Fair Trade
HELP STOP CAFTA - Tuesday, June 28, 5:00-9:00pm - we'll be joining forces with friends from the Steelworkers to call Sierra Club members and urge them to contact Congress to oppose the Central American Free Trade Agreement. We'll be phoning at the SEIU offices, located at 2233 University Ave. W., Suite 422, in St. Paul. For more information call Tara Widner at 612-623-8003.
Sierra Student Coalition - Summer Fair Trade Activist Training
If you're a student you're invited to attend... the Sierra Student Coalition Summer Fair Trade Activist Training Program! Join us in San Diego, August 14 - 18... Registrations will be accepted until May 15th or until the programs are full. Space is limited, so register today! [more…]
What are the threats?
What can you do?
More information
Trade agreements: an environmental threat and what you can do
Last November, the nations of North, Central, and South America and the Caribbean met in Miami to continue negotiations on the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), which would extend the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to 34 nations. Meanwhile, the World Trade Organization (WTO) is working on the General Agreement on Trades and Services (GATS). These two agreements pose serious threats to the environment both here and around the world, yet environmental groups and average citizens have no say in their content. Even the Congress will be allowed only a yes or no vote, after severely limited debate, with no right to amend the agreements. Yet hundreds of corporate representatives have had a seat at the table through all the negotiations. No wonder then, these agreements favor profits over protection of the environment, safety of workers, and democratic rights.
What are the threats?
Litigation by foreign corporations against laws that protect the environment - the Methanex case against the California ban on MTBE in gasoline is just the tip of the iceberg. A preliminary review by legislative research staff identified hundreds of Minnesota laws potentially vulnerable to challenges under NAFTA and WTO rules. These cases are decided by secret trade tribunals, but citizens of the target nation pay the price: either massive fines or lost soveriegnty when environmental protections are overturned. Neither the affected state, nor any public interest groups or citizens, have a say in the deliberations of the trade tribunal. Examples: Venezuelan oil companies could sue to overturn clean fuel laws; American mining companies could sue Brazil to overturn forest protection laws. Also at risk: zoning laws, limits on feedlot sizes, limits or restrictions on extraction and sale of resources such as water, timber, wildlife, etc.
Overturning state and local procurement rules - rules or laws that require or give preference to government purchase of environmentally friendly products could be ruled a barrier to trade and thrown out. By signing the agreements, the US government commits to using every means available to force compliance by state and local governments. Examples: Canada could sue Minnesota to overturn our renewable energy portfolio standards or our recycled-content purchasing requirements for state agencies. US states could be forced to purchase energy from Mexico, regardless of how much pollution is generated in its production.
Privatization of public services - under the GATS, all kinds of public services (park management, water supply systems, wastewater treatment, waste disposal, etc.) could be privatized, reducing public oversight of these services and replacing public interest with private profit. GATS takes the decision of whether to privatize away from our elected officials and limits the ability of governments to establish rules regarding those services. It could also impose deregulation of vital services, like energy, transportation, etc.
Global "race to the bottom" for environmental and worker protections - as nations compete for foreign investments, they turn a blind eye to environmental destruction and abuse of workers rights and safety, using lax environmental laws, low wages, and unprotected workforces as lures for corporations. Mexico drew hundreds of thousands of manufacturing jobs across their border, resulting in massive pollution of their air, land, and water and a dramatic drop in the average wages, only to see many of those jobs lost to China who promises even weaker laws and enforcement. The race to the bottom also causes nations to repress citizens advocating for environmental protection - thousands of environmental activists around the world have been assaulted, jailed, and killed.
Chilling effect on needed environmental protections - state and national governments will think twice before passing needed environmental protections that risk possible trade litigation. Already, the US EPA backed away from clean fuel proposals under threat from Venezuela and the laws protecting dolphins from tuna fishing were weakened by Congress to head off litigation by Mexico and other nations.
Increased import of exotic species - because all products must be treated equally, even when products are imported from areas where harmful exotic species are known to be endemic, the US would be prohibited from increased inspections. This has already resulted in invasion of the Long-horned Asian Beetle, which is devastating forests along the east coast.
Unsafe food, unsafe workers - limited inspections also mean imported foods are less safe. After NAFTA passed, both the US and Mexico cut back on their own inspection programs on foods coming from Mexico, and rates of food-related disease outbreaks have increased dramatically. Workers are trapped in unsafe and abusive working conditions without the right to organize because of the threat of losing their jobs in the "race to the bottom."
What can you do?
- Contact your U.S. senators and representatives and urge them to oppose passage of any trade agreements that don't include protections for workers and the environment, and that do not provide for an open process for settling trade disputes that can be accessed by citizens.
- Vote. Learn about where candidates stand on this issue and then be sure to vote.
- Talk to friends and family about this issue.
- If you belong to a group that has speakers, consider having a speaker on this issue. For more information, contact Ginny Yingling, 651-731-4420
For more information
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