Today’s heat had me seeking the coolness under the canopy of the cedar rain forest. Walking trails normally used only by animals, Bear wasted no time finding his trophy. I’m always amazed when he comes running through the ferns with it in his mouth. We were a long way from where I had left it more than a month ago. I took some more photos in case this is the last time we see it
By Andrew Bolt ~
Professor Bjorn Lomborg fact checks American global warming alarmist Paul Krugman:
Consider Paul Krugman, writing breathlessly in The New York Times about the “rising incidence of extreme events” and how “large-scale damage from climate change is happening now”.
He claims that global warming caused the current drought in the US midwest and that supposedly record-high corn prices could cause a global food crisis.
But the UN climate panel’s latest assessment tells us precisely the opposite: for “North America, there is medium confidence that there has been an overall slight tendency toward less dryness (wetting trend with more soil moisture and runoff)”.
Moreover, there is no way Krugman could have identified this drought as being caused by global warming without a time machine: climate models estimate that such detection will be possible by 2048, at the earliest.
And, fortunately, this year’s drought appears unlikely to…
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Extreme Heat, Drought Show Vulnerability of Nuclear Power Plants By Robert Krier, InsideClimate News, 15 Aug 12, “……— The Vermont Yankee plant near Brattleboro had to limit output four times in July because of low river flow and heat. At one point, production was reduced to 83 percent of capacity.
— FristEnergy Corp’s Perry 1 reactor in Ohio dropped production in late July to 95 percent of capacity because of above-average temperatures.
— Operators of the Braidwood, Ill., nuclear plant 60 miles southwest of Chicago sought and were granted a waiver from the Environmental Protection Agency to raise the temperature of a cooling pond to 102 degrees—2 degrees above the established limit. The pond holds water cycled through the plant for cooling and then discharged. If the plant had not received the waiver, it would have had to scale back production in the middle of an intense heat wave. Kraft…
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According to reports from Cryosphere Today, sea ice area is now in record territory. Currently measuring 2,986,000 square kilometers, this is the third lowest sea ice area in the satellite record. It is also just 81,000 square kilometers above the previous record low of 2,905,000 square kilometers. Yesterday, sea ice area values were 111,000 square kilometers higher. A similar one-day drop would break the all-time record low for sea ice area.
With about one month of melt still remaining, it appears likely that a new record low will be set. Perhaps one that is substantially below past measures of sea ice area at end of summer.
Sea ice extent measures have also continued their plunge into record territory over the past few days. The current map from NSIDC shows sea ice extent currently well below the 2007 value for this date:
Not only is the current value lower than the…
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“Fair Trade is a trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency and respect, that seeks greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalized producers and workers . Fair Trade organizations (backed by consumers) are engaged actively in supporting producers, awareness raising and in campaigning for changes in the rules and practice of conventional international trade.”
(source: http://www.fta.org.au/node/43)
International trade is the trading of goods or services across international borders or territories. It is a major source of economic revenue for any nation that is considered a world power. It is used to increase corporate profits and boost the economy.
Unfortunately, the advantages of this increase in profits are sometimes not passed on to the wider community.
In developing countries small farmers find it difficult to access the market price for their product. They must use middlemen who will determine the price for them. Therefore, even though the middlemen may be receiving an increasing profit , the farmer may be receiving smaller and smaller amounts for their work. In bad times they may lose their property, land and livelihoods.
The dwindling profits of the struggling farmers of course passes down to the people working on the farm or plantation- who not only are forced to endure very low pay but also have unsafe working environments and poor living conditions.
Fair Trade is an alternative approach to conventional trade.
It focuses on helping farmers and producers in developing countries to move towards economic self-sufficiency and stability. By paying producers and their workers fair prices and helping them gain the skills and knowledge needed, allows them to have a greater stake hold in their own business, provide safer and ethical working environments and therefore play a wider role in international trade. Fair trade also encourages better environmental practices and the application of responsible methods of production.
It is about providing a fair go – not charity.
A Fair Trade Certified Company ensures that the supply chain down to the production of goods in factories has purchased all their manufactured components from producers that have been treated ethically using the Fair Trade principles. It not only guarantee’s they have received fair prices but ensures they comply with International Labor Office (ILO) Agreements, which are set in place to ensure prevention of accidents and diseases that cause human loss, pain and security in the work place.
This covers:
According to ILO estimates, ‘some 5,000 job-related deaths occur each day, or some 2 million each year and workers suffer approximately 270 million occupational accidents and 160 million occupational diseases each year.’
The importance of buying products that are ethically produced becomes even more relevant as more and more stories emerge of mistreatment of employee’s in companies located in countries such as Korea. Legal loopholes are allowing the exploitation of workers: migrant workers receiving 60% lower pay whilst working the same job, same hours and under the same roof.
Horror stories are emerging of employees losing limbs in factories only to receive no compensation and without the ability to work, not being able to afford to go home. An Amnesty International report tells the moving tale of a Chinese woman who had been working 12-hour night shifts in an embroidery factory in Korea, who wrote this on her suicide note:
“Migrant workers are also human beings. Why don’t they pay me for my work? I cannot go home because I don’t have money. I have chosen to kill myself, as there is no other way.”
It would seem logical to assume that buying any product that is described using the words “Fair Trade” would avoid supporting the terrible abuses described above. Unfortunately this is not always the case.
The expression “Fair Trade” can be deceiving, and is increasingly wielded as a PR tool by savvy marketing departments to increase sales without any actual worker protection being guaranteed.
Many companies will advertise behind the Fair Trade terminology which may imply they trade under the ethos of Fair Trade, however outlined below are two “Fair Trade” organizations which companies can align themselves with while still practicing inhumane and unfair trade practices. They are both established to protect consumers not workers.
The Office of Fair Trading (UK) who are responsible for ‘making markets work well for consumers’ by ensuring businesses are fair and competitive and do not monopolize the market. Again, Fair Trade in a business markets context but certainly nothing to do with ensuring fair treatment of workers in the 3rd world!
Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC), Korea’s regulatory commission for economic competition, regulates competition law and policy. They protect the interests of entrepreneurs trying to compete in the economies markets, as well as consumer protection against a monopolized market. Again, this has nothing to do with Fair Trade!
The danger of this is that consumers could unintentionally be purchasing products that they deem to be ‘Fair Trade’ while practices such as the abhorrent yet legal Tiered Salary System in Korea are in place. Under this system migrant workers (in particular the Chinese) are paid much less than minimum wages (in itself only 40% of the national average workers wage) than those of their colleagues. Other cases of abuse include workers receiving below average wages while even working unpaid overtime hours.
So what you have to remember when purchasing a product from somewhere that states they are a Fair Trade Company is that anybody can claim Fair Trade. There are no laws that prohibit an organization to do so.
The only way to 100% guarantee that your purchase has been produced following the fair trade guidelines is if you see these two internationally recognized symbols used to identify a Fair Trade Company.
The first is issued by WFTO to registered members and is called the Fair Trade Organization Mark, or FTO Mark for short. This is a mark to identify organizations that practice Fair Trade:
The other is issued by the FLO (the Fairtrade Labelling Organisation) and is called the Fairtrade Label. It is used to identify Fair Trade products. You may know FLO by another name: TransFair, Fairtrade Foundation, Max Havelaar etc. These are all national initiatives of FLO.
As stated on the Fair Trade Organisation website:
“The Fairtrade Label is a “seal of approval” that appears on products that meet internationally agreed Fairtrade standards and which guarantees to consumers that their purchases will benefit the producers, their families and the surrounding communities from the developing countries that they originate from.”
These “seals of approval” are a long process where a company or corporation once approved will be audited regularly to ensure they are compliant with Fair Trade principles right from the production stage, through the supply chain, and through to the final packaging.
Here at Envirosax we make no claim to the use of the ‘Fair Trade’ symbol or terminology. However we uphold the principles through all stages of our production, distribution and sales.
Our bags are produced in China where there is no Fair Trade Organization – instead in all our production we follow the new Chinese Labor Laws.
These laws ensure (amongst other things) that:
In addition to following these laws strictly, we have an Australian employee who is on our factory site in China every day, who overseas all operations to ensure the highest Workplace Health & Safety standards for employee’s, while also ensuring high quality control.
As well as the day-to-day direct contact with factory workers, twice yearly the Envirosax owner’s Belinda and Mark David-Tooze visit and inspect the factory site.
Currently, Envirosax is in the process of gaining approval for use of the Fair Trade label for our Organic Cotton Series bags. These bags are created in Peru using organic materials produced by local farmers under the Fair Trade guidelines.
Envirosax would like to thank Fair Trade Organization – Netherlands for helping with the research for this article.
If you would like to read more information on Fair Trade principles or have any other queries please visit www.fairtrade.net.
The Worldwatch Institute brainstormed 10 Easy Steps To Waste Less Food:
In the words of Mahatma Ghandi, “Just as the body cannot exist without blood, so the soul needs matchless and pure strength of faith…”
If ten Nigerians were randomly asked if they belonged to a religious body, all ten would respond in the affirmative.
In an average Lagos community, you only need to walk a distance of 50 Metres before you find either a church or a mosque. Just imagine how organized and grandiose our communities would be if every worship centre could rise up collectively with the government, with a purpose of making life worth living. Imagine the schools that would be built, the roads that would have repaired, or the young men and women who would have received free or low-cost vocational trainings. Imagine how much impact would have been made in the lives of a cross-section of Nigerians. Every grass-root Nigerian would feel the impact of the…
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(Photo Credit: Marco Tedesco)
According to reports from Arctic researchers headed by Marco Tedesco, Greenland broke the melt record set in 2010 on August 8th of this year. With one month of melt still remaining, it appears that Greenland is now set to shatter all previous melt records since observations began 30 years ago.
This record melt coincided with the hottest summer Greenland has experienced in at least 123 years, the last time melting covered the entire ice sheet, as indicated by ice core data. It has also resulted in structural damage to parts of Greenland’s infrastructure.
“With more yet to come in August, this year’s overall melting will fall way above the old records. That’s a Goliath year — the greatest melt since satellite recording began in 1979,” noted researcher Marco Tedesco, assistant professor of Earth and atmospheric sciences from The City College of New York.
Tedesco and his…
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FromThe Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):
“The monsoons have taken the edge off the drought in Western Colorado. . . . The Eastern Plains have been baking,” said Nolan Doesken, state climatologist, during a workshop on drought and its impacts Wednesday at the Colorado Water Congress summer convention. Statewide impacts have been severe. Plants have been stressed, requiring more water when less is available. Higher water temperatures and debris flows from burn areas are killing fish. Farmers are losing crops. Cities have increased water-treatment challenges because of fire damage in watersheds.
Monsoon rains in the mountains have provided more water, but the water supply is far behind average in every basin in the state, even those that received record precipitation last year, Doesken said. “We usually don’t look at July as the month that’s going to save our water, but it has helped,” Doesken said…
The state is on the…
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Beautiful Earth 