Good News For All Those with Lungs: Trans-Pacific Partnership Takes a Hit

I try not to miss an opportunity to thank the people of the U.S. whenever they successfully come together and accomplish something wonderful.  In this case, it was exerting enough pressure on our congress to deal a harsh blow to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).  It’s not dead, but as of today’s vote, the road to fast-tracking this massive corporate power-grab is now much harder.

There are dozens of reasons to kill the TPP.  But since I view the world through the environmental lens, I see mainly that the measure would make it much harder to rein in corporations with respect to the damage their business practices are doing to the planet and everyone living on it.

Though the exact wording of the TPP is secret (does that seem like a good idea in a democracy?), a broad-reaching trade agreement between the U.S. and several Asian nations will likely enable corporations to sue governments that interfere with their business — even if it’s by enacting carbon reduction goals and passing environmental legislation.  “Creating a corporate bill of rights to protect investors is incredibly undermining to our ability to protect the environment,” says Ben Schreiber, the climate and energy program director for Friends of the Earth.

In any case, today’s events serve to re-enforce an important idea: never doubt for a minute that your voice makes a difference.