As
global elites gather in Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic
Forum, the oil giant Chevron was singled out on Friday for a highly
competitive—if unflattering—international distinction: the Public Eye
Lifetime Award for its extraordinary corporate irresponsibility, which
includes monumental environmental destruction in northern Ecuador.
Granted by grassroots organizations at a public ceremony at a hotel in Davos, the winner of the satirical prize was determined by tens of thousands of online voters. The race was close, with Glencore and Walmart coming in a close second, but voters ultimately determined that Chevron deserves the top distinction. The oil giant, however, declined to attend the ceremony, so Greenpeace Switzerland accepted the award on Chevron's behalf.
"Chevron is uniquely deserving of a lifetime award for the lifetime of misery they have caused the Ecuadorian Amazon," Paul Paz y Miño, of the U.S.-based organization Amazon Watch, told Common Dreams over the phone from Davos. "This is not only because of their original pollution—dumping 18 billion gallons of toxic waste—but because they have ignored every judicial process to hold them to account, even though they were determined liable for $9.5 billion in court of their own choosing."
"Not only did they refuse to pay," Paz y Miño added, "but they pointed their finger at their own victims, accusing the people that they poisoned of a global conspiracy to commit fraud. It undermines the very fabric of our society because you can't simply evade justice because you have the wealth to litigate in perpetuity."
This is not the first time that Chevron won a Public Eye prize. In 2006, the oil giant won the Public Eye Award for "polluting large areas of pristine rain forest in northern Ecuador." However, the Lifetime Award is a higher distinction, and it marks an end to the Public Eye awards after 15 years.
The prizes have been aimed at casting "a critical and innovative eye on the World Economic Forum," according to a press statement. Numbered among participants and attendees were the famed Yes Men, a European parliamentarian, and even a representative from the WEF.
Past award recipients include Dow Chemical, awarded in 2005, for "using every loophole in the book to avoid its responsibility for the Bhopal disaster, the world’s largest chemical catastrophe in human history." Last year, Gap and Gazprom were both winners of "Awards of Shame."
According to Paz y Miño, Chevron's Lifetime Achievement prize is "particularly important right now because part of Chevron's strategy is to claim they were victimized. International recognition from awards like this are clear demonstration to Chevron that the rest of world understands and acknowledges they are irresponsible."
Andy Bichlbaum of the Yes Men told Common Dreams that Chevron's bad behavior is distinguished but not unique. "All of the hundreds of companies ever nominated for Public Eye awards, and thousands of others as well, are almost as deserving of this award as Chevron is," said Bichlbaum.
The true winner of the Lifetime Award, he added, "is our insane system—that makes behavior like Chevron's rational. That's the system we've got to change, and luckily there's a movement afoot to do that."
from here
What is it about corporations, whether agricultural, pharmaceutical, food production, textiles, chemical, fossil fuel or manufacture in general, that obliges them to act against the common good? Quite simply it's the bottom line. Profit. Obligation to the share holders to bring the maximum return. Externalities can't be factored in, they are too damaging so they are routinely, and without consent, passed on to the public as social costs. That's the insane system, the capitalist system, that has to go.
Granted by grassroots organizations at a public ceremony at a hotel in Davos, the winner of the satirical prize was determined by tens of thousands of online voters. The race was close, with Glencore and Walmart coming in a close second, but voters ultimately determined that Chevron deserves the top distinction. The oil giant, however, declined to attend the ceremony, so Greenpeace Switzerland accepted the award on Chevron's behalf.
"Chevron is uniquely deserving of a lifetime award for the lifetime of misery they have caused the Ecuadorian Amazon," Paul Paz y Miño, of the U.S.-based organization Amazon Watch, told Common Dreams over the phone from Davos. "This is not only because of their original pollution—dumping 18 billion gallons of toxic waste—but because they have ignored every judicial process to hold them to account, even though they were determined liable for $9.5 billion in court of their own choosing."
"Not only did they refuse to pay," Paz y Miño added, "but they pointed their finger at their own victims, accusing the people that they poisoned of a global conspiracy to commit fraud. It undermines the very fabric of our society because you can't simply evade justice because you have the wealth to litigate in perpetuity."
This is not the first time that Chevron won a Public Eye prize. In 2006, the oil giant won the Public Eye Award for "polluting large areas of pristine rain forest in northern Ecuador." However, the Lifetime Award is a higher distinction, and it marks an end to the Public Eye awards after 15 years.
The prizes have been aimed at casting "a critical and innovative eye on the World Economic Forum," according to a press statement. Numbered among participants and attendees were the famed Yes Men, a European parliamentarian, and even a representative from the WEF.
Past award recipients include Dow Chemical, awarded in 2005, for "using every loophole in the book to avoid its responsibility for the Bhopal disaster, the world’s largest chemical catastrophe in human history." Last year, Gap and Gazprom were both winners of "Awards of Shame."
According to Paz y Miño, Chevron's Lifetime Achievement prize is "particularly important right now because part of Chevron's strategy is to claim they were victimized. International recognition from awards like this are clear demonstration to Chevron that the rest of world understands and acknowledges they are irresponsible."
Andy Bichlbaum of the Yes Men told Common Dreams that Chevron's bad behavior is distinguished but not unique. "All of the hundreds of companies ever nominated for Public Eye awards, and thousands of others as well, are almost as deserving of this award as Chevron is," said Bichlbaum.
The true winner of the Lifetime Award, he added, "is our insane system—that makes behavior like Chevron's rational. That's the system we've got to change, and luckily there's a movement afoot to do that."
from here
What is it about corporations, whether agricultural, pharmaceutical, food production, textiles, chemical, fossil fuel or manufacture in general, that obliges them to act against the common good? Quite simply it's the bottom line. Profit. Obligation to the share holders to bring the maximum return. Externalities can't be factored in, they are too damaging so they are routinely, and without consent, passed on to the public as social costs. That's the insane system, the capitalist system, that has to go.
1 comment:
These people have no real empathy with humanity.
Indeed although women are even in a minority at Davos accounting for only 17% of participants, they are still ruthless people who have been corrupted by power, self-interest and ultimately personal greed. There is not one of them who has not climbed the greasy pole that have not undertaken actions that were ultimately detrimental to others. They all use their positions to get others to help them to attain top positions, but once there, they forget all the favours that others have done. Therefore there is no difference in the mindsets of women and men when it comes to the power struggle and sheer personal greed. This constellation of personal ingredients has no empathy with humankind or human sustainability, only results for those at the top no matter what the consequences may be for all others. This covers the minds of all those who rise to the top from industrialists and politicians to civil servants and bankers. Indeed and although research into corporate psychopaths is in its infancy and has only been researched for a mere two decades in depth, more is coming to the surface that indicates that these individuals are driving capitalism to the edge, as sustainability of planet earth becomes less by the decade. In this respect even eminent institutions as the Royal Society and MIT are projecting that human functionality will fail on its present path by mid 2032, a mere 17 years from now. Therefore as by next year according to Credit Suisse analysis the top 1% will control as much as the remaining 99%, they cannot go on as they are for the majority of the world's people and where ultimately, Agamemnon awaits.
'Corporate Psychopathy and Psychopaths are Destroying the World Order, but where the Political and Corporate Psychopaths are Not aware of what they are doing to the world-at-large - Globalization is the Weapon they are using to Sequentially destroy the planet and the People are the Only Ones who will ultimately suffer, not the rich and powerful who have created this monster' - http://worldinnovationfoundation.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/corporate-psychopathy-is-destroying.html
'The Destroyer of Worlds...the 'present' Globalization model' - http://worldinnovationfoundation.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/the-destroyer-of-worldsthe-present.html
'The KINGS of KINGS and Masters of Humankind's Ultimate Kismet - the 'New' WORLD ORDER that will eventually dispatch Humankind to Oblivion and its Ultimate Extinction - The Greed of the Few Combined with Our Planet's Natural Resources Running Out will make this Inevitable...We have to Change Our Development Mechanism from Corporate Globalization to Sustainability before we have Used Up 'All' the Non-Replenishable Natural Resources of the World...the planet belongs to all of us NOT the Few ! ' - http://worldinnovationfoundation.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/the-kings-of-kings-and-masters-of.html
'Humanity is heading towards Armagedon' - http://www.eureporter.co/frontpage/2014/03/29/comment-humanity-is-heading-towards-armageddon/
The problem of course is that our political leaders are dancing to the tune of the top 1% and where all are taking no notice of the unfolding dire state of the world order.
They all use their positions to get others to help them to attain top positions, but once there, they forget all the favours that others have done. Therefore there is no difference in the mindsets of women and men when it comes to the power struggle and sheer personal greed.
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