(sav.gov.vn) – Kiểm toán nhà nước (KTNN) vừa công bố kết quả kiểm toán công tác quản lý, bảo vệ môi trường tại các khu công nghiệp, cụm công nghiệp và công tác quản lý, bảo vệ môi trường nước phục vụ sản xuất và cung cấp nước sinh hoạt giai đoạn 2021-2023. Kết quả kiểm toán đã chỉ ra hàng loạt bất cập, hạn chế.
Hội nghị công bố Quyết định kiểm toán hoạt động công tác quản lý, bảo vệ môi trường nước phục vụ sản xuất và cung cấp nước sinh hoạt giai đoạn 2021-2023 tại 4 thành phố: Hà Nội, Hồ Chí Minh, Cần Thơ, Đà Nẵng, ngày 09/9/2024. Ảnh: TL
BHP found liable for 2015 dam disaster by London court
Lawsuit was brought by over 600,000 Brazilians
BHP intends to appeal, says settlements cut claim in half
BHP (BHP.AX), opens new tab is liable for the 2015 collapse of a dam in southeastern Brazil, London’s High Court ruled on Friday, in a lawsuit the claimants’ lawyers previously valued at up to 36 billion pounds ($48 billion).
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Hundreds of thousands of Brazilians, dozens of local governments and around 2,000 businesses sued BHP over the collapse of the Fundao dam in Mariana, southeastern Brazil, which was owned and operated by BHP and Vale’s (VALE3.SA), opens new tabSamarco joint venture.
Brazil’s worst environmental disaster unleashed a wave of toxic sludge that killed 19 people, left thousands homeless, flooded forests and polluted the length of the Doce River.
A separate claim against Vale was filed in Dutch courts in 2024 on behalf of nearly 1,000 businesses and more than 77,000 individuals hit by the dam break.
Judge Finola O’Farrell said in her ruling that continuing to raise the height of the dam when it was not safe to do so was the “direct and immediate cause” of the dam’s collapse, meaning BHP was liable under Brazilian law.
BHP said it would appeal against the ruling and continue to fight the lawsuit.
BHP’s President Minerals Americas Brandon Craig said in a statement that 240,000 claimants in the London lawsuit “have already been paid compensation in Brazil”.
“We believe this will significantly reduce the size and value of claims in the UK group action,” he added.
RBC Capital Markets analyst Marina Calero said a final resolution was unlikely before 2030, with significant uncertainty around which claims would ultimately be considered valid.
“Based on BHP’s estimates of overlap with Brazil’s compensation scheme, Vale and BHP could each face roughly $2.2 billion in additional payments,” Calero said in a note.
CLAIMANTS CELEBRATE MAJOR RULING
Gelvana Rodrigues da Silva, who lost her seven-year-old son Thiago in the flood, said in a statement: “Finally, justice has begun to be served, and those responsible have been held accountable for destroying our lives.”
“The judge’s decision shows what we have been saying for the last 10 years: it was not an accident, and BHP must take responsibility for its actions,” she added.
The claimants’ lawyers accused BHP, the world’s biggest miner by market value, of “cynically and doggedly” trying to avoid responsibility as the mammoth trial began in October.
BHP contested liability and said the London lawsuit duplicated legal proceedings and reparation and repair programmes in Brazil.
In the trial’s first week, Brazil signed a 170 billion reais ($31 billion) compensation agreement with BHP, Vale and Samarco, with BHP saying nearly $12 billion has been spent on reparation, compensation and payments to public authorities since 2015.
BHP said after Friday’s judgment that settlements in Brazil would reduce the size of the London lawsuit by about half.
A second trial to determine the damages BHP is liable to pay is due to begin in October 2026.
($1 = 0.7451 pounds)
($1 = 5.4039 reais)
Reporting by Sam Tobin. Additional reporting by Clara Denina. Editing by Kate Holton and Mark Potter
Roundup weed killer is used for both commercial and personal use. You’ve probably used a Roundup product at least once to kill pesky weeds in your yard or garden.
While it’s effective, some studies have shown chemicals within the product may cause cancer. If you’ve been diagnosed with cancer because of or related to Roundup use, you may be able to file a lawsuit against Bayer, Roundup’s current owner, for compensation. What follows is an update on where cases stand today and what you can do to protect yourself.
Roundup History
Roundup, the most popular and profitable weed killer ever sold, uses glyphosate as its most active ingredient. Glyphosate is toxic to most broadleaf plants and grasses. It kills most plants it comes into contact with, instead of targeting certain weeds or plants.
Monsanto, a now defunct company, developed the product. Because glyphosate kills anything it touches, Monsanto developed plant seeds that were genetically modified to resist the damage of Roundup. This is when residential Roundup sales skyrocketed.
However, as the years went on, science questioned the safety of glyphosate. Studies have shown that the chemical might cause illness to humans and cause damage to the environment. The International Agency for Research on Cancer categorizes glyphosate as possibly carcinogenic to humans—essentially, the IARC is saying this toxin may cause cancer.
In 2018, Roundup was purchased by Bayer. By then, consumers had filed thousands of lawsuits linking Roundup to cancer. The most common cancer associated with Roundup is non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Bayer committed to begin in 2023 replacing “its glyphosate-based products in the U.S. residential Lawn & Garden market with new formulations that rely on alternative active ingredients.”
Mike Langford in the living room of his Phoenix home, contemplating what his latest biopsy results will reveal. Photograph: Matt Williams/The Guardian
A long list of upcoming trials complicating Bayer’s efforts to escape the costly, ongoing litigation over the health effects of Roundup
Cancer has taken an unrelenting toll on 72-year-old Mike Langford. After being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in 2007 he suffered through five recurrences despite multiple rounds of chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant. Now he struggles with chemo-related neuropathy in his arms and legs, and new tests show the cancer is back.
Langford blames his cancer on his longtime use of the popular weed-killing product Roundup, which he applied countless times over decades using a backpack sprayer around his five-acre California property and a vacation lake home. He alleges in a lawsuit that Monsanto, the longtime Roundup maker now owned by the German company Bayer AG, should have warned of a cancer risk.
Last month, a San Francisco judge ruled that Langford’s health is so poor that he is entitled to a speedy hearing of his claims. A trial is set for 7 November in San Francisco county superior court.
“I’ve had it so long. I’m very angry,” Langford told the Guardian a day after doctors biopsied an enlarged lymph node. “The future doesn’t look too terribly promising,” he said, trying to hold back tears. He learned last week that the preliminary biopsy results show a return of NHL.
A unique court case, brought by four Nigerian victims of Shell oil spills, in conjunction with Friends of the Earth Netherlands, begins on Thursday 3rd December in the court at The Hague. This is the first time in history that a Dutch company has been brought to trial before a Dutch court for damages abroad. The Nigerian farmers and fishers, who lost their livelihoods after oil from leaking Shell pipelines streamed over their fields and fishing ponds, are claiming compensation from the Anglo-Dutch oil giant…Shell denies all responsibility and contends that the Dutch court has no jurisdiction over its Nigerian subsidiary.
“Shell to pay 15 mln euros in settlement over Nigerian oil spills”, 24 Dec 2022
Shell will pay 15 million euros ($15.9 million) to communities in Nigeria that were affected by multiple oil pipeline leaks in the Niger Delta, the oil company on Friday said in a joint statement with the Dutch division of Friends of the Earth.
The compensation is the result of a Dutch court case brought by Friends of the Earth, in which Shell’s Nigerian subsidiary SPDC last year was found to be responsible for the oil spills and was ordered to pay for damages to farmers.
The money will benefit the communities of Oruma, Goi and Ikot Ada Udo in Nigeria, that were impacted by four oil spills that occurred between 2004 and 2007.
“The settlement is on a no admission of liability basis, and settles all claims and ends all pending litigation related to the spills,” Shell said.
An independent expert had confirmed that SPDC has installed a leak detection system on the KCTL Pipeline in compliance with the appeal court’s orders, the company added…
The case was brought in 2008 by four farmers and environmental group Friends of the Earth, seeking reparations for lost income from contaminated land and waterways in the region, the heart of Nigeria’s oil industry.
After the appeals court’s final ruling last year, Shell said it continued to believe the spills were caused by sabotage.
But the court said Shell had not proven “beyond reasonable doubt” that sabotage had caused the spill, rather than poor maintenance.
Content Type:Article”Shell (SHEL.L) will pay 15 million euros ($15.9 million) to communities in Nigeria that were affected by multiple oil pipeline leaks in the Niger Delta, the oil company on Friday said in a joint statement with the Dutch division of Friends of the Earth”
Indian Roots of the Term Speak of a History of Non-Violent Resistance
The first tree huggers were 294 men and 69 women belonging to the Bishnois branch of Hinduism, who, in 1730, died while trying to protect the trees in their village from being turned into the raw material for building a palace. They literally clung to the trees, while being slaughtered by the foresters. But their action led to a royal decree prohibiting the cutting of trees in any Bishnoi village.
Photo courtesy Waging NonviolenceThe Chipko movement (which means “to cling”) started in the 1970s when a group of peasant women in Northern India threw their arms around trees designated to be cut down.
Show the slightest bit of concern for the environment and you get labeled a tree hugger. That’s what poor Newt Gingrich has been dealing with recently, as the other presidential candidates attack his conservative credentials for having once appeared in an ad with Nancy Pelosi in support of renewable energy. Never mind that he has since called the ad the “biggest mistake” of his political career and talked about making Sarah Palin energy secretary. Gingrich will be haunted by the tree hugger label the rest of his life. He might as well grow his hair out, stop showering and start walking around barefoot.
But is that what a tree hugger really is? Just some dazed hippie who goes around giving hugs to trees as way to connect with nature. You might be shocked to learn the real origin of the term.
The first tree huggers were 294 men and 69 women belonging to the Bishnois branch of Hinduism, who, in 1730, died while trying to protect the trees in their village from being turned into the raw material for building a palace. They literally clung to the trees, while being slaughtered by the foresters. But their action led to a royal decree prohibiting the cutting of trees in any Bishnoi village. And now those villages are virtual wooded oases amidst an otherwise desert landscape. Not only that, the Bishnois inspired the Chipko movement (chipko means “to cling” in Hindi) that started in the 1970s, when a group of peasant women in the Himalayan hills of northern India threw their arms around trees designated to be cut down. Within a few years, this tactic, also known as tree satyagraha, had spread across India, ultimately forcing reforms in forestry and a moratorium on tree felling in Himalayan regions.
The flow of plastic entering the ocean is expected to double by 2040. To prevent this tsunami of difficult-to-decompose waste, experts have proposed a global treaty which could oblige all nations to reduce how much plastic they produce and emit to the environment.
At a recent meeting of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) in Nairobi, Kenya, ministers and representatives from 173 countries agreed on the terms for negotiating such a treaty over the next two years.
Is this the turning point for plastic pollution the world needs? And how will it work? We asked Steve Fletcher, a professor of ocean policy and economy at the University of Portsmouth and an advisor to the UN Environment Prograamme on plastic.
What has actually been agreed in Nairobi?
The UNEA is a gathering of all United Nations member states to discuss and adopt policies for tackling global environmental problems. It is the highest environmental decision-making body in the world. On Wednesday March 2 2022, ministers and representatives from 173 countries formally adopted a resolution to start negotiations for a legally binding agreement to end plastic pollution.
The three-day UNEA meeting brought countries together to discuss turning off the plastic tap. EPA-EFE/Daniel Irungu
Agreeing the mandate and focus of the negotiations is just the start. Before the end of 2024, the substance of the agreement will need to be thrashed out.
when it comes to the Paris Agreement and climate action; namely that when individuals change their behaviour by consuming differently they can drive industries to change, as those industries are then caught between a ‘greening’ consumer demand and international and governmental policies focusing on climate action.
Back in the 1980s, everyone was talking about the hole in the ozone layer, so what happened, and what can the international agreement to ban CFCs teach us about the importance of multilateral cooperation when it comes to climate action?
What exactly is the ozone layer?
The ozone layer is the part of the Earth’s atmosphere that protects the planet from ultraviolet radiation. It’s found in the Stratosphere which is around 10-50km above the surface of the earth. Think of it as a layer of sunscreen that protects us from all manner of harmful rays. Without it, life on Earth would be extremely unpleasant.
Just 1 per cent of Vietnam’s corals are in a healthy state while the rest face multiple threats to survival, say scientistsLocal activists are leading conservation efforts even as climate change, human activities continue to cause coral bleaching and decay
Local authorities have restricted swimming and diving in the Nha Trang Bay marine reserve until it fully inspected the area. File photo: AFP
Grim footage of dead corals at a Vietnamese marine reserve, as far as the eye can see, has reignited calls for better environmental action as even a two-year pandemic pause in tourism has done little to help the ecosystem recover.
Last month, pictures and videos of dead coral stretching hundreds of square metres at Hon Mun Island struck the public’s nerve and prompted local authorities to restrict swimming and diving in the marine reserve until it fully inspected the area. The dead reef is situated in Nha Trang Bay, the first of 16 Marine Protected Areas in Vietnam.
Nạn buôn bán ngà voi trái phép: Từ niềm tin mù quáng đến thú chơi tàn nhẫn:
Kỳ 1: Những món trang sức đẫm máu
Thứ Năm, 06/06/2019 15:56 |
(CATP) Ẩn trong vẻ đẹp lộng lẫy của các sản phẩm chế tác từ ngà voi là tiếng thét thảm thương và dòng máu của những chú voi hoang dã bị thợ săn giết hại một cách dã man. Hàng ngàn chú “vua của đại ngàn” đã phải nằm xuống, chỉ để đáp ứng nhu cầu sử dụng ngà voi một cách mù quáng và tàn nhẫn của nhiều “thượng đế” trong thời gian qua.
LẦN THEO DẤU VẾT MƠ HỒ
Sáng 26-5-2019, chúng tôi đến khu vực thôn Thượng (xã Phù Khê, TX.Từ Sơn, tỉnh Bắc Ninh) theo chỉ dẫn của người “trong nghề”, để tìm những cửa hàng bán sản phẩm chế tác từ ngà voi.
Từ những thông tin ít ỏi có được, chúng tôi lê la khắp các con đường tại khu vực thôn Thượng, nhưng không thể tìm ra manh mối. Vào lúc tưởng chừng bế tắc, chúng tôi dừng chân tại một quán nước ven đường gần khu vực tượng đài Nguyễn Văn Cừ để dò hỏi
A draft national strategy on environmental protection from 2021-2030 focuses on fighting sources of pollution while boosting a low-carbon emission economy.
The idea is to help Vietnam realise the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals by2030.
In 2012, the first national strategy for environmental protection with a visiontowards 2030 was launched.
Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Vo Tuan Nhan said thestrategy had created positive changes to environmental protectionawareness. The Government had stuck to the principle of not sacrificingthe environment to reach its economic development goals. Tiếp tục đọc “Vietnam looks to new national strategy on environmental protection”→
TTO – Phân tích dự thảo Luật bảo vệ môi trường sửa đổi 2020, đại diện các mạng lưới, liên minh, tổ chức và nhà nghiên cứu hoạt động trong lĩnh vực môi trường, năng lượng, sức khỏe và pháp lý nhìn nhận dự luật này còn nhiều lý thuyết, ‘xa’ dân.
Cá thể chồn nhốt trong nhà kho Đội Kiểm soát Hải quan. Ảnh: Hưng Thơ.
Vướng thủ tục cùng nhiều lý do khó hiểu, 48 cá thể động vật hoang dã đã bị nhốt trong lồng sắt ở nhà kho của Hải quan Quảng Trị. Sau nửa tháng kể từ lúc bị “tạm giam”, mới có quyết định thả số động vật hoang dã về môi trường tự nhiên, nhưng gần 1 nửa đã chết.
The failure of China’s largest corporations to meet waste management and emissions reductions targets have given them the lowest score in a ranking of how companies report their environmental impact. Singapore companies also fare poorly while Hong Kong firms top the list.
A Chinese junkman searches a garbage dump for useful products at a landfill on the outskirts of Guiyang city, in southwest China’s Guizhou province. Image: Imaginechina-Editorial, CC BY-SA 2.0
Trên cơ sở dữ liệu được tính toán khoa học có thể xác định các nhà máy nhiệt điện dùng than gây ô nhiễm môi trường hơn lĩnh vực giao thông, sao lại đóng thuế BVMT ít hơn? Ảnh: Đức Trong
Luật thuế BVMT có ý nghĩa gì khi một loại hàng hóa cực kỳ “dơ bẩn” so với xăng dầu, gây ra 60% lượng phát thải CO2… lại đóng góp chưa đến 2% vào tổng thu thuế BVMT?
Getty
A draft national strategy on environmental protection from 2021-2030 focuses on fighting sources of pollution while boosting a low-carbon emission economy.
CVD 