2012

Seventeen years ago,  environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others were executed under the Abacha dictatorship in Nigeria.

It was widely alleged that oil giant Shell interfered in the trial that led to his death sentence. Shell has been drilling in Nigeria for 50 years and its operations in the Niger Delta continue to have massively negative impacts on the population there.

Friends of the Earth International commemorates Ken Saro-Wiwa's death on November 10 as a day of solidarity with victims of mining, oil and gas activities and a celebration of the activists who continue to resist. 

Since the release of the 2011 report 'Memory, truth and justice for heroes' (1) the death toll and level of persecution of community leaders defending their territories against abuses by the extractive industries has continued unabated. (2)

The destruction of communities and ecosystems caused by extractive industries has generated a global resistance movement struggling for justice and the defense of life, land, resources, biodiversity, livelihoods and cultures.

Extractive industries have caused some of the world's worst environmental disasters and displaced tens of thousands of local people from their traditional homelands. Abuses perpetrated by the extractive industries have cost the lives of many environmental advocates and communities.

This year Friends of the Earth International  marks this anniversary during its biennial general assembly in El Salvador in November by reflecting on its work with environmental defenders across the globe.

Fifteen international delegates will visit communities negatively affected by mining in Guatemala and El Salvador as part of a solidarity tour following the general assembly, from 13-20 November. (3)

Friends of the Earth International reiterates its support for communities resisting destructive extractive projects, in their struggles against social injustices, and in bringing about environmental and economic justice.

On 11 October 2012, Friends of the Earth and four Nigerians brought Dutch oil giant Shell to court in The Hague for damage caused in Nigeria; a milestone in the decades of struggle of the people of the Niger Delta and a fitting testament to the struggle of Ken Saro-Wiwa. (4)

Notes:

(1) For more information see the report  published on November 2011: http://www.foei.org/en/resources/publications/pdfs/2011/memory-truth-and-justice-for-heroes/view

(2) For more information on activists at risk see http://www.radiomundoreal.fm/Luchadores-sociales-en-riesgo

(3) Full coverage of the tour can be followed at http://www.radiomundoreal.fm/?lang=en

(4) For more information see http://www.foei.org/en/media/archive/2012/30-january-verdict-expected-in-court-case-on-oil-giant-shells-nigerian-oil-pollution

Jagoda has extensive experience in environmental research, activism and conservation. She joined Friends of the Earth Croatia as a volunteer in 1997 and was president of the group from 2001 to 2007. She has degrees in biology; library and information sciences; and pollution and environmental control. She has led successful biodiversity research projects and public advocacy campaigns, including a campaign on Genetically Modified (GM) crops, which resulted in Croatia adopting one of the strictest GM laws in the world. Jagoda has served as FoEI's Treasurer on the executive committee since 2004.

Outgoing chairperson Nnimmo Bassey said, “Jagoda's commitment and experience will inspire the wider Friends of the Earth federation. Her appointment gives Friends of the Earth International a charismatic and talented new chair.”

Friends of the Earth International is deeply grateful to Nnimmo Bassey for his visionary and invaluable leadership. Nnimmo has demonstrated incredible dedication and passion for his work and the work of Friends of the Earth International.

Every two years, Friends of the Earth International's Biennial General Meeting elects FoEI's Executive Committee. 

Read the interview with Jagoda at Radio Mundo Real

All these commitments are legally non-binding and they are hence inefficient: while companies enjoy benefits in terms of the image they project to their shareholders, customers and citizens, they only engage in some general overall principles which are not very operational, and they are not accountable for their actions in case of non-compliance to this voluntary adherence. Although supported at the highest level by public governments that often favour the competitiveness of multinational corporations to Human Rights and environmental protection, these types of voluntary adherence have now largely proven ineffective.

Multinationals companies are taking advantage of legislative loopholes to conduct their activities to the detriment of respect of social, societal and environmental rights in the countries of the South.

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At this very moment we are supporting communities in Uganda and Argentina who are struggling to stop companies from taking their lands in order to reap heavy profits instead of healthy harvests. Fertile farmland and lush forests are being converted into soy and palm oil monoculture plantations. Crops are being grown and flown across the globe to feed cars and animals, rather than to feed local communities.

Make a gift to Friends of the Earth International today and help support our campaign to help communities in Uganda, Argentina and around the world keep control of their land.

Also on World Food Day, Friends of the Earth International released our latest Food Sovereignty Report. This year we take aim at the industry-supported myth of “sustainable intensification,” another name for the environmentally destructive corporate concentration of food production.
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Read the Report >

Learn more about our food sovereignty work >

On September 21 every year, environmental and social groups from all over the world mark the International Day against Monoculture Tree Plantations. While multilateral organisations persist in telling the world that plantations help the environment and the economy, the reality is that timber plantations almost always have a negative impact on communities, local economies and biodiversity. These plantations are not a solution to climate change nor to biodiversity loss.

Monoculture tree plantations have a serious impact on the communities and eco-systems around them. Many people who depend on forests for their livelihoods have been evicted or relocated to make way for plantations. The impact on biodiversity can be severe as plantations are not similar to forests in the diversity of life that they can host. Hydrological cycles are disrupted and ecosystems hurt by the widened use of pesticides.

That's why on September 21st -- the International Day Against Monoculture Tree Plantations-- Friends of the Earth groups plan various activities around the world, including calling attention to and challenging the expansion of palm oil tree plantations destined for agrofuel production, challenging eucalyptus and other monoculture tree plantations grown for export, and exposing over-consumption and consumerism.

• Watch the video 'Silent Occupation'
  
• Read 'Why Tree Plantations Are the Problem, Not the Solution,' an opinion piece by Isaac Rojas on AlterNet
• Learn about some actions Friends of the Earth groups are taking to mark the day around the world
• Read a poem about Monoculture Tree Plantations

Image: Edge of Plantation by Hanna Nikkanen. Used under CC License