Economic justice
Land grabs and human rights violations exposed in Liberia ahead of global development summit
MONROVIA, LIBERIA, February 1st, 2013 – Palm oil companies are grabbing more than 1.5 million acres of land in Liberia and are violating the human rights of local communities, warn Liberian NGOs including Friends of the Earth Liberia (SDI - Sustainable Development Institute), Save My Future Foundation (SAMFU) and Social Entrepreneurs for Sustainable Development (SESDev).
New Report: Smartphones devastating Indonesian island people, forests, and corals
LONDON (UK) / BANGKA (INDONESIA) 24 November 2012 – Smartphones sold by best-selling brands almost certainly contain tin from a paradise island in Indonesia where tin mining is destroying forests and farmland, choking coral reefs and devastating many communities, according to a new Friends of the Earth investigation released today: ‘Mining for Smartphones: the True Cost of Tin’ [1]
Nnimmo Bassey To Be Awarded Rafto Prize for Human Rights
BERGEN (NORWAY) / LAGOS (NIGERIA), September 27, 2012 – Friends of the Earth International chair Nnimmo Bassey [1] will be the recipient of this year's Rafto Prize for Human Rights. Friends of the Earth International is proud of Nnimmo and his award.
Key Hearing in Court Case on Oil Giant Shell's Nigerian Oil Pollution
THE HAGUE, THE NETHERLANDS, OCTOBER 10, 2012 -- For the first time in history, a European company, Anglo-Dutch oil giant Shell, will appear in a Dutch court to account for damage it caused abroad, Friends of the Earth International announced today.
Gates foundation-led green revolution promotes false solutions to hunger in Africa
Friends of the Earth International warns against damaging industrial farming promoted by the Gates Foundation at the Agricultural Green Revolution Forum 2012, Arusha, Tanzania on 26-28 September.
Reclaim the United Nations campaign starts today
BRUSSELS (BELGIUM) / RIO DE JANERIO (BRAZIL) JUNE 4, 2012 – Tomorrow, on World Environment Day, just two weeks before a major United Nations (UN) Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Friends of the Earth International starts a campaign urging the UN to limit the excessive influence of multinational corporations on its decision-making processes.
Opposition to biotech giant Monsanto growing worldwide, new report shows
APRIL 4, 2012, WASHINGTON (US) / MONTEVIDEO (URUGUAY), PARIS (FRANCE), – Today, the day that biotech giant Monsanto (NYSE: MON) releases its second quarter earnings, a new report by civil society organisations shows that around the world small-holder and organic farmers, local communities and social movements are increasingly resisting and rejecting Monsanto, and the agro-industrial model that it represents.
Polluting Brazilian mining giant Vale exposed
DAVOS (SWITZERLAND) / PORTO ALEGRE (BRAZIL), 27 JANUARY 2012 -- With more than 25,000 votes, the Brazilian mining giant Vale has been crowned the 'world's worst corporation of the year' at the January 27 'Public Eye Awards' in Davos, Switzerland [1]
Climate agenda of South African energy giant Sasol exposed
DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA, 7 December 2011 – Polluting companies and multinational corporations are exerting pressure on government climate policies and seeking to undermine global action on the climate crisis, Friends of the Earth International warned today.
IN SUPPORT OF THE OCCUPY MOVEMENT
AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS, 17 November 2011 – The world’s largest grassroots environmental organization today spoke out in support of the Occupy protests and called for environmental activists and organizations around the world to join the movement to demand radical system change.
New Report Memory, Truth and Justice for Heroes in the Resistance against Mining Oil and Gas
10 November 2011 – Today, on the 16th anniversary of the murder of Nigerian writer Ken Saro-Wiwa - a day of remembrance of the victims of mining, oil and gas - Friends of the Earth International releases a new report and renews its commitment to the struggle for justice for the communities who suffer the consequences of extractive industries.
NEW REPORT: Community Rights Help Communities Win
SAN JOSE', COSTA RICA, October 13, 2011 – A new report released today by Friends of the Earth International illustrates the importance of enforcing local community and Indigenous Peoples’ rights, featuring struggles of groups and communities from all continents. [1]
Friends of the Earth International call for Shell to be held to account
Friends of the Earth International welcomes the report released today by the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) that reveals the true extent of the environmental devastation caused by fifty years of oil operations in Ogoniland, Nigeria.
Report Reveals World Bank's Role in Fuelling Climate Chaos
BONN, GERMANY, June 11, 2011 – A new report released today by Friends of the Earth International during the UN climate talks in Bonn this week shows that the World Bank Group has been increasing its investments in fossil fuels and promoting corporate-led false solutions to climate change, including carbon trading, that serve to deepen rather than alleviate the current environmental crisis.
Shell 'apologises' for worldwide damage in “erratum” to annual report
THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS, May 17, 2011: During the Shell annual general assembly (AGM) in The Hague, today, Friends of the Earth International presented an “erratum” [1] to Shell’s 2010 annual report. In this spoof “erratum”, which was distributed among shareholders, Shell 'admits' that it is “causing a lot of unwanted and unnecessary damage” in its global oil-gas- and biofuels operations. The company also states that Shell “has learnt from these mistakes” and pledges to take “full responsibility to prevent and mitigate costs for the environment and people affected by our operations”.
Barrick Gold clean up your act! Right to life over gold profits'
TORONTO (CANADA), April 27, 2011 – Today, during the annual general meeting (AGM) of mining company Barrick Gold in Toronto (Canada), Friends of the Earth International is supporting a loud call from communities around the world for a halt to gold mining and Barrick Gold's destructive practices. Campaigners are present at the meeting and join a protest rally outside the meeting venue.
Shell breaks promises again and increases gas flaring in Nigeria
LAGOS (NIGERIA)/AMSTERDAM (NETHERLANDS), April 19, 2011 - Despite promises made by Shell since the 1990s to stop flaring the 'associated' gas released in oil production in Nigeria, the oil concern flared more gas in 2010 than it did in 2009 in the West African country. This has come to light from the sustainability report brought out by Shell last week.
Shell under scrutiny for Nigerian situation again
THE HAGUE (NETHERLANDS), 25 January 2011 - Oil giant Shell will again be under scrutiny for the environmental and social impacts of its Nigerian operations. Tomorrow, the Dutch parliament will hold a hearing on Shell’s activities in Nigeria. Today, Milieudefensie (Friends of the Earth Netherlands) and Friends of the Earth International have with Amnesty International filed a joint complaint [1] with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for Shell's unjust claims that almost all oil leaks in the Niger Delta are due to sabotage.
Cancun package merely prevents collapse and leaves kyoto protocol on life support
CANCUN, MEXICO, 11 December 2010 – The agreement adopted at the UN climate talks in Cancun has failed to make progress on the most essential part: steep, binding emissions cuts for developed countries. Friends of the Earth International warns that this agreement provides a platform for abandoning the Kyoto Protocol, replacing it with a weak pledge and review system as a legacy of the Copenhagen Accord, that would lead to a devastating five degree Celsius warming.
World Bank should stay out of carbon markets and climate finance
CANCUN, MEXICO, 8 December 2010 - World Bank President Robert Zoellick is coming to the climate negotiations in Cancun today to announce the establishment of a multi-million dollar fund to promote the creation of carbon markets in developing countries. Friends of the Earth International strongly opposes carbon markets and the perverse role of the World Bank in climate change and carbon trading.
nnimmo bassey to receive 'alternative nobel prize'
STOCKHOLM,SWEDEN/CANCUN,MEXICO, December 3, 2010 – This Monday, Friends of the Earth International chair Nnimmo Bassey will be one of the five recipients of the 2010 Right Livelihood Award. This award is often referred to as the 'Alternative Nobel Prize'.
GLOBAL DAY OF REMEMBRANCE: 15TH ANNIVERSARY OF KEN SARO-WIWA'S MURDER
NOVEMBER 10, 2010 – Today, on the 15th anniversary of the murder of the Nigerian writer and activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, remembrance activities are being organized all over the world by Friends of the Earth International and others. They continue his legacy of defending territories, resisting corporate rule and state repression and seeking justice for communities who suffer from the practices of companies like Shell.
UN ADVISORY GROUP ON CLIMATE FINANCE REPORT FALLS FLAT
NOVEMBER 5, 2010 - A new report on climate change financing options released today by a U.N. Advisory Group unwisely emphasizes carbon markets and other private finance options, while irresponsibly advocating an increased role for multilateral development banks (MDBs). Despite concluding that public sources of climate finance are available and promising, the report's findings downplay the role that public finance can and must play in helping developing countries deal with climate change.
Market mechanisms are a false solution to biodiversity loss
NAGOYA, JAPAN, 28 October, 2010 – With only one day of negotiations left at the Convention on Biological Diversity’s summit in Nagoya, Japan, Friends of the Earth International urgently calls on governments to reject false solutions to halt biodiversity loss, such as trading biodiversity credits and other market-based mechanisms.
CLIMATE CHANGE: RICH NATIONS BACKTRACKING
TIANJIN, CHINA, Saturday, October 9, 2010 -- With talks under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change set to close here today, members of Friends of the Earth International said they were disappointed by the lack of progress, particularly rich countries’ threats to abandon their existing legal commitments under the Kyoto Protocol.
'Alternative Nobel Prize' Awarded to FoEI Chair Nnimmo Bassey
STOCKHOLM (SWEDEN) / LAGOS (NIGERIA), September 30, 2010 – Friends of the Earth International, the world's largest federation of grassroots environmental organisations, is proud to announce that its chair, Nnimmo Bassey from Nigeria [1], will be a recipient of the 2010 'Right Livelihood Award'. [2]
OUTRAGE AT SHELL-FUNDED UN REPORT ON NIGERIA OIL SPILLS
LAGOS (NIGERIA) / AMSTERDAM (THE NETHERLANDS), August 24, 2010 – Friends of the Earth International is outraged by reports that a major UN investigation into Nigeria oil spills funded by oil giant Shell relies more on figures produced by oil companies and Nigerian state statistics than on community testimony and organizations on the ground who work with communities. [1]
g20 summit: leaders should aim for 'robin hood tax'
TORONTO (CANADA) / BRUSSELS (BELGIUM), June 24, 2010 – If G20 leaders would agree on a 'Robin Hood Tax' at their gathering next weekend in Toronto, this Summit could help avoid the worsening of the global economic crisis and its social and environmental consequences, according to Friends of the Earth International.
Developed countries attempt to launder aid money through World Bank and call it 'climate funds'
BONN, GERMANY, 4 June 2010 – At the end of the first week of UN climate negotiations, Friends of the Earth International have warned developed countries to radically alter their plans over climate funding to prevent a repeat of the fallout from Copenhagen.
european union complicit in human right violations in latin america
MADRID, SPAIN, 18 May 2010 – Friends of the Earth International today welcomed the ruling of the Permanent Peoples Tribunal, which condemned the European Union and European Financial Institutions for supporting criminal activities of European transnational corporations in Latin America [1], singling out Unión Fenosa, Stora Enso and Holcim. [2]
European Transnationals Accused of Rights Violations in Latin America
Madrid, Spain, May 12, 2010 – On the eve of the May 18 Europe-Latin America and Caribbean Summit, Friends of the Earth International and other organizations will present cases of serious rights violations committed by European corporations in Latin America and promote alternatives to the food, climate and financial crisis.
world bank accused of promoting land grabbing
WASHINGTON, US, April 27, 2010 – Friends of the Earth International warned today that voluntary principles on land acquisitions announced by the World Bank and supported by the UN will legitimize and promote land grabbing in Asia, Africa and Latin America. [1]
The angry mermaid winner is...
The winner of the Angry Mermaid Award 2009, announced by award-winning writer and journalist Naomi Klein at the UN climate talks in Copenhagen today is the biotech giant Monsanto with 37% of the total vote.
Angry Mermaid award to expose business lobby undermining climate action
Monday 2 November 2009, Brussels/Copenhagen - Business attempts to undermine a strong and just global agreement on climate change are being put under the spotlight in the countdown to United Nations negotiations in Copenhagen with a special award, jointly organised by Corporate Europe Observatory, Friends of the Earth International, Focus on the Global South, Attac and Spinwatch.
Global Civil Society Calls for Greater U.S. Leadership in Solving the Climate Crisis
125 organizations urge greater emission cuts, and finance for developing countries.
Shell violates OECD Guidelines in the Philippines
Amsterdam (The Netherlands) / Manila (Philippines), 31 August 2009 – The Dutch National Contact Point (NCP) today found Shell guilty of violating the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises at its oil depot in Manila, the Philippines.
Speechless novel Launched
LONDON (UK) / AMSTERDAM (THE NETHERLANDS) -- August 17, 2009 – A passionate and purely visual world history graphic novel called 'Speechless' will be published on September 4, 2009.
SHELL CLIMATE CRIMES EXPOSED IN NEW REPORT
Amsterdam, Brussels, London, Washington, June 29, 2009 -- Fresh evidence of oil giant Shell’s colossal contribution to global climate change and its continued investment in carbon intensive fossil fuels has been revealed today in a new report.[1]
new research reveals that shell is the world’s most carbon intensive oil company
London, May 19 – Research by four leading environmental organisations released today to coincide with Royal Dutch Shell’s Annual General Meeting, reveals the carbon intensity of the top international oil companies. Shell is now the most carbon intensive oil company in the world based on its total resources.
ShellGuilty Campaign Launched
NEW YORK CITY, USA, April 27, 2009 — Days after a judge confirmed Shell Oil will stand trial here May 26 on charges it was complicit in the murders of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Nigerian activists, environmental and human rights groups announced they have formed a global campaign to hold Shell accountable and demand that it stop gas flaring in Nigeria.
NIGERIA TO STOP COMPANIES FLARING GAS
LAGOS (NIGERIA), BRUSSELS (BELGIUM), January 12, 2009 – While Europe faces gas shortages, Friends of the Earth International is putting the Nigerian government under pressure to ensure that oil companies stop flaring Nigerian gas.
world bank unfit to manage climate funds
POZNAN, POLAND – 142 organizations fighting for climate justice are issuing today (Tuesday 9 December) at the UN climate talks a joint statement rejecting any role for the World Bank in controlling climate change finance.
World Bank Climate Funds Under Fire
WASHINGTON, D.C. October 10, 2008 -- Two days before the World Bank's annual meetings, a coalition of watchdog and non-profit groups exposed World Bank lending for dirty projects and urged individual nations to refrain from supporting the World Bank’s new "Climate Investment Funds."
G8 LEADERS URGED TO DUMP THE WORLD BANK'S CLIMATE INVESTMENT FUNDS
HOKKAIDO (JAPAN), July 4, 2008 - G8 leaders meeting in Hokkaido July 7-9 to tackle issues such as rising oil prices and global warming are being urged to dump the World Bank’s highly controversial ‘climate investment funds’.
Groups Oppose World Bank Climate Funds
BONN (GERMANY), June 5, 2008 – More than 121 groups released today a statement opposing the World Bank’s proposed ‘Climate Investment Funds’ to address climate change and its impacts. [1]
Banks Financing Agrofuels
Many major European banks are funding the rapid expansion of agrofuel production in Latin America, leading to large scale deforestation, increasing human right abuses and threatening food sovereignty, according to a new report released today.
European crimes face Latin American trial
Environmental and human rights violations committed by European companies in Latin America are being examined at a people's tribunal in Lima, Peru this week (13-16 May).
Corporations threaten biotech talks
A last minute attempt by six biotech giants to undermine international negotiations on biotech crops was condemned today by environmental group Friends of the Earth International as a proposal to ‘privatise international law’.
Green schemes for biofuel crops set to fail
Attempts to use certification schemes to reduce the widespread environmental and social problems caused by growing crops for fuels and animal feeds are bound to fail, states a new report released today by Friends of the Earth groups.
2008 Photo Competition Launch
Friends of the Earth International announces the launch today of its annual photo competition, which will gather photos from around the world on the theme of “Inspiration, Hope and Possibilities for a Better World.”
Davos Elites Must Listen
Friends of the Earth International will urge world leaders on 26 January to listen to citizens from around the globe taking part in the 2008 'Day of Action' of the World Social Forum [1] to protest against the flawed corporate-driven globalisation model embodied by the World Economic Forum (WEF).
palm oil advert misleading
Friends of the Earth International has welcomed a ruling today by the UK advertising watchdog that describing palm oil as “sustainably produced” is false advertising.
World Bank Hands off Forests
Environmental groups at the United Nations climate talks in Bali today urged governments to reject a new World Bank initiative promoting the inclusion of forests in carbon markets. The World Bank initiative, known as the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) is set to be launched on Tuesday 11th December in Bali as part of the discussions on ‘Reducing Emissions through Deforestation in Developing countries’ (REDD).
Keep unfair trade out of climate talks
7 December, 2007 - Informal trade talks scheduled to take place in Bali this weekend could seriously threaten the opportunity for a just and sustainable way forward on tackling climate change, Friends of the Earth International warned on the eve of the talks (Friday).
chevrons nigeria pipeline under investigation
3 JULY 2007 – An official inspection will begin on July 15 on the West-African Gas Pipeline, a project led by US oil giant Chevron with support from the World Bank.
Shell's advert misleading
July 5th - The Dutch Advertising Authority has instructed oil giant Shell to stop misleading the public, after Friends of the Earth Netherlands filed a complaint against a “greenwash” advertisement that claimed that Shell uses its waste carbon dioxide to grow flowers.
world's biggest palm oil trader shamed
3 July 2007 - Wilmar, the world’s biggest trader in palm oil, is illegally logging rainforests, setting forests on fire and violating the rights of local communities in Indonesia, according to a new report published today by Friends of the Earth Netherlands.
banks finance mud volcano
21 June 2007 - Major international banks such as Credit Suisse, Barclays, Fortis Group, Merrill Lynch & Co. and Natixis are injecting hundreds of millions of Euros into a set of companies responsible for a catastrophic mud volcano in Indonesia, Friends of the Earth International/Europe has revealed in two new reports launched today.
shell's misleading ad
May 8, 2007 - Complaints are being filed today, May 8, in three European countries against a shameless advert that makes exaggerated and misleading green claims about oil giant Shell's operations.
Shell fails to stop nigeria flaring, again
May 2, 2007 – On the day prior to oil giant Shell's quarterly earnings report (May 3), Friends of the Earth International called on the Anglo-Dutch company to immediately respect a court order to stop gas flaring in Nigeria by 30th April. Gas flaring is a destructive practice which costs the African country about US$2.5 billion annually, while more than 66% of its population is estimated to live on less than US $1 a day.
Indonesian mine pollution ruling
24 April 2007 -- Friends of the Earth International, the world's largest grassroots environmental network, is extremely disappointed by today's verdict on a mining pollution case in North Sulawesi (Indonesia) which shamefully ignored compelling evidence.
world bank still fuelling climate change
April 13, 2007 -- On the eve of the World Bank’s annual Spring Meetings (Apr. 14-15) Friends of the Earth International challenged the bank's 184 government shareholders to halt all funding for projects contributing to climate change.
Jailed Irish Oil Campaigner Wins Environmental "Nobel Prize"
April 22, 2007 -- William Corduff from the Rossport farming community in Ireland is one of six winners of the prestigious Goldman Prize [1], which will be awarded to him and other grassroots environmentalists today, Earth Day, in recognition of his resistance together with his community against an illegal pipeline of oil giant Shell.
pull the plug on water privatisation
May 15, 2007 - Over 134 groups from 48 countries today called on donor governments to abandon support for a highly controversial agency of the World Bank focused on privatisation called the 'Public-Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility' (PPIAF).
Court orders shut down shell oil depot
March 7th 2007 -– Friends of the Earth International welcomed today’s ruling of the Philippines Supreme Court, which ordered the Manila City government to shut down the Pandacan oil depot.
Shell: clean up your mess
January 31st 2007 - - A new report, launched the day before oil giant Shell announces its 2006 annual profits (1 February 2007) calls on Shell to use the profits to begin cleaning up damage it has caused to communities and the environment. The report offers proposals and figures for where and how Shell should repair some of the damage it has caused in nine communities around the world.
World Trade, Davos, and the WSF
January 24, 2007 - Instead of rushing into reviving world trade talks when they meet at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos on 24 - 28 January, world leaders should listen to the voices from the seventh World Social Forum in Nairobi, warned Friends of the Earth International today.
