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Kevin McLaughlin OMI Joining Ecological Education Initiative in Ireland June 14th, 2013
An Tobar Retreat Centre, Co Meath, Ireland
Fr. Kevin McLaughlin OMI, a former intern at the JPIC Office in Washington, DC, has joined an Ecological education initiative in Ireland. The initiative is located at the An Tobar Retreat Centre owned by the Spiritan congregation just outside of Dublin, Ireland.
Fr. Kevin will join the staff, and hopes to develop an ecological ministry by setting up an ecological reflection group and preparing courses on the New Story and other themes in ecology and spirituality.
Some of the upcoming projects include starting a kitchen garden, offering allotments to people who would like to garden, developing a nature trail, restoring the woodlands, planting trees, cleaning out the polluted pond and developing.
View Fr Kevin’s photos of An Tobar: An Tobar (the Well) is a place of reflection, rest, welcome and hospitality.
Major US Cities Vulnerable to Drought June 14th, 2013
Major US cities, including Washington, D.C., New York City, Los Angeles, and San Diego are likely to face water scarcity as climate change increases the potential for drought, according to a study released by the Columbia University Water Center in May.
Along with the potentially 40 million Americans affected in these cities, several “breadbasket region” states such as Nebraska, Illinois, and Minnesota were also considered to be vulnerable areas.
The report, America’s Water Risk: Water Stress and Climate Variability, examines how climate could affect “vulnerability to short and long term droughts,”
The study also notes that population growth and increased demand for water in the future will further decrease water availability, if precipitation and water use patterns remain largely unchanged.
Click here to read more »
EU Parliament Adopts New Transparency Rules for Oil, Gas and Mining Companies June 13th, 2013
Ahead of the G8 Summit, the European Parliament adopted new transparency rules to require oil, gas, mining and logging companies to declare corporate payments to governments in countries where they operate – much like the Dodd-Frank Act Section 1504. At the G8 summit, leaders of the wealthiest nations are to consider reporting requirements for all multinational corporate payments made to governments. This kind of “country-by-country” reporting of profits and taxes can stem corporate tax avoidance to both poor and wealthy nations.
Eric LeCompte, Executive Director of Jubilee USA Network, a faith-based antipoverty organization, released the following statement:
“Hats off to the European Union for promoting transparency and corporate accountability. Let’s hope it inspires ministers at the upcoming G8 meetings to curb corporate tax avoidance and promote transparency for all multinationals.
“The faith community believes that corporate tax avoidance constitutes a theft from the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people. When the G8 addresses this issue in Northern Ireland, they can have a real impact on global poverty.
“It’s clear that the G8 host, UK Prime Minister David Cameron, wants multinational corporate tax avoidance to be addressed. Hopefully he’ll take the energy from the EU to the G8. We’ve got to act as every year poor countries lose more to tax dodging than they receive in aid.”
Read the EU transparency rules here.
Oblates Participate in a Vatican Meeting on Mining June 12th, 2013
Camille Piche OMI and Séamus Finn OMI participate in a meeting on Mining hosted by Cardinal Turkson at The Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace in Rome on June 7th.
Representatives of the mining sector were joined by members of religious communities and the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace in developing a collaborative and inclusive reflection process on mining, taking into account the challenges and opportunities that it presents to all stakeholders.
Tax avoidance to be on agenda of 17-18 June G8 Summit June 12th, 2013
Senior Catholic bishops from all of the G8 countries urged G8 Ministers to tackle tax avoidance, saying that “paying a fair share of taxes” is a “moral obligation”. Cardinal Brady, the head of Ireland’s Catholic church organized a letter to the G8, urging leaders to make good on their pledge to tackle aggressive tax avoidance at a summit later this month.
Last month, US senators described Ireland as a “tax haven”, accusing it of facilitating a multibillion-dollar tax avoidance structure for Apple. Tax Justice campaigners have argued that Ireland’s ultra-low corporation tax rate of 12.5%, combined with a series of additional tax incentives, is having a corrosive impact on tax coffers elsewhere, particularly poorer nations.
“In terms of tackling hunger, nothing is more crucial…than tax justice”, says Oliver De Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food.
The Tanzania Energy and Minerals Minister says multinationals’ tax evasion and avoidance by companies and others is “crippling development and negatively affecting government budgets to cover…health, education and food production.” Many multinational companies operating in Tanzania are alleged to have accounts in British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Bermuda and several other places under Britain to avoid paying taxes.
The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre has created a resource on the subject: “Tax avoidance: An introduction”. Please visit their website for this resource and more information.
The Oblates belong to a coalition of non-governmental and faith groups – Tax Justice Network – that is campaigning for a more just international tax system.
