[Our own Bonnie McKinlay spoke recently at a rally to oppose the Trans-Pacific Partnership, an international trade agreement that could be approved by Congress without any public debate. If you’re not familiar, Bonnie’s words are are great introduction to what’s at stake.]

I’m here to talk about climate and TPP.

To speak on climate I would review the most recent information — latest science, latest fossil fuel extraction plans, on-going droughts… species loss.

To speak on TPP’s effects on climate, what’s to review? Most of the contents of the TransPacific Partnership are secret. Eleven nations and the U.S. Congress are asked to sign a secret trade agreement that they are not permitted to share with their constituents. This eliminates any opportunity to voice our views on the specifics of the trade pact. The TTP is so secret that our elected representatives must approach it without recording devices of any kind, including paper and pencil.  They are permitted no open debate on the TPP. However, 600 corporate representatives, such as Monsanto and the American Petroleum Institute, have full access to the document. We don’t know much about the TPP. What we do know comes from WikiLeaks and the disastrous history of NAFTA. Read more