Amazon | Common News Update

Feb142022 by adminNo Comments

Amazon deforestation: Record high destruction of trees in January

Science

ReutersThe number of trees cut down in the Brazilian Amazon in January far exceeded deforestation for the same month last year, according to government satellite data.The area destroyed was five times larger than 2021, the highest January total since records began in 2015.Environmentalists accuse Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro of allowing deforestation to accelerate.Protecting the Amazon is essential if we are to tackle climate change. Trees are felled for their wood as well as to clear spaces to plant crops to supply global food companies.At the climate change summit COP26 in Glasgow last year, more than 100 governments promised to stop and reverse deforestation by 2030.The latest satellite data from Brazil's space agency Inpe again calls into question the Brazilian government's commit...

Nov212021 by adminNo Comments

Brazil: Amazon sees worst deforestation levels in 15 years

Science

AFPDeforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest has hit its highest level in over 15 years, official data shows. A report by Brazil's space research agency (Inpe) found that deforestation increased by 22% in a year. Brazil was among a number of nations who promised to end and reverse deforestation by 2030 during the COP26 climate summit. The Amazon is home to about three million species of plants and animals, and one million indigenous people. It is a vital carbon store that slows down the pace of global warming. According to the latest data, some 13,235 sq km (5110 sq miles) was lost during the 2020-21 period, the highest amount since 2006. Environment Minister Joaquim Leite said the data represents a "challenge" and said: "We have to be more forceful in relation to these crimes." He added...

Apr112021 by adminNo Comments

Amazon defeats historic Alabama union effort

Technology

Getty ImagesAmazon has defeated activists hoping to establish the company's first unionised warehouse in the US.Workers at the Bessemer, Alabama warehouse voted 1,798 to 738 against the effort, labour officials said. That represented a majority of votes cast in the contest, which was seen as a key test for Amazon after global criticism of its treatment of workers during the pandemic.The union said it would challenge the results.It accused Amazon of interfering with the right of employees to vote in a "free and fair election", including by lying to staff about the implications of the vote in mandatory meetings and pushing the postal service to install a mailbox on company grounds in an effort to monitor the vote."Amazon has left no stone unturned in its efforts to gaslight its own employees...

Apr102021 by adminNo Comments

After Amazon: Labor tries to regroup in wake of Alabama loss

Technology

WASHINGTON -- Despite the strongest public support and the most sympathetic president in years, the American labor movement just suffered a stinging defeat -- again.Amazon warehouse workers in Bessemer, Alabama, overwhelmingly voted against joining the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union in much-anticipated election results announced Friday.Amazon and business groups celebrated the decision, saying warehouse workers got a chance to weigh the pros and cons of union membership -- and voted to reject it.But labor activists argue that the lopsided vote shows how unfairly the odds are stacked against union organizing efforts and highlights the need for Congress to reform U.S. labor law. The House last month passed such legislation -- the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) A...

Apr102021 by adminNo Comments

Amazon wins vote preventing Alabama warehouse workers from unionising

Technology

Amazon workers have voted not to unionise at one of the company's warehouses in Alabama in a major victory for the company.The majority of the 3,215 votes cast from roughly 5,800 workers in Bessemer, Alabama, were against unionising, according to a preliminary count by the US National Labor Relations Board. Defeating the move to unionise will be seen as a great success for Amazon, which has reportedly spent millions to monitor and tackle union activities among its workforce, including hiring intelligence analysts to track staff suspected of organising. Image: The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union is bringing a complaint against the company. Pic: AP The Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) has complained that ...