate change that threaten multinational corporations, you'll be challenged--and beaten--in unelected trade tribunals.
After years of runaway emissions growth, scientists warn that this is our last chance to prevent catastrophic climate change. The TPP would make that job significantly harder. Yet, the U.S. Senate could vote this week to rush through the TPP without debate or amendment.
Please take a moment to send an important message to President Obama and the U.S. Congress: The world is watching. Allowing corporations to challenge democratic laws condemns us all to an unlivable future. Don't continue this downward spiral--reject the TPP, and reject this attempt to fast-track it through Congress.
Thank you. Keep up the fight.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. 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. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
© 2023 This Changes Everything
Naomi Klein
Naomi Klein is an award-winning journalist and New York Times, bestselling author. She is Senior Correspondent for The Intercept, a Puffin Writing Fellow at Type Media Center, from 2018-2021 she was the inaugural Gloria Steinem Endowed Chair at Rutgers University and the Honorary Professor of Media and Climate at Rutgers. In September 2021, she joined the University of British Columbia as UBC Professor of Climate Justice. Her books include: "No Is Not Enough: Resisting Trump's Shock Politics and Winning the World We Need" (2017), "This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs the Climate" (2015); "The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism" (2008); and "No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies" (2009). To read all her writing visit www.naomiklein.org.
MoveOn.org sent out the following message and accompanying petition its members on May 21. Make sure to sign the petition here.
Dear MoveOn member,
I'm writing because President Obama and the U.S. Congress need to hear from you before they rush toward approving a massive new trade agreement that would benefit corporations and undercut serious efforts to fight climate change.
This deal--the Trans-Pacific Partnership or TPP--has been called "NAFTA on steroids." It's the latest and largest in a series of international agreements that have attacked working women and men, fueled mindless and carbon-intensive consumption, and prevented governments from enforcing their own laws to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
NAFTA-esque deals around the world have been a disaster for democracy, good jobs, and environmental justice, which is why I hope you'll click here and sign the petition to stop the TPP from being rushed through Congress.
Trade deals such as NAFTA and the TPP bestow corporations with outrageous new powers, including the right to directly challenge participating governments for enacting any measures that jeopardize their profits. These corporate grievances are heard by unelected, unaccountable trade tribunals--and as history has shown, the energy and mining giants will seize on them to try to gut all manner of environmental laws.
Existing trade deals and World Trade Organization rules are already being used to block subsidies for renewable energy and other supports for the clean energy sector. And the expansion of such agreements has gone hand in hand with the accelerating rise in greenhouse gas emissions.
In short, this corporate free trade model that the TPP represents isn't only destabilizing our economies--it's also a key reason why our governments have failed to come to grips with the climate crisis.
Will you click here now, sign the petition, and send a message to President Obama and your representatives in Congress that if they're serious about fighting climate change, they must not rush TPP through Congress?
History tells a clear story of poorly written trade agreements spelling disaster for the environment. In 2009, Canada's largest province, Ontario, passed the Green Energy and Economy Act--an ambitious plan to curb fossil fuels. For four years, it increased production and use of renewable energy, created 31,000 jobs, and by 2013, only one coal plant remained in operation.
That's where the good news ends.
Because of Ontario's attempts to build its local wind and solar industries, Canada was challenged for violating trade obligations--and soon, a core element of the province's green energy plan was scrapped. The message was clear for governments everywhere: If you take robust steps to fight climate change that threaten multinational corporations, you'll be challenged--and beaten--in unelected trade tribunals.
After years of runaway emissions growth, scientists warn that this is our last chance to prevent catastrophic climate change. The TPP would make that job significantly harder. Yet, the U.S. Senate could vote this week to rush through the TPP without debate or amendment.
Please take a moment to send an important message to President Obama and the U.S. Congress: The world is watching. Allowing corporations to challenge democratic laws condemns us all to an unlivable future. Don't continue this downward spiral--reject the TPP, and reject this attempt to fast-track it through Congress.
Thank you. Keep up the fight.
Naomi Klein
Naomi Klein is an award-winning journalist and New York Times, bestselling author. She is Senior Correspondent for The Intercept, a Puffin Writing Fellow at Type Media Center, from 2018-2021 she was the inaugural Gloria Steinem Endowed Chair at Rutgers University and the Honorary Professor of Media and Climate at Rutgers. In September 2021, she joined the University of British Columbia as UBC Professor of Climate Justice. Her books include: "No Is Not Enough: Resisting Trump's Shock Politics and Winning the World We Need" (2017), "This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs the Climate" (2015); "The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism" (2008); and "No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies" (2009). To read all her writing visit www.naomiklein.org.
MoveOn.org sent out the following message and accompanying petition its members on May 21. Make sure to sign the petition here.
Dear MoveOn member,
I'm writing because President Obama and the U.S. Congress need to hear from you before they rush toward approving a massive new trade agreement that would benefit corporations and undercut serious efforts to fight climate change.
This deal--the Trans-Pacific Partnership or TPP--has been called "NAFTA on steroids." It's the latest and largest in a series of international agreements that have attacked working women and men, fueled mindless and carbon-intensive consumption, and prevented governments from enforcing their own laws to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
NAFTA-esque deals around the world have been a disaster for democracy, good jobs, and environmental justice, which is why I hope you'll click here and sign the petition to stop the TPP from being rushed through Congress.
Trade deals such as NAFTA and the TPP bestow corporations with outrageous new powers, including the right to directly challenge participating governments for enacting any measures that jeopardize their profits. These corporate grievances are heard by unelected, unaccountable trade tribunals--and as history has shown, the energy and mining giants will seize on them to try to gut all manner of environmental laws.
Existing trade deals and World Trade Organization rules are already being used to block subsidies for renewable energy and other supports for the clean energy sector. And the expansion of such agreements has gone hand in hand with the accelerating rise in greenhouse gas emissions.
In short, this corporate free trade model that the TPP represents isn't only destabilizing our economies--it's also a key reason why our governments have failed to come to grips with the climate crisis.
Will you click here now, sign the petition, and send a message to President Obama and your representatives in Congress that if they're serious about fighting climate change, they must not rush TPP through Congress?
History tells a clear story of poorly written trade agreements spelling disaster for the environment. In 2009, Canada's largest province, Ontario, passed the Green Energy and Economy Act--an ambitious plan to curb fossil fuels. For four years, it increased production and use of renewable energy, created 31,000 jobs, and by 2013, only one coal plant remained in operation.
That's where the good news ends.
Because of Ontario's attempts to build its local wind and solar industries, Canada was challenged for violating trade obligations--and soon, a core element of the province's green energy plan was scrapped. The message was clear for governments everywhere: If you take robust steps to fight climate change that threaten multinational corporations, you'll be challenged--and beaten--in unelected trade tribunals.
After years of runaway emissions growth, scientists warn that this is our last chance to prevent catastrophic climate change. The TPP would make that job significantly harder. Yet, the U.S. Senate could vote this week to rush through the TPP without debate or amendment.
Please take a moment to send an important message to President Obama and the U.S. Congress: The world is watching. Allowing corporations to challenge democratic laws condemns us all to an unlivable future. Don't continue this downward spiral--reject the TPP, and reject this attempt to fast-track it through Congress.
Thank you. Keep up the fight.
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