Joe Sandler Clarke

Britain Worries EU Ban on Palm Oil Could Harm BAE Arms Sales

Emails show British officials are concerned that an EU vote to ban palm oil over its role in rainforest destruction could affect BAE Sytems arms sales to Malaysia, a major palm oil exporter.

Joe Sandler Clarke
By Joe Sandler Clarke
An RAF Typhoon, made by BAE systems over Penang Island in Malaysia, November 2011. (Photo: Geoff Lee/BAE)

British government officials warned a proposed EU ban on palm oil in biofuels could harm UK defence sales to Malaysia, specifically Typhoon fighter jets, according to government emails obtained by Unearthed. The correspondence reveals that the British high commission in Kuala Lumpur even expected Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak to lobby

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Revelation That UK Gov Lobbied for Big Oil in Brazil Sparks Political Fallout

News that the UK lobbied Brazil on behalf of Shell and BP has sparked a political fallout in Brazil.

Joe Sandler Clarke
By Joe Sandler Clarke
Top photo | UK Trade Minister Greg Hands, pictured center right) meets with Brazilian officials ahead of on March 21, 2017. (Photo: Twitter)

An attempt by Liam Fox’s Department for International Trade (DIT) to lobby on behalf of Shell and BP while the companies looked to secure lucrative oil blocks off the coast of Brazil has led to a major political controversy in the country. The political furor was triggered by a diplomatic telegram obtained by Unearthed under Freedom of

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Accidentally Un-Redacted Cable Reveals How the British Government Lobbied Brazil on Behalf of BP and Shell

Key information in the diplomatic cable was mistakenly highlighted, instead of being redacted.

Joe Sandler Clarke
By Joe Sandler Clarke
A flare from the the Petrobras offshore ship platform FPSO Cidade de Angra dos Reis is seen on the day the first oil sample was taken from the pre-salt layer of Tupi field in Santos Bay off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (AP/Felipe Dana)

A minister from Liam Fox’s Department for International Trade (DIT) lobbied the Brazilian government to smooth the path for BP and Shell to secure oil blocks in the country’s controversial pre-salt region, according to a diplomatic cable that officials accidentally failed to redact. The document – obtained by Unearthed – details a March trip to

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As Europe Readies Ban on Bee-Killing Pesticides, Attention Turns To Bayer-Funded Studies

After an announcement that the UK would back move to ban controversial neonicotinoids pesticides, attention has turned to Bayer and Syngenta.

Joe Sandler Clarke
By Joe Sandler Clarke
A crop dusting plane from Blair Air Service dusts cotton crops in Lemoore, Calif. (AP/Gary Kazanjian)

A series of studies funded by Bayer and submitted to European regulators by the company to support claims that its neonicotinoid pesticides do not harm bees have been criticised by a leading scientist and an industry expert. The news comes as environment secretary Michael Gove announced the UK would back a European move to ban neonicotinoids, also

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63 Dead In Brazil Land Killings As Political Crisis Continues

63 people have been killed in conflicts of resources in rural areas this year, sparking concerns from human rights groups.

Joe Sandler Clarke
By Joe Sandler Clarke
Indigenous protesters from various ethnic groups carry fake coffins representing indians killed over the demarcation of land, as they demand the demarcation of indigenous lands, outside the National Congress in Brasilia, Brazil, April 25, 2017. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

This year’s sharp rise in violent conflicts over land and resources in Brazil further intensified over the past three months, new figures show. The research, shared with Unearthed by Brazilian human rights group Comissão Pastoral da Terra (CPT), shows that more people were killed in rural land conflicts in the first nine months of 2017 than in

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UK’s Peter Oborne: ‘The Press Has Failed On Climate Change’

“We already copy the US in the most pathetic ways and I would urge the country not to go in the direction of the new ugliness of American discourse on the right.”

Joe Sandler Clarke
By Joe Sandler Clarke
Fox News Bill O'Reilly Climate Change

This planet is unbelievably beautiful and it’s becoming more and more fragile. From his office in Chiswick, Daily Mail columnist Peter Oborne talks about what he calls his “awakening” on climate change. I don’t accept the skeptical views that this is cyclical. This is an enormous issue and we have all been culpable. The right has been culpable

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UN Environment Chief: ‘Donald Trump Can’t Stop The End Of The Oil Age’

In an exclusive interview, Erik Solheim remains upbeat about the world’s ability to tackle climate change and delivers a warning on Brexit.

Joe Sandler Clarke
By Joe Sandler Clarke
Norway's Minister of Environment and International Development Erik Solheim gestures as he speaks during a session at the World Economic Forum, WEF, in Davos, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012. The WEF meeting lasts until Jan. 29. (AP/Michel Euler)

Erik Solheim, the world’s leading environment diplomat, has a message for Donald Trump: he’s not as important as he thinks he is. President Reagan did not start the digital economy. Nor did politicians in the UK start the industrial revolution. It was the power of business, markets, and technology which forged ahead. People dramatically overplay

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