US energy use surprise, Kazakh oil workers’ rights infringed and how better aid works
US carbon emissions drop to 1992 levels
In a surprising finding, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) has reported that the country’s CO2 emissions in January-March 2012 were the lowest in 20 years, marking a considerable and unexpected shift from expectations.
According to the EIA, CO2 emissions are often highest in the winter because of greater demand for heat produced by fossil fuels. But because of several unexpected factors in 2012, including a mild winter (cutting household energy use), and a decline in coal-powered electricity due to historically low natural gas prices, carbon emissions were down roughly 8% on the same period last year.
According to Perry Lindstrom at the EIA, in the next 25 years US emissions are projected to remain relatively flat, but will start to rise towards the end of that period, if there is not additional legislation to curb carbon emissions.
Labour rights in Kazakhstan oil sector
A new report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) details the 2011 strikes in Kazakhstan at three oil and gas companies, and the resulting abusive and illegal response that violated workers’ rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining, and the right to strike.
The 153-page report – Striking Oil, Striking Workers: Violations of Labour Rights in Kazakhstan’s Oil Sector –is based on two HRW field missions to western Kazakhstan and interviews with 64 oil workers, lawyers and civil society members.
While the strikes occurred independently of one another, they all resulted from the companies’ resistance to workers’ rights to collective bargaining and peaceful strikes, which led to union leaders being imprisoned and more than 2,000 employees being illegally dismissed. The participating companies include Karazhanbasmunai JSC (KMG EP), a joint venture between Kazakhstan’s state oil and gas company and China’s state-owned Citic group, Ersai Caspian Contractor, and OzenMunaiGas, a subsidiary of KMG EP.
Since the strikes, Kazakh authorities have gone after the most outspoken oil workers and activists, putting several participants and supporters on trial.
HRW says these activities defy international laws and the International Labour Organisation conventions, to which Kazakhstan is party as an ILO member since 1993. HRW presented the report to several government officials in the Kazakh capital, Astana, who agreed to review the findings and recommendations, says Hugh Williamson, HRW director for Europe and central Asia division.
The report also calls on the EU to develop measurable benchmarks for improved human rights principles, especially as it considers an enhanced partnership and cooperation agreement with Kazakhstan. It says international businesses operating in the region should abide by international human rights and labour standards.
“In investment environments such as Kazakhstan, it is not sufficient to simply comply with national laws,” says Williamson. “It is vital to check whether those laws meet international standards and to ensure the employment practices of the company are meeting these higher standards. If not, the company could suffer long-term reputational damage and risk violating norms on corporate responsibility agreed by the UN and other international bodies.”
Charity rethinks development and aid
Featured previously in Ethical Corporation, burgeoning charity AdvanceAid is continuing its work manufacturing non-food emergency supplies in Africa and storing them in strategic locations before potential disasters strike, helping to save lives, boost local jobs and reduce foreign dependency.
The non-profit group is working with the private sector, governments and aid organisations including World Vision and Catholic Relief Services to manage the procurement and supply-chain process. They have selected five hubs across the developing world including west Africa, Kenya, Panama, UAE, and Malaysia to stockpile ample emergency supplies in these high risk-areas long before any emergency.
More specifically, AdvanceAid is orchestrating the manufacturing and distribution of Survival Home kits, which consist of six simple yet critical items: a shelter, blankets, stove, kitchen set, water carrier, and a hygiene kit (including a water purification device). AdvanceAid works with its partners to secure the funding, expertise and raw materials so African manufacturers can make these kits, and pre-position hundreds of thousands of them throughout the five hotspots.
So far the process has proven successful: since 2006 about 20,000 whole or partial Survival Kits have been deployed, helping 100,000 people in need of relief and creating 1,000 jobs in west Africa.
Looking ahead, AdvanceAid hopes to find a funding mechanism that will make its strategy the norm, rather than the exception, says founder David Dickie. “We believe we have a way to offer a truly holistic solution to emergency situations, economic development and a reduction in environmental impact of the movement of aid around the world, [and that] we are reducing dependency by creating jobs in the areas of the world which most need them,” Dickie says.