Oregon Fair Trade Forum; June 12 th 2014 Comments on GMOs and TPP

1. Oregon Fair Trade Forum; June 12th 2014 Comments on GMOs and TPP Alan Journet SOCAN Co-Facilitator Presentation (as pdf) on web site: click ‘Projects’ – select ‘Presentation Project’ scroll down to listed presentation schedule

2. Outline • Climate Change / GEOs / TPP • SOCAN on the issues • Sustainable Living • SOCAN & SOCAN Projects • If time and Interest… • Rogue Valley Climate • What this summer portends…

3. Parallels Climate Change: The Scientific Consensus is clear: • the planet is warming, and • human activities are contributing Opposition is: Fossil Fuel Corporations (Exxon-Mobil, Koch Industries, etc.), Chamber of Commerce, etc. funding a denial campaign of lies and distortions. Genetically Engineered Organisms: The Science in unclear because: • GE corporations hold patent rights preventing free, independent, and open research on their product, and • While corporate research suggests health benefits and yield benefits these results are tainted, and • Independent studies range from far less positive in their conclusions to substantially negative, and GE corporations exhibit a single objective: “profit at whatever cost.”

4. Parallels TPP: The evidence on Environmental / Health Cost vs Economic Benefit is unclear, however: • Corporations are promoting treaty development in secret with unknown provisions, and • Those negotiating treaties claim they will be economically beneficial and include health and environmental safeguards, but • Previous trade treaties (e.g. NAFTA) have produced questionable outcomes, where environmental costs exceeded economic benefits The problem: again, corporations with a single motive: “profit at whatever cost.” • Recall Also: • Tobacco • Pesticides – DDT - DioxinDrugs - Thalidomide

5. Parallels The pattern of corporate economic benefit trumping societal cost rings clearly in our ears. It is time for citizens to decide: Should the people and the planet serve the economy? Or should the economy serve the people and the planet? Problems: 1 – Burden of Proof; Should this fall on the developer to demonstrate safety or ‘society’ to demonstrate a threat? 2 – Precautionary Principle (Science & Environmental Health - Wingspread 1998) 3 – Corporate Fiduciary Requirements: In most jurisdictions, courts will exhort directors to use their best efforts to maximize shareholder wealth. But B Corporations…

6. SOCAN Position on Genetically Engineered Organisms • SOCAN has grave reservations about the role of Genetically Engineered Organisms in terms of their potential negative impacts on our ability to address climate change. In particular, SOCAN favors a moratorium on GEO crops until independent research is conducted demonstrating an absence of negative impact of GEOs on yield, drought tolerance, water use efficiency, genetic diversity among crops, fertilizer and pesticide use, carbon storage, and long term health effects.

7. TPP • Where freedom is valued, ‘free trade’ seems a ‘no-brainer…’ • The 1993 North American Free Trade Agreement incorporated a side agreement designed to protect the environment. • In the case of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) linking 12 Pacific Rim nations, this lesson should be learned. • A leaked copy of the Environment Chapter suggests that current environmental regulatory provisions will lack teeth and be totally inadequate for the job.

8. SOCAN on Trans Pacific Partnership • In letters to Senators Merkley and Wyden, August 2013, we urged: • Including an environment chapter that would obligate countries to enforce domestic environmental protections and abide by global environmental agreements that are enforceable through international lawsuits. • Rejecting the proposed TPP investment chapter that would authorize foreign investors to bypass domestic courts and bring suit before special international tribunals biased in favor of multinationals to seek awards of unlimited monetary damages in compensation for the cost of complying with environmental and other public interest regulations. • Rejecting "provisions of the TPP intellectual property chapter that would provide international legal protections for corporate patents on plant and animal life, granting companies ownership and sole access to these building blocks of life." • Rejecting the regulatory coherence chapter that could hamstring environmental regulation and "encourage cost-benefit analysis that exaggerates financial costs and minimizes the intrinsic value of protecting living things, wild places, and the stability of the ecosystem." • And finally that the TPP "must serve to strengthen environmental protection and support the biodiversity in the Pacific Rim and not facilitate a race to the bottom in environmental deregulation."

9. Sustainable Living? • We have to appreciate that we cannot live in a finite world, with • An infinitely expanding economy and resource requirement, • An infinitely expanding population, and • An infinitely expanding by-production of pollution • Reality has limits…. • While we must recognize legitimate aspirations of other peoples, we should help them avoid the ‘cowboy’ economic phase through which we are passing It’s all about future generations!

10. Please Join Us! Please Join Us! http://socan.info Co-Facilitators: Alan Journet alanjournet@gmail.com541-301-4107 Kathy Conway kathleendconway@gmail.com541-324-4501 MONTHLY MEETINGS: Last Tuesday of the month Special Topic Presentation 6:00 – 6:30 pm General Meeting: 6:30 – 8:00 pm ‘Projects to Make a Difference’ Medford Pubic Library, 205 S. Central Ave. June 24th Carbon Credits / Offsets

11. SOCAN Projects • Divestment from Fossil Fuel • Master Climate Protector • Climate in the Curriculum • Weather Reporter • Presentations • Oregon Legislative District • Writing Corps • SOCAN RED • Federal Government • State Government • Local Government • Regional Recognition • Forest-Climate Change Interface • Networking

12. Some Comments on Our RV Likely Future

13. Business As Usual 1961-1990 Ave – 50.030F Summer Ave – 63.580F Winter Ave – 38.170F Rogue Basin Temperature History and Projections

14. Projected Increases 2035-2045 Average1.6 – 4⁰F(51.6 – 53.8⁰F) Winter 1 – 3.5⁰F(39.1 – 41.7⁰F) Summer1 – 6⁰F(64.4 – 69.5⁰F) August 1 – 7.5⁰F(67.1 – 73.5⁰F) 2075-2085 Average4.3 – 8.2⁰F(54.3 – 58.2⁰F) Winter 3.4 – 6.3⁰F(41.5 – 44.5⁰F) Summer5.5 – 11.8⁰F(69.1 – 75.4⁰F) August6.7 – 16.8⁰F(72.7 – 82.8⁰F)

15. Related Climatic Factors: Local Trends & Projections

17. Precipitation Accumulated as of May 2014 % “Normal”

18. Climate Summary Observed Temperatures in May 2014; departure from “Normal”

19. U.S. Drought Monitor June 10th 2104 Short & Long Term http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/Home/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?OR

20. Precipitation since October 1st 2013 as % of “Normal”

21. Snow Water Equivalent as % of “Normal”

28. Rogue Valley: Greenhouse Gas Emissions Fossil Fuels for energy production Utility Energy Production for use in our homes & local businesses (app. ¾ = 18%) Natural gas for heating Energy 24% Private cars/trucks Public Transit Local Freight Transportation 32% Materials = Stuff 44% Energy to make stuff Energy to transport stuff here Clothes, shoes, ‘phones, TVs

29. Projected Regional Solutions Non-Renewable Current Non-RenewableNeed = 2.1 M MWH Could be reduced to 1.2 M MWH or 57% Renewable = 43% reduction in C intensiveelectrical generation need i.e. 18% of ourGHG emissions = nearly 8% of Regional GHG emissions http://rvcog.org/cogboard/2011/Dec_14/RVCOG-REA-Final_PPT-121511.pdf

30. Energy efficiency: where are the greatest savings? http://rvcog.org/cogboard/2011/Dec_14/RVCOG-REA-Final_PPT-121511.pdf

31. We Have Choices! Individually & Collectively Now…. Back in the Day… CO2 GHG Energy Accounting Carbon Accounting Money inflows& outflows Hopium

32. Finally – Definitive, Irrefutable, Confirmation of Global Warming…

33. Is there a conspiracy? OR $271 b in US 97%

34. socanhotline@gmail.com • Questions? Any comments or questions ????