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The Brazilian farm workers exploited to harvest an everyday ingredient (www.bbc.com)

submitted 7 months ago by recreationalplacebos@midwest.social to c/news@beehaw.org

8 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Carnauba wax is a product you may not have heard of, but you have almost certainly consumed it - it is added to sweets to stop them melting, to pills to make them easier to swallow and as a thickener in lipstick and mascara.

Workers in Brazil's poor north-eastern state of Piauí rely on harvesting wax from carnauba palm trees to earn a living. But the power is in the hands of big business who, authorities say, are turning a blind eye to exploitation.

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[–] acockworkorange@mander.xyz 0 points 7 months ago (1 children)

True, it doesn’t show that. A leap of logic on my part.

Carbon offsets assumes players would play fair, but the whole system was rigged from the get go.

[–] jarfil@beehaw.org 1 points 7 months ago

Rigged is one part, people playing the system is another... but even IF we took it all at face value, no rigging, everyone playing fair...

What's the goal corporations think people want them to aim for? Being "carbon neutral"?... WTF even is that; we need to become "carbon negative", to reverse the damage that's already been done, not just go on polluting and pay someone else to hopefully clean up some of it, maybe, some day.

The public shouldn't accept anything less than "we buy twice the carbon offsets of our emissions" from corporations... but no, they show up with "planning to become carbon neutral in just 25 more years", and the public is like "oh cool, that extra pair of sneakers I don't need, is so eco-green"... 🤦