Maplecroft survey alerts companies to investment risks of water scarcity worldwide

African nations led by Somalia, Mauritania and Sudan have the most precarious water supplies in the world while Iceland has the best, according to a survey …that aims to alert companies to investment risks. The ranking, compiled by British-based risk consultancy Maplecroft, said climate change and a rising world population meant that stresses on supplies…

UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

The United States is now re-considering its position on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.  Read on to learn more from Andrea Carmen, Yaqui Nation, the executive director of the International Indian Treaty Council, which has been involved in negotiations on the U.N. Declaration for nearly three decades.
Originally printed at http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/opinion/columnists/97150584.html
On…

Financial Reform

The financial reform bill, currently being considered, aims to provide consumer protection, reduce systemic risk, and improve corporate governance.  Read on to learn the reasoning behind the bill and the highlights of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act as currently drafted.
Americans have faced the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression….

Investors Demanding Social Justice

Read on to hear what Executive Director Laura Berry had to say to the New York Times about the work of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR), of which Friends Fiduciary is a member.
By CLYDE HABERMAN, New York Times
Published: June 3, 2010
As instances of business malefaction pile up — Enron, Madoff, Goldman Sachs,…

Exxon Mobil Corporate Citizenship Report

ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) has published its 2009 Corporate Citizenship Report-Addressing the Sustainability Challenge, detailing actions to improve environmental, economic, and social performance. The full report is available on their website by clicking here.
As outlined by the Chairman and CEO Rex W. Tillerson, the company will continue to address the challenge of sustainability by:
- Maintaining its focus…

What the Climate Bill Means for Farmers

Thus far the majority of analysis of the Kerry-Lieberman climate bill has focused on the energy components of the bill, including an extension of nuclear power, clean coal” from carbon storage and sequestration, and offshore drilling expansion. The bill also provides unprecedented programs for agriculture and food systems in the U.S. and internationally. Unfortunately, while…

Five Questions about Seed Donation to Haiti

Five Questions Monsanto Needs to Answer about its Seed Donation to Haiti

May 17, 2010
Blog post by Timi Gerson, Director of Advocacy
American Jewish World Service
Monsanto has donated $4 million in seeds to Haiti, sending 60 tons of conventional hybrid corn and vegetable seed, followed by 70 more tons of corn seed last week with an additional…

Probing the Causes of the BP Spill

At Yale Environment 360 this week, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist John McQuaid writes about the underlying causes of the massive oil spill now spreading across the Gulf of Mexico. A close look at the accident shows that lax federal oversight, complacency by BP and the other companies involved, and the complexities of drilling a mile deep…

CLIMATE ACTION: A CALL FOR PEACE

Some thoughts from Byron Sanford, Director of William Penn House in DC

At a Mother’s day potluck at William Penn House, Joelle Novey of the Greater Washington Interfaith Power and Light and Joe Stanley of Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy discussed the pending climate legislation that will be reported…

Advocates for Environmental Human Rights Statements on BP disaster

Monique Harden of Advocates for Environmental Human Rights (AEHR) focuses her efforts on the environmental justice struggles in Louisiana and the Gulf Coast
region. This week, Monique published an opinion piece about the BP
disaster. Monique writes: “The BP oil drilling disaster demonstrates
that the need for clean up extends beyond the immediate damage to the
coastal region. We need…