| |  | The climate campaign partnered with grassroots group 350NYC.org to publish results of an investigation into NYC supermarket chain Gristedes. The report uncovered significant emissions of climate damaging refrigerants in Gristedes stores. The investigation raises red flags regarding the company’s refrigerant management practices, and possibly compliance with existing and upcoming environmental regulations. EIA will continue to expose leaking super pollutants in grocery stores across North America, with our Leaking Havoc series. | | |  | We published a fact sheet that warns ice rinks in North America about using synthetic coolants, such as Opteon, which are often misleadingly marketed as environmentally friendly. The fact sheet informs communities that these synthetic coolants, known as HFCs, are super pollutants and have a high global warming potential (GWP). The fact sheet, which has been distributed to hundreds of local municipalities across Canada, provides information on the climate, economic, and practical reasons to use natural coolants in local ice rinks. | | | | | | | |  | EIA joined 17 other Japanese and international NGOs in sending a letter to Governor Koike of Tokyo to commend her and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government for their actions in addressing the illegal trade in elephant ivory. We encouraged Tokyo to continue implementing the recommendations of the Advisory Council, including passing an ordinance to close the ivory market in Tokyo. The letter also urged the Tokyo government to take unilateral action in the absence of progress from the national government. | | |  | The wildlife team attended a meeting of the International Maritime Organization in London to progress policies on reducing underwater radiated noise from commercial shipping. A full finalized set of revised guidelines were produced and will be submitted for formal adoption later this summer. The guidelines remain voluntary but were significantly improved, including the inclusion of noise management plans for ships and a framework for noise thresholds. The next steps and development of a program of action will be addressed at next year’s meeting. | | | | | |  | We published two Op-Eds in Chinese media, highlighting the importance for China to act against illegal timber and other commodity imports that contribute to deforestation. In the South China Morning Post, in advance of Macron’s visit, we urged China and France to work together against illegal logging and timber trade in the Congo Basin. Key messages from the Op-Ed were part of the official communication that followed a high-level meeting between France, China and the EU. In another Op-Ed, EIA outlined how China, as Brazil’s biggest customer for soy and cattle, can help stop deforestation in the Amazon by ensuring that imported agricultural products are not associated with deforestation or environmental crime. | | |  | In Peru, we issued a joint statement with 20 indigenous and civil society organizations in protest of U.S. ambassador Lisa Kenna’s public support for the palm oil company Ocho Sur, a firm that has been responsible for the illegal deforestation of large swaths of Amazon forest and has been accused of dividing and intimidating local communities. The firm has been linked to the notorious US businessman Dennis Melka, whose companies were delisted from the London Stock Exchange in 2017, after EIA documented thousands of hectares of illegal deforestation and other crimes. The Guardian reported. | | |  | In March, the U.S. co-hosted the 2nd Summit for Democracy with leaders from Costa Rica, the Netherlands, Korea, and Zambia. Zambia is at a crossroad of democracy, tackling high-level corruption, institutionalized trafficking of natural resources, and elite capture of national institutions. An example of such is a high level defamation court case involving an EIA groundbreaking investigation into corruption and collusion, one of the last remaining independent free press outlets (News Diggers!) in the country, and three major Zambian political figures, including two former ministers and the current party opposition leader. | | | | | | Happy Earth Day! We invite you to be a part of EIA’s efforts to protect the planet by supporting our Forest, Climate, and Wildlife conservation work. Your contribution can play a crucial role in protecting the natural world from illegal logging, poaching, and other environmental crimes. By working together, we can help preserve old-growth forests, safeguard endangered species, and combat climate change. | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
