Our representatives have been shut out of trade negotiation. According to Economy in Crisis, Americans should be concerned about the lack of transparency around the Trans Pacific Partnership. Although some sections of the TPP have been leaked, even our members of Congress have to jump through hoops to get a peak at this massive trade deal.

Extreme inequality is dragging down our economy. According to a new discussion paper from the International Monetary Fund, countries with a large wealth divide have less economic growth than nations with more evenly distributed incomes.

Pesticides are killing farmers around the world. A new study in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health says there's a connection between Monsanto’s Roundup weed killer and a fatal chronic kidney disease epidemic. GreenMedInfo is reporting that this illness has affected many poor farming areas across the planet.

The next report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is due at the end of March, and according to the Associated Press, we shouldn't expect good news. The AP summarized a draft version of the IPCC's “Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability” report, and they boiled it down to the fact that we are not prepared.