Publications

Big Agribusiness Influence Threatens to Override Public Interest in Greed Revolution

A new 30-page report that documents the growing influence of agribusiness on the multilateral food system and the lack of transparency in research funding has been released today by the international civil society organization ETC Group. The Greed Revolution: Mega Foundations, Agribusiness Muscle In On Public Goods presents three case studies – one involving the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and two involving CGIAR Centers (Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research) – which point to a dangerous trend that will worsen rather than solve the problem of global hunger. The report details the involvement of, among others, Nestlé, Heineken, Monsanto, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Syngenta Foundation.

 

“It is unacceptable that the UN is giving multinational agribusiness privileged... Read more

New Report from ETC Group

The Greed Revolution. Mega Foundations, Agribusiness Muscle In On Public Goods

Issue # 108

Big foundations like Gates and giant agribusinesses like Syngenta are taking an interest in multilateral public institutions committed to ending hunger. The international agencies are having trouble with the “public/private” boundaries. It’s time to evaluate them all.

ETC Group dedicate this Communiqué to the memory of Dr. Erna Bennett who passed away at the beginning of January 2012. 

Cartoon by Stig www.shtig.net

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Qui contrôlera l’Économie verte?

Un nouveau rapport sur la concentration des entreprises dans l’industrie de la vie 

 [PDF - Communiqué de presse]

En direct de la rencontre préparatoire pour la Conférence des Nations Unies sur le développement durable en 2012 (Rio+20) qui se tient à New York cette semaine, le groupe ETC lance un nouveau rapport intitulé Qui contrôlera l’Économie verte?. Le rapport d’une soixantaine de pages expose les liens entre les crises climatique et énergétique, les nouvelles technologies et la concentration des... Read more

Who Will Control the Green Economy­­?

New report on Corporate Concentration in the Life Industries

[download entire report - PDF]

[download news release - PDF]

[download info "What you will find in WWCTGE" - PDF]

... Read more

Qui contrôlera l’Économie verte?

Un nouveau rapport sur la concentration des entreprises dans l’industrie de la vie 

 [PDF - Communiqué de presse]

En direct de la rencontre préparatoire pour la Conférence des Nations Unies sur le développement durable en 2012 (Rio+20) qui se tient à New York cette semaine, le groupe ETC lance un nouveau rapport intitulé Qui contrôlera l’Économie verte?. Le rapport d’une soixantaine de pages expose les liens entre les crises climatique et énergétique, les nouvelles technologies et la concentration des... Read more

This roundtable discussion with Pat Mooney was organized jointly by the What Next Forum and The Resilience and Development Programme (SwedBio) at Stockholm Resilience Centre.

All together 19 persons, with backgrounds in civil society, the Swedish Ministry for Environment, the Swedish EPA, the research community and sustainable development consultancy participated in a rich discussion, initiated and inspired by an overview by Mooney.

The discussions provided a strong case for establishing an international mechanism for technology assessment, something Sweden could take a lead in promoting as an outcome of the Rio +20 summit in June 2012.

 

 

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From the introduction:

International efforts to address the food, energy and climate crises give technology a central role to play. While some technologies may offer potential solutions to specific problems, decades of accelerating technological development and deployment have done little to mitigate climate change, and, in many cases, have made problems worse.

Now, new high-risk technologies, ranging from the very small (synthetic biology,genomics, nanotechnology) to the very large (geoengineering), are rapidly developing.Their promoters promise that these technologies are key to solving climate change,world hunger, energy shortages and biodiversity loss. The precautionary principle andsocial and economic impacts are often ignored in the rush to deploy the latest technofix,marketed as socially useful and cutting edge, such as “climate-smart agriculture” or“next-generation biofuels.” Without the strict application of the precautionary principle,and a... Read more

The Potential Impacts of Synthetic Biology on the Conservation & Sustainable Use of Biodiversity: A Submission to the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical & Technological Advice
Submitted by: The International Civil Society Working Group on Synthetic Biology
Consisting of: Action Group On Erosion, Technology and Concentration (ETC Group), Econexus, Friends of the Earth USA, International Centre for Technology Assesment, The Sustainability Council of New Zealand

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From the introduction:

The most dramatic technological transformation in history – involving information technologies, biotechnologies and engineering – has occurred since the first Rio Earth Summit in 1992; during the same period, however, governments have systematically downsized or eliminated their capacity to understand science and monitor technologies. While technology has thus far played an extraordinarily prominent role in preparatory documents for Rio+20, technology’s potential contribution to sustainable development and/or new Green Economies cannot be realized as long as the world lacks trusted and transparent mechanisms – at global, regional and national levels – for technology evaluation. The absence of such mechanisms incites distrust and invites disaster.

At Rio+20, governments need to adopt forward-looking... Read more

Media release from Pambazuka Press CONTACTRachel WiggansPambazuka Press 2nd floor 51 Cornmarket Street Oxford OX1 3HA, UKTel: +44 (0)1865 727006 x205www.pambazukapress.org FALSE CLIMATE SOLUTIONS EXPOSED Preparations for the Rio+20 meeting that could decide whether humans survive or not are hotting up. 1 November 2011 is the deadline for official contributions to its Zero Draft document but over the next seven months decision-makers and campaigners will need all the facts they can lay their hands on.'Earth Grab - Geopiracy, the New Biomassters and Capturing Climate Genes' - essential, cutting-edge climate science in everyday language - is published this week (27 October 2011). The authors reveal information that the large corporations who profit from climate change do not want the... Read more

Boletín de prensa

30 de septiembre de 2011

www.etcgroup.org

- Se corta el flujo del experimento británico de geoingeniería

- Parlamento Europeo señala su oposición a la manipulación planetaria

Los opositores a la geoingeniería del planeta tenemos dos razones para celebrar esta semana.

En primer lugar, el Grupo ETC recibió la información de que científicos del Reino Unido, en medio de controvertidas discusiones, pospondrán las pruebas del experimento SPICE, un mecanismo diseñado para disparar dióxido de sulfuro a la estratósfera con el fin de, teóricamente, enfriar el planeta. Dicho experimento estaba planeado para ocurrir en unas dos semanas. El lunes pasado, más de 50 organizaciones de diferentes países, enviaron una carta abierta al gobierno de Reino Unido, a los consejos de investigación y a los científicos involucrados, expresando... Read more

ETC Group

News Release

30 September 2011

www.etcgroup.org

“Hold Your Hoses!” – Kink in UK’s ‘Trojan Hose’ geoengineering experiment, as European Parliament signals its opposition to planet-tinkering

 

Opponents of proposals to “geoengineer” the planet have two reasons to celebrate this week.

 

Firstly, ETC Group has learned that UK scientists, in the midst of controversy, are on the cusp of postponing an imminent test of an experimental hose (dubbed the “Trojan Hose” by opponents) designed to deliver sulphur dioxide to the stratosphere as a way to engineer a cooler planet. The test had been scheduled for October; on Monday, 60 groups from around the globe sent an open letter to the UK government and the research councils involved... Read more

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26 de... Read more

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September 26, 2011

Mr. Chris Huhne, MPSecretary of State for Energy and Climate ChangeDepartment of Energy and Climate Change (DECC)3 Whitehall PlaceLondon, UKSW1A... Read more

 

[download press release as PDF] [ view Opposition Letter ][ Join Opposition-  Organizations | Individuals]

ETC GroupNews release27 September 2011www.etcgroup.orgwww.econexus.info

SAY NO TO THE... Read more

Boletín de prensa

5º de septiembre 2011

www.etcgroup.org

¡Cierren la manguera!

El Grupo ETC demanda al gobierno del Reino Unido

detener experimento de geoingeniería

Según informes recientes, científicos británicos están a punto de hacer pruebas del equipo necesario para diseminar partículas de sulfato en la estratósfera, como preparación para realizar experimentos de geoingeniería. La geoingeniería es una propuesta de “remiendos” tecnológicos a mega escala que propone manipular deliberadamente el clima global, para contrarrestar los efectos del cambio climático.

 Ante ello, el Grupo de Acción sobre Erosión, Tecnología y Concentración (Grupo ETC) hace un llamado al gobierno del Reino Unido para que detenga este controvertido experimento y respete los procesos de discusión del tema que se llevan a cabo en el marco del sistema de Naciones Unidas.

Científicos de... Read more

 

 ETC Group

News Release

1 September 2011

www.etcgroup.org 

Hose down!

ETC Group calls on UK government to halt Geoengineering Experiment

In response to reports that British scientists are about to test the hardware needed to put sulphur particles in the stratosphere as a climate technofix, international technology watchdog ETC Group is calling on the UK government to halt the controversial test and respect UN processes underway to discuss these issues.

Scientists... Read more

 

News Release

22 June 2011 

www.etcgroup.org

LIMA, Peru – As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) wound up its expert meeting on geoengineering in Lima, Peru, which included all three IPCC Working Groups, it committed to remain “policy relevant but not policy prescriptive.” Despite getting off on the wrong foot (no transparency), with some of the wrong experts (scientists with financial interests), on some of the wrong topics (governance), the IPCC has now confirmed that it will not make recommendations to governments regarding research funding for the controversial technologies, governance models or the legality of experimentation.

At a press briefing following the close of the expert meeting, the IPCC stated that its focus will be “establishing the scientific foundations for an assessment of geoengineering.” This assessment would include risks, costs, benefits and social... Read more