WHY VOTE FOR VATTENFALL
The company that doesn’t respect democratic energy policy.
Vattenfall has undermined environmental protection and democratic energy policy in Germany, according to activists.
It has used the controversial ISDS system of corporate courts to sue Germany TWICE.
Primeiro, a Vattenfall processou o governo de Hamburgo por este ter introduzido nova regulamentação ambiental sobre uma central termoelétrica a carvão, de modo a proteger o rio Elbe. Neste processo, utilizaram eficazmente o ISDS, pressionando o governo para remover as políticas introduzidas.[1]
Now the company has sued Germany for putting an end to nuclear power.[2] This was a decision made after the Fukushima disaster with overwhelming public support. While the company says they “fully accept” the decision to phase out nuclear power, it could be argued that, by pursuing this case, Vattenfall are suing Germany for making a democratic decision.
Achas que esta empresa merece receber o prémio Piaçaba de Ouro? Então VOTA nela, colocando o seu logotipo onde pertence. Na sanita!
WHY VOTE FOR SHELL
The polluter of Nigeria.
A Shell é uma das maiores empresas petrolíferas do mundo e é severamente responsável pelas alterações climáticas.[3]
But they have also been accused of contributing to local environmental damage where they work. The most famous case is in the Niger Delta in Nigeria where Shell extract large amounts of oil while local people live in poverty dealing with pollution and oil spills so bad it has made whole villages uninhabitable.[4] Shell has denied causing the problem, blaming sabotage and theft, but Amnesty found that the company has been “willfully negligent” in its response to spills.[5] Shell have also used the obscure ISDS system of corporate courts against Nigeria.[6]
Lawsuits have been brought against Shell[7] but campaigners argue that it is hard to win justice for victims of big multinational oil companies. They argue that companies need to be brought to account wherever they do damage and a UN Binding Treaty would really help in this respect.
Contudo, até ganharmos esta batalha, podemos entretanto atribuir um prémio à Shell!
Achas que a Shell merece uma Piaçaba de Ouro por tudo isto? Então, VOTA nela, colocando o seu logotipo onde pertence. Na sanita!
WHY VOTE FOR TOTAL
A companhia petrolífera que tentou processar para não pagar impostos
A Total é a maior companhia de gás e petróleo de França. Tem sido por isso alvo de críticas por parte dos activistas climáticos.
But we are nominating Total not only for its horrible climate-destroying activities but for its terrible use of ISDS “corporate courts”. You see, not content with destroying the climate for profit, Total also isn’t very keen on paying tax on these gains. So it sued Uganda because that country was demanding that Total pay stamp duty on the shares in an oil exploration project it bought from UK firm Tullow Oil.[8] Total argued that an agreement concluded with the Ugandan government included a tax waiver.[9] The case was settled out of court.[10]
This project threatens to displace local people from their land.[11] Civil society organizations from France and Uganda have decided to take action using France’s ground breaking Duty of Vigilance law which forces corporations to identify, prevent and remedy human rights violations and environmental damages that take place in their supply chain.
Total have a very bad record on this. It was involved in the Canadian tar sands[12] and also in other damaging projects like fracking in Argentina[13] and drilling for gas in the Arctic.[14]
Achas que a Total merece o prémio Piaçaba de Ouro por isto tudo? Então VOTA nela, colocando o seu logotipo onde pertence. Na sanita!
WHY VOTE FOR FRESHFIELDS
Os advogados que lucram com um sistema que ataca decisões democráticas
Freshfields is a law firm. And it is one of the busiest law firms for Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS).[15] This is an obscure system of “corporate courts” that multinationals use to sue our governments for doing things they don’t like. This can include environmental regulations, labour rights, food safety rules, health measures. Freshfields, for example, was involved in representing companies suing Argentina for refusing to raise electricity tariffs in Buenos Aires.[16]
Este sistema escandaloso permite que as grandes empresas multinacionais pressionem os governos a agir em seu benefício. Os políticos não se atrevem a fazer frente a este sistema em nome do público geral, pois receiam ser processados pelo ISDS. A Freshfields está entre as empresas do mundo legal que mais lucram com este sistema injusto. Em 2018, este escritório de advocacia esteve envolvido em 44 casos ISDS, tendo obtido grande lucro.[17]
Achas que esta empresa merece receber o prémio Piaçaba de Ouro? Então VOTA nela, colocando o seu logotipo onde pertence. Na sanita!
WHY VOTE FOR LYDIAN
A empresa que processou um país por não reprimir manifestações
O direito de se manifestar é um direito humano fundamental, mas isso não impediu a Lydian de processar a Arménia por não ter interferido com as manifestações da população local contra uma mina de ouro.
O mecanismo que permitiu à Lydian fazer isso é o Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) – um sistema obscuro de tribunais empresariais a que as multinacionais recorrem para processar os nossos governos quando fazem coisas de que elas não gostam. Neste caso, conseguiram manipular a Arménia para que fizesse o que lhes interessava.[18]
Lydian’s planned Amulsar mine is located near to the country’s prized Jermuk resort. Locals, sick to death of pollution from the site leading to everything from muddy tapwater to dead fish, began blockading the site as a protest. Lydian responded by threatening to sue Armenia for its “failure” to ensure the protests did not hinder the project.[19] It could be argued that this may be the first instance of a company using ISDS to attack a government for not behaving like a dictatorship. With ISDS, democracy itself is a crime.
Perante a queixa, o governo Arménio recuou e permitirá que a mina avance. A população local teme uma forte repressão.[20]
Achas que a Lydian merece o prémio Piaçaba de Ouro por isto? Então VOTA nela, colocando o seu logotipo onde pertence. Na sanita!
WHY VOTE FOR ROCKHOPPER
A empresa que quer explorar petróleo na costa italiana.
A Rockhopper é uma empresa de exploração de petróleo. Esteve envolvida na exploração de petróleo na costa de Abruzzo, na Itália
When Italy passed a law that banned oil exploration within 12 nautical miles of the coast,[21] locals celebrated as they believed exploration could have been damaging to the local environment and the tourist industry[22]. But the law also meant that Rockhopper could no longer win concessions to explore for oil near the Italian coast. So the company then sued Italy for up to $350 million, a figure far higher than the amount of money Rockhopper invested in the rigs.[23] They justified this because this figure reflects the profits the company predicted they “would have made” had the project gone ahead.
O ISDS é um sistema profundamente injusto de tribunais corporativos que prevalecem sobre governos e até mesmo tribunais supremos nacionais. Esse sistema foi o que permitiu à Rockhopper processar a Itália por fazer o que era melhor para o meio ambiente.
Achas que a Rockhopper merece um prémio Piaçaba De Ouro por isto? VOTA neles, colocando o seu logotipo onde ele pertence. Na sanita!
WHY VOTE FOR GABRIEL RESOURCES
A empresa que quer apagar do mapa uma comunidade ancestral
Tentar varrer uma comunidade antiga da face da terra para abrir caminho para uma mina de ouro parece suficientemente deplorável. Porém a Gabriel Resources não desistiu quando o governo romeno decidiu que destruir uma comunidade inteira não seria permitido. Em vez disso, processou a Roménia usando o ISDS, um sistema obscuro de "tribunais corporativos" que as multinacionais usam para processar os nossos governos por fazerem coisas que não gostam.
The community of Rosia Montana won a long battle (starting in 1997) to stop the mine that would destroy their village.[24] It turned into one of the biggest protest movements in post-Communist Romanian history, culminating in a huge protest in 2013.
But no sooner had they won, that Gabriel Resources decided to sue Romania using ISDS. So instead of the local people receiving compensation for years of worry and insecurity, it would be the people of Romania called upon to compensate the company for over €5 billion[25].
Achas que a Gabriel Resources merece um prémio Piaçaba de Ouro por isto? VOTA neles, colocando o seu logotipo onde ele pertence. Na sanita!
WHY VOTE FOR BBVA
Por financiar traficantes de armas e outros projectos diabólicos e tentar combater a justiça social
BBVA is a Spanish bank that has a long history of investing big in the arms industry. Over the past 10 years, it has ranked in the top handful of European banks when it comes to making money from the arms & security industry (be it via granting them loans or acting as an investment bank).[26] Between 2013-18 they have invested around 2.5 billion euros in the arms & security industry.[27]
Algumas dessas empresas têm feito negócios na Arábia Saudita e nos Emirados Árabes Unidos, os principais beligerantes envolvidos na terrível guerra no Iémen.[28]
Fora da indústria de armas, o BBVA também investiu em alguns projectos altamente prejudiciais. Foi um defensor da barragem de Hidroituango, na Colômbia, que foi criticada por causar uma "crise humanitária" e destruir comunidades inteiras.[29]
O BBVA também usou o ISDS - um sistema obscuro de tribunais usado para intimidar governos que aprovam leis e regras que as empresas não gostam - para processar a Bolívia por re-nacionalizar o seu sistema de pensões.[30]
Achas que o BBVA merece um prémio Piaçaba de Ouro por tudo isto? VOTA neles, colocando o seu logotipo onde ele pertence. Na sanita!
WHY VOTE FOR NOVARTIS
A empresa que dificultou o acesso de pessoas a um medicamento decisivo contra o cancro através de preços proibitivos
Novartis is a drugs company that holds the patent for a vital drug used to treat leukaemia (blood cancer) which is potentially fatal. The drug Gilvec[31] is marketed by the company as being so effective that it was called a “magic bullet”[32] and it has been recognised by the World Health Organisation as an “essential medicine”.[33]
Apesar de ser a um país pobre, em 2014, a Novartis vendia o Gilvec a um preço de cerca de €15000 por ano por paciente, o que representa mais de 100 vezes o custo de produção. O governo colombiano decidiu que isso não era razoável e, para salvar vidas, concedeu o que é chamado de “licença compulsória” e permitiu a produção de alternativas genéricas.[34]
Novartis has responded by threatening to sue Columbia for using the ISDS system of “corporate courts” that multinationals use to sue governments for doing things they don’t like.[35]
Achas que a Novartis merece um prémio Piaçaba de Ouro por tudo isto? VOTA neles, colocando o seu logotipo onde ele pertence. Na sanita!
WHY VOTE FOR BAYER-MONSANTO
A empresa que conseguiu vender herbicida que pode causar cancro
A Monsanto (que agora pertence à empresa alemã Bayer) está nomeada, porque conseguiu vender um produto que foi considerado uma provável causa de cancro.
Its flagship herbicide Roundup (generic name glyphosate) has been recognised by the World Health Organisation as “probably carcinogenic in humans”.[36] And there are people across the world who blame the chemical for making them ill.[37]
But instead of taking the product off the shelves, Monsanto has fought tooth and nail to keep selling it. They were successful in getting the EU to approve it for sale until 2022[38] though Austria has vowed to ban it.[39]
A Monsanto também foi acusada de explorar os agricultores do sul global, amarrando-os exclusivamente às suas sementes. Ao contrário das sementes tradicionais (que podem ser plantadas todos os anos de graça), os agricultores têm de voltar a comprar as sementes da Monsanto todos os anos.[40]
Achas que a Bayer-Monsanto merece um prémio Piaçava de Ouro por tudo isto? VOTA neles, colocando o seu logotipo onde ele pertence. Na sanita!
REFERENCES
[1] https://isds.bilaterals.org/?case-study-vattenfall-v-germany-i
[2] https://group.vattenfall.com/press-and-media/news–press-releases/newsroom/2016/why-vattenfall-is-taking-germany-to-court
[3] Shell has been named one of the world’s top 20 emitters by the Climate Accountability Institute https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/09/revealed-20-firms-third-carbon-emissions
[4] https://www.cetim.ch/cases-of-environmental-human-rights-violations-by-shell-in-nigeria%E2%80%99s-niger-delta/
[5] https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/03/nigeria-amnesty-activists-uncover-serious-negligence-by-oil-giants-shell-and-eni/
[6] https://www.somo.nl/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Shell-Nigeria-EN.pdf
[7] https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/shell-lawsuit-re-oil-spills-bodo-community-in-nigeria
[8] https://af.reuters.com/article/investingNews/idAFKBN0MR0SI20150331?sp=true
[9] https://af.reuters.com/article/investingNews/idAFKBN0MR0SI20150331?sp=true
[10] https://globalarbitrationreview.com/article/1172046/total-and-uganda-settle-tax-dispute
[11] https://www.totalincourt.org/?s=amisdelaterre
[12] https://www.total.com/en/media/news/press-releases/canada-total-sells-its-interest-joslyn-oil-sands-project-cnrl
[13] https://www.ep.total.com/en/areas/unconventional-resources/vaca-muerta-bold-unconventional-development
[14] https://www.total.com/en/media/news/press-releases/russia-launch-giant-arctic-lng-2-development
[15] According to figures from Global Arbitration Review, Freshfields was the second busiest investment arbitration firm in the world in 2018 with 44 cases. A 2012 report also found that Freshfields
[16] https://www.freshfields.com/en-gb/what-we-do/case-studies/aguas-argentinas-case-study/
[17] See note 15
[18] https://armenianweekly.com/2019/09/11/pashinyan-no-legal-basis-to-halt-amulsar-mine/
[19] https://www.globaljustice.org.uk/sites/default/files/files/resources/isds_files_lydian_armenia.pdf
[20] https://armenianweekly.com/2019/08/19/pm-pashinyan-approves-amulsar-mining/
[21] https://www.oedigital.com/news/450543-italy-reintroduces-12-mile-exploration-restriction
[22] http://savethemontepulciano.blogspot.com/
[23] http://10isdsstories.org/cases/case9/
[24] https://newint.org/sections/agenda/2017/07/01/rosia-montana
[25] http://www.gabrielresources.com/site/documents/GBU_Q2_2019_PR_000.pdf
[26] Data from following two reports: https://www.banktrack.org/download/banks_and_arms_explosive_investments/890_informe11_engish.pdf and http://www.centredelas.org/images/INFORMES_i_altres_PDF/informe28_BA2016_cas_web.pdf
[27] BBVA have given out over 2.4 billion euros in loans in this period but when you include investment banking activity the figure rises to over 2.7 billion euros. http://www.centredelas.org/images/INFORMES_i_altres_PDF/informe28_BA2016_cas_web.pdf
[29] https://www.ciel.org/news/communities-hidroituango-dam-colombia-file-complaint-idb/
[30] https://www.bbva.com/en/bbva-starts-arbitrations-procedures-icsid-exit-its-bolivian-pension-fund-administrator/
[31] Also spelled Gleevec
[32] http://content.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,20010528,00.html
[33] https://www.who.int/selection_medicines/committees/expert/19/applications/imatinib2/en/
[34] http://10isdsstories.org/cases/case2/
[35] https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/colombia-leaked-documents-reveal-novartis-threatened-govt-with-intl-investment-arbitration-over-licensing-of-pharmaceutical-patents
[36] https://www.iarc.fr/featured-news/media-centre-iarc-news-glyphosate/
[37] For example: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/may/13/monsanto-cancer-trial-bayer-roundup-couple
[38] https://ec.europa.eu/food/plant/pesticides/glyphosate_en
[39] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-austria-glyphosate/austrian-parliament-backs-eus-first-total-ban-of-weedkiller-glyphosate-idUSKCN1TX1JR
[40] https://monsanto.com/company/media/statements/saving-seeds/