The TPP Will Hurt the Climate - If We Let It Pass Ben Lilliston - YES! Magazine
go to original November 28, 2015

Press conference at the Seattle Federal Building in which Monopoly Man, Uncle Pennybags, introduces his new pet trade deal: TPP. (350 Seattle)

Earlier this month, President Obama announced his decision to reject approval for the Keystone XL pipeline, which would have brought fuel from the Canadian tar sands through the heartland of the U.S. to the Gulf of Mexico. Because this oil emits more greenhouse gases than other forms of fuel, the decision had everything to do with climate change and came just a month prior to the United Nations climate talks in Paris.

“America is now a global leader when it comes to taking serious action to fight climate change,” Obama stated. “And frankly, approving this project would have undercut that global leadership.”

While environmental groups hailed the Keystone announcement, they have criticized the Administration’s push for a massive new trade agreement called the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) as a big step backward on climate. In fact, the proposed agreement, finally made public last week, is literally in climate denial: nowhere in its 5,000-plus pages do the words “climate change” appear.

In many ways, the TPP is a broad attack on locally based economies that protect the climate and support renewable energy. Instead, the agreement tilts the playing field in favor of multinational corporations and financial institutions. Fortunately, it’s far from a done deal.

The TPP is considered the largest free trade agreement ever negotiated, with the countries involved contributing 40 percent of global GDP. It includes the U.S. and 11 other Pacific Rim countries: Mexico, Canada, Peru, Chile, Japan, Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei.

While the TPP doesn’t mention climate change explicitly, many of its provisions would have important implications for the climate, aside from the simple fact that expanded trade increases greenhouse gas emissions related to transportation.

Sign and share the petition to congressional leadership opposing the TPP

Read about the big concerns with the TPP at AlterNet

Related: Thousands Across World March Over Climate Change (The Australian)

Related: Global Trade Won't Solve the Food Shortages Brought on by Climate Change (TakePart)

Related: Protests Push Leaders to Avoid Climate Disaster (The Local)

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