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Grazing in open-air landfills is a common practice in various parts of the world, especially for goats. Yet, this practice can have devastating consequences for both the health of the animals and the humans who consume their products. Driven by curiosity, I wanted to explore how this dynamic worked in intersection with environmental colonialism within the socio-ecological context where I found myself: at the edge of the Sahara Desert.

It’s the final stretch of our annual winter escape – the trip my boyfriend and I try to take every year to break free from the monotony of the coldest, most stressful season. Our rental car is carrying us north along the highway that slices through the country, winding through the pre-desert landscapes surrounding the city of Gafsa.

Suddenly, a flock of goats grazing among the dunes catches our attention – not because of the animals themselves, but because we slowly realize the sand of the dunes has been replaced by piles of waste. To make things worse, a sharp, nauseating smell begins creeping into the car, growing stronger by the minute. Driven by curiosity, we decide to pull over and walk towards the flock, determined to figure out what kind of bizarre place we’ve stumbled upon.

Columns of smoke rising from burning waste in Gafsa’s open-air landfill. Credits: Alexandra D’Angelo

«Don’t you have them in your country?» the shepherd asks, pointing to his goats, trying to grasp the reason behind our interest in his grazing.

«Yes, we have them in Italy too – he works with goats», I reply, pointing to my boyfriend. Only then does the shepherd seem to make sense of our unusual behaviour: “this white guy must be a shepherd too”, he probably thought. Whether it’s true or not doesn’t really make a difference. What seems important is that, between the two of them, they’ve found a common ground of knowledge and interest, making it easier to carry on a conversation full of brief words and plenty of gestures.

We are on the outskirts of Gasfa, a Tunisian city with 120,000 inhabitants and the capital of the eponymous governorate. Here, to greet anyone arriving from the southwestern regions of the country, there are around 35 hectares of waste, the equivalent of 50 football fields.

Columns of smoke rise from burning waste here and there, while herds of goats and sheep graze, hopping among plastic and metal debris between one dune and another.

«They find cellulose in the paper» the shepherd informs us. Cellulose, typically found in plants, is an essential element for the survival of goats and sheep. However, when vegetation is scarce, as in desert ecosystems, the animals are forced to seek it elsewhere. This is how cardboard packaging, canned goods, or piles of unused paper documents end up in the diet of Tunisian ruminants, not without repercussions on their health and, consequently, on the health of humans who consume their milk and meat.

A group of sheep chewing sheets of paper to ingest the cellulose essential for their diet. Credits: Alexandra D’Angelo

A High-Risk Diet

Paper may seem like an innocuous source of nutrition, but it rarely is. This is largely due to the industrial process used in its production, which involves numerous chemicals. Among them, chlorine and other bleaching agents are commonly used to achieve a white, uniform appearance, but their use can leave behind traces of toxic residues.

Additionally, paper discarded in landfills is often contaminated by a variety of potentially dangerous substances, including inks, glues, heavy metals, and other chemicals used during processing and printing. These can accumulate in the tissues of organisms that ingest them. Dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and heavy metals, in fact, are not eliminated from the body but instead progressively accumulate in fatty tissues, causing harmful effects both on animals and on those who consume their products.

In fact, the ingestion of waste can have devastating effects on animal health, extending well beyond immediate damage, as it can compromise the reproductive system, reducing fertility and hindering their ability to produce healthy offspring. In the long term, such alterations undermine the stability of populations, making it more difficult to maintain balanced and sustainable ecosystems.

A shepherd crouching on piles of waste while his flock grazes. Credits: Giovanni Bailo.

Moreover, one of the main and most dangerous characteristics of dioxins is their persistence in the environment and their high ability to bioaccumulate along the food chain. This means that people who consume meat or dairy products from goats and sheep grazing in landfills may also accumulate these substances in their bodies. Dioxins are linked to a wide range of negative health effects, including hormonal disorders, immune system damage, reproductive problems, and an increased risk of cancer.

In addition to dioxins, landfills often contain heavy metals such as lead, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic, found in common items like batteries, electronic devices, paints, and pesticides. In this case too, these substances can accumulate in internal organs, bones, and tissues. Heavy metals are known for their toxic effects, including neurological damage, kidney problems, cardiovascular disorders, and, in some cases, teratogenic effects (i.e., harm to the foetus during pregnancy).

Among the potentially most dangerous contaminants are microplastic residues, which accumulate in landfills in significant quantities. These tiny fragments, once ingested, can cause severe inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract, impairing digestive function. Furthermore, microplastics act as carriers for other toxic substances, amplifying the health risks for exposed organisms, especially for the most vulnerable populations such as children, pregnant women, and the elderly. For instance, in the case of pregnant women, exposure to dioxins and heavy metals through the diet can have negative effects on fetal development, causing growth delays, cognitive issues, and other congenital malformations.

Waste and Phosphates: The two sides of Tunisian Environmental Colonialism

The issue of illegal landfills and, more broadly, the hazardous management of waste, is a pressing topic in Tunisia’s recent history, often sparking protests and mobilization led by the country’s environmental movements.

First and foremost, Tunisia has never implemented any recycling system.

Indeed, it has recently come to light that there has been an illicit trade between Tunisia and Italy surrounding the illegal disposal of waste. In 2020, a judicial investigation discovered the export of approximately 7,892 tons of unsorted municipal waste packed in 70 containers traveling from the southern-Italian region of Campania to the port of Soux, on the western Tunisian coast. These waste materials, falsely declared as recyclable, were destined for a company called Soreplast, which lacked the proper facilities for treatment.

As a result, the waste was either burned along roadsides or buried in the outskirts of cities—practices that are unfortunately common when waste disposal is controlled by organized crime, and which have severe consequences for the ecosystem and the health of local communities. On one hand, burning waste releases highly toxic substances into the air, including dioxins, furans, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). On the other hand, burying waste in areas lacking adequate soil sealing systems can lead to soil and groundwater contamination through the liquids produced by waste piles (known as “leachate”).

The open-air landfill near Gasfa is just one of the countless examples scattered across the country.

However, the uniqueness of the region that stretches from the Gasfa mountains to the border with Algeria lies in its phosphate rocks, which have been targeted by mining companies for over a century to produce phosphate fertilizers, which are essential for global industrial agriculture.

The ingestion of waste can have devastating effects on animal health. Credits: Giovanni Bailo

In fact, Gasfa’s phosphate leads the global market in terms of quality and purity. Since 2022, the Tunisian market has become even more competitive after phosphate prices skyrocketed with the onset of the Russia-Ukraine war, as both countries, along with Belarus, are among the world’s largest phosphate exporters.

Tunisia is now aiming to significantly increase its production and, consequently, its export to Western countries. This represents a potential massive economic gain for the country, but with minimal impact on the local economy of Gasfa, the region with the highest poverty rate in Tunisia – an imbalance that has been at the root of protests and mobilization in this mining basin since 2008.

Indeed, phosphate extraction does not create jobs but causes significant environmental damage and risks to human health. The mining process releases heavy metals like cadmium and arsenic, which contaminate the soil and groundwater, posing a serious threat to the health of ecosystems and nearby communities.

Waste and phosphates represent two sides of the same coin of relentless environmental colonialism – where external powers exploit and deplete local ecosystems for profit, while exporting wealth, importing disease, and perpetuating poverty.

The post Wasted dunes: open-air landfills feeding Tunisian ruminants appeared first on Undisciplined Environments.

Jonathan Rosenblum shows how Amazon workers can learn from previous actions to organise themselves on a global scale

The post How Amazon workers can organise globally appeared first on Red Pepper.

Members of our Yesler bannering crew recently took their last banner on tour to a Tesla Takedown protest. 

Jathan Sadowski's book lays the groundwork for a more cohesive resistance against capitalist technology, writes Paula Lacey

The post The Mechanic and the Luddite – review appeared first on Red Pepper.

Our bannering friends in Fife continue to have success and growing numbers week after week. 

If this species is going to survive, the last wild red wolves need safe ways to cross the deadly highway that divides their home.

On Tuesday, March 25,  Alfredo “Lelo” Juarez was violently detained by ICE while driving his partner to her workplace. ICE agents broke his car window when Lelo tried to exercise his rights. He is currently detained at an ICE facility in Tacoma, Washington.

Lelo has been a farmworker and community leader in Whatcom County, WA since he was 12 years old, and has worked tirelessly for immigrant and farmworker rights. He was one of the initial founders of the independent union Familias Unidas por la Justicia (FUJ), where he helped agricultural workers win paid breaks and overtime. As an organizer with Community to Community Development (C2C), he has been involved in multiple campaigns, most recently exposing the local impacts of the exploitative H-2A program.

Farmworker organizations on the ground believe that ICE targeted Lelo for his leadership in standing up for farmworkers and immigrants in his community. Most of the cases like Lelo’s go unnoticed, but there have been countless cases where ICE has harassed and abducted people on work sites, or on their way to and from work. The Trump Administration’s mass deportation plan is a way to harm individuals and families. It is also an attack on workers and on worker organizing, and an attempt to suppress the labor movement and silence pro-worker activism.

We stand with all the immigrant workers that have been targeted. We stand with FCWA members C2C and FUJ in demanding Lelo’s release and calling for U.S. Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray, U.S. Reps. Rick Larsen and Pramila Jayapal, Governor Bob Ferguson, and WA Attorney General Nick Brown to do everything they can to free Lelo and to investigate the potential political motivations for his detention. We demand that all our elected leaders denounce these targeted attacks on immigrant workers and intervene to protect their safety.

FCWA is calling for ally organizations to join us in demanding Lelo’s release by signing on to our open letter.

Sign-ons as of May 9 at 9:00 a.m. PDT:
73 for Palestine
Agricultural Justice Project
Agroecology Research-Action Collective
Alternative Housing Alliance
Asian Americans United
Association of Legal Advocates and Attorneys – UAW Local 2325
Birchwood Food Desert Fighters
CAUSE (Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy)
Center for Biological Diversity
Center for Gender & Refugee Studies
Chicago Food Policy Action Council
Chicago Jobs with Justice
Cincinnati Interfaith Workers Center
City Fruit
CLEAN Carwash Worker Center
Coffee Workers Coalition
Comité de Apoyo a los Trabajadores Agrícolas
Community Alliance for Global Justice
Community First Whatcom
Community Food Advocates
Comunidad Sol
Coope Talamanca Sostenible
Cooperation Jackson
Dream Team Los Angeles
DRUM – Desis Rising up & Moving
DSA National Labor Commission
Ecojustice Ireland
FAACTS
FAE – Foundation for Academic Endeavors
Family Farm Defenders
Farm Aid
Farm and Food Justice Network
Farm Forward
Farmworker Association of Florida
Feedom Freedom Growers
Foggy Hill Farm
Food Culture Collective
Food for the Spirit
Food in Neighborhoods Community Coalition
Friends of the MST
Full Heart Farm
Global Labor Justice
Good Food Buffalo Coalition
Got Green
Grassroots Global Justice Alliance
Grassroots Law & Organizing for Workers (GLOW)
Harriet Tubman Center for Social Justice
Havurah Bris Melach
HEAL Food Alliance
Hearst Union
Huron Valley DSA
Idaho Organization of Resource Councils
Illinois Food Justice Alliance
Imoto Flower Farm
Indivisible Madison East
Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy
Intercommunity Peace and Justice Center
International Mayan League
International Migrants Alliance – US Chapter
Jews for Palestinian Right of Return
Justice for Migrant Workers
Kamayan Farm
La Semilla Food Center
Labor for Palestine National Network
Latinos En Spokane
Latinx Farmworkers of Southern Idaho
Long Way Farm
Makanai Farm
Make the Road PA
Migrant Justice / Justicia Migrante
Mission to End Modern Slavery (MEMS)
Mississippi Workers Center for Human Rights
Mixteca Group
MDC Consulting
Mount Baker Foundation
National Employment Law Project
National Lawyers Guild
National Lawyers Guild DC Chapter
National Lawyers Guild Seattle
National Young Farmers Coalition
NC Environmental Justice Network
Noisy Waters Northwest
NorCal Resist
Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York
Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont
NPEU (Nonprofit Professional Employees Union)
Nuevo Sol Day Labor and Domestic Worker Center
Pesticide Action & Agroeccology Network of North America
Philadelphia Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance
Powerswitch Action
Project South
Queer Spokane
Real Food Media
River Valley Country Club Farm
Rural Community Workers Alliance
Rural Vermont
Skagit County Democrats
Starbucks Workers United
South Carolina Workers Party
Southern Workers Assembly
Southside Food Co-op
Sunnyland Free Pantry
Tacoma DSA
Triumph Teen Life Center
UAW 4811 (UCLA) Rank & File Caucus
University Network for Human Rights
Vamos Outdoors Project
Venceremos
WA People’s Privacy
Wapato Church of the Nazarene
Warehouse Worker Resource Center
WashMasks Mutual Aid
WESPAC Foundation, Inc.
Westchester for CHange
Western Academic Workers United (UAW Local 4929)
WFSE Local 443
Whatcom County Charter Review Commissioner
Whatcom Families for Justice Palestine
Whatcom Democrats
Whatcom Peace and Justice Center
WhyHunger
Worker Justice Center of New York
Worksafe
WWU Jewish Voice for Peace

Individuals can take the following actions to support the cause:

• Send an email and make a call to demand Lelo’s release
• Follow Community to Community Development on Instagram & Facebook
• Donate to C2C to support Lelo’s legal defense

Free Lelo!

The post We Demand the Release of Farmworker Leader Alfredo “Lelo” Juarez from ICE Detention appeared first on Food Chain Workers Alliance.

Making the Case for Afrocentric Physical Books in the Age of Techno-Imperialism Join the Strategy & Soul Bookstore at the LA Times Festival of Books April 26th and 27th Booth #269 in the Purple Section We carry physical Afrocentric books to combat techno imperialism.

Don’t you just hate that now most devices have forced us to do almost everything digitally, companies and governments can have a say over when you can access your content? They can revoke your access !

So, picture this, you’re all set to travel for vacation, or a family engagement out of town. You have chosen to fly, which means that you will more than likely not have internet access, or you’ll be subject to the commercial content offered on the airline (which by the way can also be regulated mid-flight), or you’ll have to pay for internet access. To combat this, one of the things you do to prepare is download your favorite playlist on Spotify, or Pandora, or Apple Music, etc. Maybe you downloaded that great book you’ve been waiting to have time to read using Kindle or Apple Books. You may log onto Netflix on your device and download a few episodes of a TV show or a few movies.

Some of the content you have paid for, some of it you’re just paying the streaming fee. And so, you think you’re all set. There will be no boredom in this mind! And if it doesn’t work, you’ll just go to sleep.

So, you get on the plane and at first, it’s all working great, you’re in your flow…your reflecting “Damn, I can’t believe I waited this long to read How Europe Underdeveloped Africa by Walter Rodney.”

But the plane leaves U.S. air space, or leaves the air space where you downloaded all your content and whatever you’re doing on your device; it stops! It shows you a notification explaining that this content is not allowed in this region of the world.

Just a reminder, you said you’d go to sleep if it didn’t work out.

But now that you have seen this message on your device, you are too riled up for sleep! If the device was a person, you’re on edge to slap the hell out of that device. “How dare they try to tell me that I can’t read my book that I paid my hard-working money for!”

Well Comrade, welcome to a new level of techno-imperialism.

So what is it anyways? Techno-Imperialism, according to Google AI, refers to the concept of powerful technological companies or countries exerting technological influence or control over other countries or cultures, often through economic dependence, data control, and dominance of digital ecosystems.

While this definition is very broad and also relates to everything from exerting control through embargo to Walter Rodney’s discussion on Underdevelopment, in this short article we’re referring to the control of mass information available via books, broadcast, over the internet and on your mobile and stationary devices.

The very control of information has been at the heart of imperialist projects since its inception. And now that there is technology involved that always forces you to sign a user agreement contract that protects companies when they revoke your access regardless of how much you paid and regardless of reasoning, the threat to ideological struggle and access to information is even more heightened now more than it has ever been.

We have now seen over the last few years the escalation of national book bans in grade schools and public institutions by state governments and the federal government. And now the Trump administration is initiating a McCarthyist like hunt to punish any institution that is moving forward with DEI initiatives, race-based programing and dissemination of banned books.

The Call for institution building by the left is even more prescient now than ever and that includes Afro centric, anti-imperialist, anti-racist bookstores like Strategy and Soul Bookstore in the middle of South Central LA and in every city center where there is a nationally oppressed community.

The charge to have our own physical books in our own controlled spaces will be inevitable. So join us this April at the LA Times Festival of Books to build your library and our political collectives that will be instrumental if fighting Trump’s Fascist nightmare.

Co-Director, Labor/Community Strategy Center

Commentary by Co-Director, Labor/Community Strategy Center

The post Making the Case for Afrocentric Physical Books in the Age of Techno-Imperialism first appeared on The Labor Community Strategy Center.

Originally posted on REMA’s website 12th March 2025

• El 31 de marzo de 2025 vencen los contratos de ocupación temporal de tierras que tiene la empresa minera Equinox Gold con el ejido de Carrizalillo, Guerrero. Desde 2007, prácticamente el 100% de las parcelas de siembra y un 95% de las tierras de uso común están ocupadas por la actividad minera del proyecto Los Filos.
• Equinox Gold es una empresa canadiense que a inicios de 2025 operaba ocho minas en el continente americano. A finales de febrero anunció la fusión con Calibre Mining, para poder contar con diez operaciones mineras y otra más en vías de construcción en Canadá. Desde 2020, es dueña de Los Filos, mina ubicada en la zona central del estado de Guerrero, México.
• La empresa ha presionado a los ejidatarios de Carrizalillo para que acepten sus condiciones de renegociación. Una de ellas es una reducción de aproximadamente el 63% en el precio de la renta de tierra, así como disminución de las prestaciones sociales.
• En las últimas semanas se han presentado diversas amenazas en contra de los líderes comunitarios de Carrizalillo, quienes han señalado que no están dispuestos a aceptar las condiciones desiguales que busca imponer la empresa.

Más de una docena de líderes comunitarios del ejido de Carrizalillo, familiares y un asesor de la comunidad han recibido amenazas de muerte. Al menos 14 habitantes del ejido que trabajaban en la mina Los Filos han sido amenazados con despedidos injustificados. Otros más han recibido notificaciones de terminación de sus contratos y concesiones por haber participado en un paro de 12 horas frente a una puerta de las instalaciones mineras el día 19 de febrero. Varias de esas notificaciones han llegado acompañadas de textos amenazantes acusando a la comunidad de querer “[atentar] en contra de los intereses de la Empresa […] para infligirle el mayor daño económico posible, y obtener, por la vía de la extorsión beneficios indebidos”.

Estas son algunas de las amenazas y agresiones que han vivido los ejidatarios de Carrizalillo, en el marco de un conflicto provocado por la multimillonaria minera canadiense Equinox Gold, dueña de la mina Los Filos, ubicada en el municipio de Eduardo Neri, en la zona centro del estado de Guerrero, en México.

La empresa minera canadiense lleva semanas presionando a los ejidatarios de Carrizalillo para que acepten sus condiciones de renegociación de los convenios de ocupación temporal de tierras y de cooperación social que la empresa tiene con la comunidad. El próximo 31 de marzo se vence el plazo para la renovación de estos convenios, los cuales son necesarios para que la empresa pueda operar la mina, sobre todo considerando que prácticamente el 100% de su operación estratégica que incluye, patios, piletas, tajos, túneles, talleres, área de fundición y equipo de filtrado, bombeo y trituradoras se encuentran dentro de las tierras del ejido.

La operación minera literalmente envuelve el total del territorio de Carrizalillo. La zona urbana del ejido se encuentra a menos de 400 metros del patio de lixiviación de la mina y entre 900 y 1.5 kilómetros de distancia de la zona de dinamita de los tajos Los Filos y el Bermejal. Las tierras de cultivo, de recolección y pastoreo del ejido están ocupadas en su totalidad por la mina de oro que ha operado en su comunidad desde 2007.

Imagen satelital mina Los Filos 2025. En color lila se muestra el polígono agrario (uso común y parcelas) del ejido de Carrizalillo. Debajo de la imagen al lado izquierdo, se ubica la zona urbana de Carrizalillo que muestra la cercanía de la población con la operación minera.

En 2008, la mina Los Filos entró en operación comercial en manos de la empresa minera canadiense Goldcorp con la compra ilegal de las tierras de uso común del ejido Carrizalillo. Cuando la comunidad se dio cuenta de esta ilegalidad, inició un paro de la operación minera durante 83 días y una acción jurídica en el Tribunal Unitario Agrario de México que ratificó la ilegalidad de la compra de tierras y permitió una mejora en su convenio de ocupación temporal con la empresa. La empresa minera canadiense Leagold compró la mina Los Filos en 2017. En 2020, Equinox Gold adquirió Leagold y la mina Los Filos como parte de esta fusión empresarial. 

Además de la pérdida de su vida como campesinos, los ejidatarios de Carrizalillo han visto desaparecer más de 12 fuentes de agua que la población utilizaba. La comunidad ahora padece la contaminación de las fuentes de agua que quedan y sufren severos daños a la salud. Un estudio comunitario de salud llevado a cabo entre 2012 a 2014 encontró un aumento en enfermedades dentro de la población que se cree están relacionadas con la exposición al arsénico en el agua y metales pesados en el polvo que llega al pueblo desde la mina. Irritación ocular, enfermedades cutáneas, problemas respiratorios, partos prematuros y malformaciones congénitas son algunas de las afectaciones que sufren en forma recurrente los habitantes del ejido.

A principios de febrero de 2025, los representantes del ejido hicieron un llamado para que en la mesa de negociación la empresa dejara de utilizar amenazas y tácticas coercitivas para imponer nuevas condiciones en los contratos. Por ejemplo, la empresa busca recortar un poco más del 63% el precio de la renta de tierra, disminuir las prestaciones sociales y tener convenios por un lapso de 20 años. Desde que la mina abrió, en 2007, las negociaciones de los contratos han sido variables. El primer convenio fue de un año, posteriormente hubo otro de 3 años y desde entonces se mantienen entre 5 y 6 años de vigencia.

El ejido de Carrizalillo ha propuesto que la renta de la tierra corresponda a lo que se obtendría por la producción de maíz, frijol y semilla de calabaza en una hectárea de terreno. La empresa minera rechazó esa propuesta. 

En una carta dirigida al presidente de Equinox Gold, el ejido de Carrizalillo solicitó que en las negociaciones sólo estuvieran presentes los directivos de la empresa canadiense, sin la presencia de funcionarios del estado de Guerrero. Los funcionarios sólo han apoyado a la empresa y no a la comunidad. Los ejidatarios de Carrizalillo también han solicitado que en las negociaciones no se incorpore a otras comunidades que viven a varios kilómetros de distancia de la mina y que no han perdido una sola hectárea de tierras de cultivo. 

La respuesta al llamado de los ejidatarios de Carrizalillo a negociar en condiciones de respeto y sin imposición fue una campaña por redes sociales y por la radiodifusora de la mina, en donde se difunde información falsa y en contra de los representantes del ejido. Esto aunado a otras amenazas que han ido en aumento. Aquí se enumeran algunas de ellas:

• A partir del 23 de febrero, más de una docena de líderes comunitarios, familiares y un asesor de la comunidad han recibido amenazas de muerte a través de medios electrónicos y paquetes de mensajería. El ejido ha hecho responsable a Equinox Gold y sospecha de su gerente de responsabilidad social de Los Filos, el señor Hugo Vergara, de ser el que dirige la campaña de desprestigio en contra del ejido por haber, de forma reiterada, manifestado su desprecio en contra de la representación del ejido.
• El 1 de marzo de 2025, dos altos funcionarios de la empresa Equinox Gold, el señor André Souza de Amorín, Gerente General de Equinox Gold para Los Filos, y señor Armando Fausto Ortega, vicepresidente Senior de Equinox Gold en México, hicieron una visita sorpresa a Carrizalillo reiterando la amenaza de que la mina cerraría si el ejido se negaba a firmar un acuerdo final con la empresa ese día.
• A partir del 3 de marzo de 2025, la empresa empezó a girar notificaciones con la terminación de relación contractual de concesiones a, por lo menos, 25 integrantes del ejido indicando que “se ve en la necesidad de terminar anticipadamente la relación contractual de servicios y Órdenes de Compra”, por participar en una protesta frente la Caseta 4 de la empresa el 19 de febrero. En algunas de estas cartas, la empresa acusa a la comunidad de querer “[atentar] en contra de los intereses de la Empresa […] para infligirle el mayor daño económico posible, y obtener, por la vía de la extorsión beneficios indebidos”. Incluso, los representantes de la empresa entregaron oficios a personas que no estuvieron en esa protesta, pero aseguran que tienen fotografías y testigos, además de llevar a un notario. Eso es una muestra de que la empresa dirige sus ataques a personas concretas del ejido.
• A partir del 9 de marzo de 2025, Equinox Gold empezó a presionar a trabajadores de la Sección Sindical 269 de la mina Los Filos. En pleno horario de operación, la empresa determinó que varios operadores —todos habitantes del ejido Carrizalillo— debían bajar de sus equipos y dejar que operadores de la comunidad de Mezcala tomaran su turno.
•  Había una clara intención de despedir a 14 trabajadores del ejido de Carrizalillo y llamarlos a la oficina para que firmaran su finiquito por despido. 
• La radiodifusora “La Filosita”, que la empresa opera dentro de la mina Los Filos, ha difundido mensajes en las que se acusa a los representantes del ejido de Carrizalillo de obstaculizar los esfuerzos por alcanzar un nuevo acuerdo para la renovación de los contratos, en detrimento de los trabajadores y los niños de la comunidad.
• La empresa también ha amenazado con interponer procesos penales en contra de varios miembros del ejido, pero no hay evidencias concretas de cuáles han sido las causales o delitos incurridos para que ello suceda.
• El ultimátum de la empresa respecto a que «podrá suspender las operaciones indefinidamente o hasta que se establezcan nuevos acuerdos», ha sido publicado por diversos medios. Inclusive, se mencionan los nombres de representantes de la comunidad y se les señala como responsables de la amenaza del cierre de la mina exponiendolos a ellos y a sus familias.
• El 8 de marzo de 2025, la empresa solicitó presentarse en la comisaria del ejido de Carrizalillo para tener una reunión con los representantes ejidales y revisar las cláusulas del convenio social aún vigente. Al encuentro llegó la licenciada Angela Piñeros, del equipo de desarrollo comunitario de la empresa, junto con un notario para hacer entrega del finiquito de los convenios de arrendamiento de parcelas sin que los parcelarios fueran convocados. 

Las amenazas de muerte y la campaña de estigmatización dirigida a representantes del ejido de Carrizalillo también tienen consecuencias al resto de las y los habitantes de la comunidad y representan un acto de violencia psicológica instrumentado por la empresa. La empresa no debe ignorar que las amenazas de muerte que han recibido representantes del ejido están ligadas a la actuación de sus operadores. La empresa tampoco puede hacer caso omiso sobre los actos de violencia que pueda generar su campaña de desinformación y estigmatización en contra del ejido de Carrizalillo.

No es menor que la empresa no tome en cuenta el contexto de violencia sistémica extrema que  enfrenta el estado de Guerrero. Ni que haga a un lado el hecho de que el ejido de Carrizalillo ya ha enfrentado el desplazamiento forzado de la mitad de su población en 2015 y el asesinato de 60 personas  en los últimos 15 años.

La empresa minera canadiense Equinox Gold se creó en 2017, tres años después compró la mina Los Filos, como parte de una agresiva estrategia de crecimiento que involucró la compra de proyectos mineros en Brasil, México, Estados Unidos y Canadá.

En el año 2020, Equinox Gold tenía seis minas en operación, siendo la mina Los Filos la de mayor producción y con mayores reservas de oro, si se compara con todas las demás que opera. A inicios de 2025, ya operaba ocho minas en el continente americano; la mina Greenstone de Ontario, Canadá, ya superó a Los Filos en tamaño. A principios de marzo de 2025, Equinox anunció su fusión con otra empresa minera canadiense, Calibre Mining, para agregar operaciones mineras en Nicaragua y Estados Unidos, y otra más en vías de construcción en Canadá.

La mina Los Filos sigue siendo un activo grande para Equinox Gold: en 2024 sus ingresos significaron el 27% del total de sus operaciones mineras. Además, tiene un potencial de extracción de aproximadamente 5 millones de onzas de oro. Para lograr ese potencial de extracción, la empresa ha señalado que requiere invertir en una nueva planta de procesamiento.

El actual conflicto entre la empresa minera canadiense y la comunidad de Carrizalillo tiene como antecedente el paro de la mina que habitantes del ejido realizaron en septiembre del 2020. Este paro fue por el incumplimiento de la empresa a varias cláusulas del convenio social, relacionadas con la falta de agua potable, el sobreprecio para medicamentos y la escasez de empleos sindicalizados, entre otras.

Al no generarse un espacio de diálogo, espacio que la comunidad buscó por tres meses, los habitantes de Carrizalillo montaron un campamento afuera de la mina, el cual se mantuvo durante meses hasta lograr una modificación al convenio que garantizara su cumplimiento. Sin embargo, hasta ahora, la empresa no cumple con realizar un proyecto que garantice el acceso de agua potable a la comunidad.

Durante ese conflicto, Equinox Gold respondió tachando de criminales las acciones de la comunidad, acusándolos de extorsión y demandándoles en el Tribunal Unitario Agrario. Esta acción se resolvió en mediación después de varios años de litigio. Desde entonces, la empresa ha mantenido una relación tensa con los habitantes del ejido de Carrizalillo: ignoran sus oficios, les estigmatizan y realizan comentarios despectivos sobre las preocupaciones que la comunidad manifiesta.

El ejido de Carrizalillo busca el reinicio de las negociaciones pero un ambiente de respeto, que sea independiente de otras dos comunidades que viven a una distancia considerablemente mayor de la mina y que no han sufrido impactos comparables de sus operaciones, y que también sea independiente de los funcionarios del estado de Guerrero, a quienes han denunciado por presionarles indebidamente en la mesa que en vez de ser de negociación se ha convertido en una mesa de imposición. Asimismo el ejido ha pedido la presencia de funcionarios del gobierno federal para asegurar condiciones favorables de seguridad durante las negociaciones. Si la empresa decide suspender o cerrar la mina, debe entablar conversaciones con la comunidad de Carrizalillo para determinar los planes de cierre adecuados teniendo en cuenta las necesidades de la comunidad.  

By Simon Pirani. Based on a talk given at a panel, “What peace?”, at the Solidarity with Ukraine event this week in Brussels “What peace?” is a wide question. To narrow it down, we can ask: what sort of peace is being discussed among Ukrainians? In an interview about the Trump-Putin talks, and the prospects […]

Toxic-Free Future has a long history of fighting bisphenols—potent hormone-disrupting chemicals put into plastics (polycarbonate), food and drink can liners, and thermal receipt paper. And after years of advocacy with both government and retailers, we’re making BIG progress!  Getting hormone disruptors out of receipt paper Washington state became the first in the nation to ban […]

The post Toxic-free receipts: The fight to eliminate endocrine disruptors from everyday transactions appeared first on Toxic-Free Future.

Our Thursday morning Seattle area bannering teams were back on the overpasses!

The post Bicycle Ride for Alex – through every ILWU port from Canada to Los Angeles appeared first on ILWU.

Download report

 

On March 3, 2025, 25% tariffs were set to be enacted on US imports from Mexico and non-energy imports from Canada. These tariffs were subsequently delayed by President Trump and are expected to be implemented on April 2, 2025. A 10% tariff was enacted on imports from China and planned for Canadian energy imports. Additionally, the administration has planned “reciprocal tariffs” on other US trading partners, meaning that all industries would be subject to new tariffs equivalent to the tariff rate those countries impose on US exports. If fully implemented across all sectors, this bundle of tariffs has the potential to disrupt long-integrated global supply chains for key industries in the Ohio River Valley region and, in the short run, will likely lead to higher consumer prices and reduced US employment.

This report analyzes US Trade import data, maintained by the US Census Bureau, to study how imports subject to the new Canada, Mexico, and China tariffs could affect the economies of Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Notably, this report attempts to minimize assumptions and therefore does not attempt to estimate the impacts of any retaliatory tariffs imposed by Canada, Mexico, or China nor does it attempt to assess reciprocal tariffs which have been much more in flux and may have sectoral carve-outs (Gavin, Dawsey, & McGraw, 2025). There is virtually no precedent or existing research that studies what a sudden and universal implementation of tariffs will do to economies in the context of modern globalization.

Key Findings:

▶ China, Canada, and Mexico are the three largest trading partners of the Ohio River Valley states. Collectively, these three countries represented over $100 billion in imports in 2024 which is just under one-third (33%) of total imports to the region.

▶ Total imports from Canada, Mexico, and China represent a sizable share of each state’s overall economy, ranging from approximately 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) in West Virginia and over 8% of Kentucky’s GDP. Tariffs, therefore, have the potential to be highly disruptive for businesses in our region’s states.

▶ If the proposed 2025 Trump Administration Tariffs had been in effect for 2024, they
would have represented a new import tax of over $21 billion on businesses across the four Ohio River Valley states. This dollar amount would be the equivalent of the federal government suddenly raising taxes by $2,307 on every Kentucky household, by $1,753 on every Ohio household, by $1,609 on every Pennsylvania household, and by $797 on every West Virginia household.

▶ Tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China will likely be passed by the importing US businesses onto consumers by US companies, resulting in higher prices. Nationally focused studies have estimated that these price hikes would cost the typical US household over $1,200 annually (Clausing & Lovely, 2025).

▶ Tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China will likely reduce state GDP growth, domestic employment, and consumption in the short term. Businesses effectively have three responses to choose from when responding to new, sudden tariffs: use fewer of the imported inputs, find new, more expensive alternative suppliers for the inputs where possible, or pay the tariff outright. The first option would come with a scale-back in US production and potentially idling capacity would mean laying off workers and cutting costs. This would reduce GDP growth. The latter two options would both mean more expensive inputs, raising producer costs. Most peer-reviewed, empirical evidence from recent tariff data suggests that these higher costs will be passed through consumers (Fajgelbaum et. al., 2019). This would raise consumer prices and accelerate inflation as well as reduce consumption, further lowering GDP growth in the short- and medium-run.

▶ There may be opportunities in the long run for positive economic impacts if tariffs are strategically implemented and in place long enough, with enough certainty, to spur significant domestic capital investment. If producers believe the tariffs are not temporary, they may choose to “re-shore,” or relocate, parts of their supply chain to the region. This could create new jobs and raise wages, so long as new trade agreements do not result in the subsequent elimination of the tariffs. Otherwise, producers may choose to “wait out” the tariffs rather than invest billions in manufacturing facilities. At this stage, haphazard and uncertain implementation signals indicate that tariffs may be intended to create leverage in renegotiating free trade agreements. In such a use-case, they would be unlikely to generate significant re-shoring of American production.

▶ Positive economic impacts in the Ohio River Valley could be either partially or totally negated by either retaliatory tariffs or sustained price increases for consumers in industries that cannot easily re-shore their supply chains. These effects could mean that even with new job creation and the reshoring of some industries, the net economic impact of the tariffs on the economy could be negative.

The post Tariffs and Appalachia appeared first on Ohio River Valley Institute.

By Anne Petermann, Executive Director, Global Justice Ecology Project March 26, 2025 Introduction Genetically engineered (GE) trees are an untested and unpredictable technology that threatens not only the biodiversity of our forests but also the ecosystems that depend on them. The case of the genetically engineered American chestnut tree, particularly the Darling 58 (D58), offers […]

VANCOUVER — A third of Canadians live in apartment or condo buildings. In most major cities, that proportion is even higher. But charging an EV can be more challenging for apartment dwellers, posing a barrier to adoption for some. As Canada embarks on a generational housing buildout, the time is now to support EV charging in condos, argues a new Clean Energy Canada report, Electrifying the Lot.

Installing EV charging in new builds is three to four times cheaper than upgrading an existing building. But there are currently no federal regulations requiring EV readiness in new construction despite a new housing plan promising four million new homes over the next decade.

Younger Canadians are particularly affected, being generally more likely to live in an apartment and also more inclined to go electric. Thankfully, there is plenty that can be done. Many municipalities, particularly in B.C., and Quebec, have introduced “EV ready” bylaws that require new buildings to includeEV charging, while some provinces also support the installation of EV chargers in pre-existing buildings.

But a piecemeal approach led by municipalities isn’t the best option for anyone—residents, charging station providers, developers, or our climate. And varied and sometimes contradictory regulations add complexity and bureaucratic red tape, delaying installations. 

Governments at all levels should up their game and introduce stronger policies and programs to ensure everyone can access the huge cost-savings of driving an EV, regardless of their living situation. To that end, the report highlights a number of best practices that should be introduced at the federal, provincial and municipal levels.

After all, driving an EV is one of the best ways for Canadian families to save money on gas. Now is the time to make sure all Canadians can reap the rewards of going electric.

KEY FACTS

• Three out of five (60%) people aged 20 to 44 live in apartment buildings in Metro Vancouver compared to half of people aged over 44. And yet, younger people are generally more interested in EVs: 77% of those aged 18 to 44 are inclined to go electric, according to a Clean Energy Canada and Abacus Data study to be released later this spring, compared to around 62% for those aged 45 or older.
• Quebec is currently the only province with EV readiness requirements for new homes in its building code and is in the process of extending the requirement to all apartment buildings before the end of 2025, with new draft regulations just released this month.
• Apartment buildings are found in the majority of communities in Canada (34% of total), though they are particularly prevalent in cities. They make up 40% of all households in Toronto and 52% in Vancouver proper.

Read the report

The post Canada’s housing buildout a critical moment to ensure new condos include EV charging: report appeared first on Clean Energy Canada.

March 20, 2025—EdSource Higher Education reporter Amy DiPierro and Staff Writer John Fensterwald speak to Public Advocates’ President and CEO Guillermo Mayer on President Trump’s executive order that directs U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to work toward eliminating the Department of Education.

Guillermo Mayer, President and CEO of the nonprofit Public Advocates, attributed the executive order to the Administration’s larger aim.

“Nobody should be fooled,” he said. “While this order purports to reduce federal bureaucracy, it’s part of a longer-term plan to eliminate federal oversight in education and give states free rein to redirect billions of dollars away from public schools and towards private school vouchers. The ultimate goal is to erode the public’s trust in our system of public education.” 

The post EdSource: Trump signs executive order to dismantle Department of Education appeared first on Public Advocates.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 20, 2025
Media Contact: Sumeet Bal, Director of Communications, sbal@publicadvocates.org, 917.647.1952

Public Advocates’ Statement on Trump Plan to Eliminate the Department of Education

Today, in a largely political stunt of questionable consequence, President Trump has issued an executive order directing his Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, to dismantle the Department of Education “to the maximum extent…permitted by law.”

This action is not about improving education; it’s a calculated political move that seeks to undermine the notion of any appropriate federal role in public education. The president and his cabinet secretary cannot dismantle the Department or its major funding programs without congressional approval. This posturing requires an act of Congress despite appearances otherwise; last week’s likely illegal elimination of half of the Department’s workforce is potentially more consequentially devastating.

“Nobody should be fooled,” said Guillermo Mayer, President and CEO of Public Advocates. “While this order purports to reduce federal bureaucracy, it’s part of a longer term plan to eliminate federal oversight in education and give states free rein to redirect billions of dollars away from public schools and towards private school vouchers. The ultimate goal is to erode the public’s trust in our system of public education.”

The president’s actions on education have been both ahistorical and contradictory. Education has historically been primarily state and locally controlled and federal law prohibits otherwise. “Ironically, while claiming to reduce federal bureaucracy and overreach, the order doubles down on attempting to impose unprecedented federal control over classroom content by threatening to withhold crucial funding from schools that discuss unconscious bias, diversity and equity,” said John Affeldt, Managing Attorney and Director of Education Equity at Public Advocates.

“The work to improve our public schools is a critical collective endeavor for our nation, and the federal government has been a valuable partner. The research is unequivocal: federal education funding has directly contributed to narrowing achievement gaps that widened during the pandemic; with each additional federal dollar showing measurable improvements in student outcomes. These funds disproportionately support our highest need districts—the very places that are still recovering from economic hardships and the pandemic. Federal education dollars are an important tool for ensuring educational opportunity isn’t determined by zip code,” Affeldt added.

The Department of Education exists to help states support schools in serving all students, and specifically protecting students with disabilities, students of color and poor students who historically were denied equal opportunities to learn, and to protect civil rights in education. If this administration and Congress closed the Department of Education it would disproportionately harm millions—in K12 and higher education—of impoverished students and students with disabilities across rural and urban America, in red states and blue states alike. It would put billions of dollars in jeopardy that serve low-income students and students with disabilities. These funds provide staffing in high needs schools and for students with disabilities, early childhood and pre-K programs, support for after school programs, and closing the achievement gaps. By crippling civil rights enforcement, the EO and its staff reductions hope to undermine protections for students from discrimination and eliminate crucial national data collection that ensures accountability across states.

In this moment of uncertainty, we stand in solidarity with educators, families, students, and advocates across the country who believe in the promise of public education. Together, we will defend our public schools, protect educational equity, and fight for the right of every student to learn in an environment that acknowledges our full history and prepares them for a diverse and democratic society.

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Public Advocates Inc. is a nonprofit law firm and advocacy organization that challenges the systemic causes of poverty and racial discrimination by strengthening community voices in public policy and achieving tangible legal victories advancing education, housing, transportation equity and climate justice.

The post Public Advocates’ Statement on Trump Plan to Eliminate the Department of Education appeared first on Public Advocates.

March 25, 2025 – 12 noon Emergency Call to Action! Resist the Attack on Environmental & Climate Justice! Defend Our Communities and Planet!
Protest in front of the USEPA office in San Francisco, CA, 75 Hawthorne Street.

See the flyers and spread the word!

 

EMERGENCY CALL TO ACTION!!!

Resist the Attack on Environmental and Climate Justice!
Defend Our Communities and Our Planet!

Tuesday, March 25, 2025, 12 Noon
Protest in front of the USEPA Region 9 Office, 75 Hawthorne Street,
San Francisco (between 2nd/3rd Streets, Folsom and Howard)

Sponsored by the Emergency Environmental Justice Coalition
contact greenaction@greenaction.org for more info