Profit Over People: Alarming Trend Continues at Dollar General Stores Where Seven Southeast Inspections Again Find Willful Violations

Nov. 1^st: Less than 1 month after the U.S. Department of Labor cited Dollar General Corp. and Dolgencorp LLC with more than $1.6M in penalties for putting its workers' safety at risk, federal inspectors have issued citations for similar violations at store locations in Alabama, Florida and Georgia, and added $2,777,640 in proposed penalties now owed by one of the nation's largest discount retailers.  Since 2017, Dollar General Corp. and Dolgencorp LLC have received more than $12.3M in initial penalties for numerous willful, repeat and serious workplace safety violations. [More...]

UN Talks How to Financially Aid Nations Hit by Natural Disasters

Nov. 6^th: Climate change diplomacy is about to get muddy over money.   At the COP27 conference in Egypt, leaders from nations rich and poor will face off over the highly contested notion of climate reparations. Namely, should industrialized nations be financially responsible for environmental catastrophes incurred by developing nations that scientists have linked to climate change?  Despite smaller, poorer countries producing relatively little pollution, scientists say they often suffer the most damage from climate change.  [More...]

China Passes New Women’s Protection Law: Key Takeaways for Employers

Nov. 8th: The Standing Committee of the 13th National People’s Congress, China’s top legislative body, passed the revised Law on the Protection of Women’s Rights and Interests. The amended Women’s Protection Law, which will take effect on January 1, 2023, added nearly 30 new provisions to enhance women’s protection in areas ranging from gender equality in recruitment and contract negotiation, employer’s obligation in sexual harassment prevention, as well as relief measures to women should their rights and interests being harmed. [More...]

Climate Change Threatens to Destroy ‘The Things Americans Value Most,’ U.S. Government Warns

Nov. 8^th: The U.S. must ramp up efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the next three decades as climate change worsens disasters and threatens water supplies and public health across the country, according to a major draft report released by the federal government on Monday.  “The things Americans value most are at risk,” the National Climate Assessment authors wrote in the 1,695-page draft. “Many of the harmful impacts that people across the country are already experiencing will worsen as warming increases, and new risks will emerge.” [More...]

Solar Panels Must Cover Large Parking Lots, Rules French Senate

Nov. 9^th:  French senators have ruled that parking lots with 80 or more cars must have at least half of the spaces covered with solar panels. The decision—passed on November 4—still has to gain assent in the Assemblée Nationale upper house. The stipulation could generate up 11 gigawatts, or the equivalent of ten nuclear reactors, says the French government.  The proposal was part of a package urging for the acceleration of renewable energies. Car parks, away from protected areas, with more than 400 spaces must fit solar panels within three years, states the bill.  [More...]

H&M Commits Nearly $300 Million Annually to Tackle Supply Chain Emissions

Nov. 14^th:  Fashion and design brands company H&M Group announced today a series of funding initiatives aimed at decarbonizing its value chain, including support for suppliers to shift to clean energy and improve energy efficiency. The company said that it has implemented an annual budget of around SEK 3 billion (US$287 million) for projects to reduce emissions across its value chain. Targeted areas of investment will include phasing out coal and increasing the share of sustainable materials. H&M has set a goal to achieve net zero emissions by 2040, and the company recently set interim targets to reduce absolute Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions by 56% by 2030.  [More...]

World Population to Reach 8 Billion on 15 November 2022

Nov. 15^th: The global population is projected to reach 8 billion on 15 November 2022, and India is projected to surpass China as the world’s most populous country in 2023, according to World Population Prospects 2022, released today on World Population Day. “This year’s World Population Day falls during a milestone year, when we anticipate the birth of the Earth’s eight billionth inhabitant. This is an occasion to celebrate our diversity, recognize our common humanity, and marvel at advancements in health that have extended lifespans and dramatically reduced maternal and child mortality rates,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres. [More...]

Microsoft Will Update Harassment Policy After Report Shows Pitfalls in Handling of Complaints

Nov. 15^th:  Microsoft on Tuesday said it would update sexual harassment and gender discrimination policies after a third-party report showed shortcomings in how the company deals with complaints.  The report comes a year after Microsoft shareholders approved a proposal requesting that the board publish a review of workplace sexual harassment policies. In January, the board authorized the company to hire law firm ArentFox Schiff LLP to review policies, submit a report and make recommendations.  The report is significant in an industry that’s making pronounced efforts to improve diversity and ensure that sexual misconduct is taken seriously. [More...]

California Unveils Plan to Reach Carbon Neutrality by 2045

Nov. 16th:  California air quality officials released a bold climate plan Wednesday that outlines in broad strokes how the state intends to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the end of the decade and eventually eliminate its carbon footprint.  The so-called scoping plan released by the California Air Resources Board reflects Gov. Gavin Newsom’s accelerated goal of curtailing planet-warming emissions by 48% this decade compared with 1990 levels. State law requires that California’s emissions be reduced at least 40% by 2030 and 85% by 2045, at which point any emissions from human activity would be offset by natural ecosystems and other solutions. [More...]

Ikea Suppliers Accused of Using Forced Labor in Belarusian Jails

Nov. 17^th:  Many products sold by Swedish furniture giant Ikea were for years made using forced labor in Belarusian jails, according to a report by French media outlet Disclose.  According to the investigation, half of Ikea’s major Belarusian suppliers had links with penal colonies run by the authorities of Alexander Lukashenko, the Belarusian strongman and Vladimir Putin ally.  In one of the documented cases, Ikea supplier Mogotex purchased textiles from the IK-2 juvenile detention center in 2019. The head of IK-2 was sanctioned by the EU between 2006 and 2014 because of the “inhumane treatment of political prisoners.”. [More...]

Beijing Reviews Minor Protection Regulations to Ban Tattoo and Medical Cosmetology Services

Nov. 24^th:  Beijing's top legislature reviewed on Thursday a draft amendment of the local regulations on minor protection to prevent school bullying and internet addiction, and ban medical cosmetology and tattoo service to minors. In order to guarantee the campus security, prevention of school bullying was included in the draft amendment which proposed that schools and kindergarten should safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of underage students and children at school and kindergarten.  [More...]

Apple Supplier Foxconn Offered Protesting Workers $1,400 Each to Quit Their Jobs and Leave 'iPhone City'

Nov. 25^th:  The Chinese company that makes iPhones for Apple has offered 10,000 yuan ($1,400) to protesting staff if they quit their jobs and leave its vast factory in Zhengzhou, CNN reported. Videos posted to social media showed violent clashes between workers and security forces at Foxconn's plant in Zhengzhou, the location of a recent COVID-19 outbreak.  Protests erupted at the sprawling factory complex on Tuesday and Wednesday over withheld pay and harsh pandemic-related restrictions. Video footage shows security officers, clad in protective suits, kicking and beating workers.  [More...]

Protests Erupt in Xinjiang and Beijing After Deadly Fire

Nov. 26^th:   Public anger in China towards widening COVID-19 lockdowns across the country erupted into rare protests in China’s far western Xinjiang region and the country's capital of Beijing, as nationwide infections set another record.  Crowds took to the streets on Friday night in Xinjiang's capital of Urumqi, chanting "End the lockdown!" and pumping their fists in the air, after a deadly fire that killed 10 on Thursday triggered anger over their prolonged COVID-19 lockdown according to videos circulated on Chinese social media on Friday night. [More...]