Press releases

Nigeria: Oil giant Shell criticized over Nigeria pipelines ‘sabotage’ claims

Niccolo Sarno — 2013-06-19T10:25:00Z

The agency – the National Contact Point (NCP) – which is there to assess complaints about companies that abuse human rights and the environment made its statements in response to concerns raised by Amnesty International and Friends of the Earth International.

But the two organizations say that the NCP should have gone much further in its criticism of Shell.

The organizations provided evidence of serious flaws in the system used by Shell for investigating oil spills, including video footage of a spill investigation in which several serious problems occurred.

“Sabotage is a problem in Nigeria, but Shell exaggerates this issue to avoid criticism for its failure to prevent oil spills,” said Audrey Gaughran of Amnesty International.

“The oil companies are liable to pay compensation when spills are found to be their fault but not if the cause is attributed to sabotage – but it is effectively the company that investigates itself. This is clearly a system open to abuse and we have evidence that it has been abused.”  

Over the last decade, Shell has claimed that most of the oil spilt in the Niger Delta is due to sabotage of its pipelines on the basis of a system that includes publicly contested data and relies almost exclusively on information provided by the company itself.

The alleged sabotage cases have not been verified by any independent bodies. Moreover, some of Shell’s statements on the percentage of oil spilt due to sabotage are contradictory.

Amnesty International and Friends of the Earth International contend that by making misleading and incorrect statements, Shell breached the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. The NCP, which is established to promote and implement the OECD Guidelines, agreed to consider the complaint.

The NCP acknowledged that the oil spill investigation process in Nigeria relies heavily on the expertise of the oil companies themselves and that, as the UN Environment Programme found in 2011, “government agencies are at the mercy of the oil companies when it comes to conducting site inspections.”

The NCP stated that “[Royal Dutch Shell] management should have had a more cautious attitude about the percentage of oil spills caused by sabotage” and that “after all JIT (Joint Investigation Team) data are not absolute”. The NCP called on Shell to “be prudent with regard to general communication to stakeholders of very detailed figures on oil spills, when discrepancies exist with regard to the causes or amounts of those oil spills” and also to “share information on relevant spill causes and spill cause determination procedures, also dated before January 2011.”  

However, the NCP did not comment on whether Shell’s failures constituted a breach of the Guidelines. It did not make a full assessment of the evidence provided and it failed to investigate whether Shell’s statements were indeed misleading. Amnesty International and Friends of the Earth International repeatedly expressed serious concern that this approach effectively left unaddressed all past harm done to the people of the Niger Delta as a result of Shell’s misleading statements.

“Today the NCP failed to speak out against Shell’s abuse in Nigeria. It did not assess key evidence provided and thereby let the company off the hook. For the people of the Niger Delta this is yet another failure of justice. The NCP is not fit for purpose. It has proven unable or unwilling to tell Shell it should accept responsibility for its mistakes. It is time that the Dutch government introduces a corporate accountability supervisory body with strong teeth,” said Paul de Clerck of Friends of the Earth Europe.

From the outset the NCP was unable to prevent Shell from obstructing the OECD process. Although the OECD Guidelines explicitly refer to “multinational enterprises”, Shell’s headquarters initially tried to distance itself from Shell’s Nigeria operations, saying that Royal Dutch Shell “does not have any operations [i.e. extracting, processing or distributing activities] of its own [in Nigeria]”, and referred the NCP to Shell’s local subsidiary. The company did not want to discuss the substance of the complaint with Friends of the Earth Netherlands at the table, and the Dutch NGO agreed to step back to facilitate the process. Finally, Shell made unacceptable demands, including that Amnesty International and Friends of the Earth International should not campaign on certain cases to be discussed during the NCP process. The organizations refused to guarantee they would stop campaigning.

The case underlines a serious problem with the NCP process: the company was able to set many of the parameters for the dialogue and the NCP was unable to deal the substance of the complaint.

Because of these serious deficiencies in the Dutch NCP process, Amnesty International and Friends of the Earth International do not believe that the system can produce meaningful resolution of issues with a company like Shell. The two organizations have therefore decided to withdraw a second complaint to the NCP about Shell’s longstanding role in oil pollution of Ogoniland in Nigeria.

“A process where the party that is the subject of the complaint can set the terms of engagement is setting itself up for failure,” said Paul de Clerck.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT

Friends of the Earth Europe, Paul de Clerck, Tel: +32-494-380 959 or email paul@milieudefensie.nl

Amnesty International, Tom Mackey, Tel. : +44 (0) 207 413 5810 or + 44 (0) 7904 398285, or email tom.mackey@amnesty.org

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Evidence, including video footage of a spill investigation process in which several serious problems occur, and information from independent experts – is available at:

CSCR / Centre for Social and Corporate Responsibility, Batan Oil Spill and Shell's Global Standards, 29 June 2009
https://adam.amnesty.org/asset-bank/action/viewAsset?id=82268

Amnesty International, Oil Spill Investigations in the Niger Delta: Amnesty International Memorandum, 1 September 2012 http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AFR44/042/2012/en

Amnesty International and the Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development (CEHRD), Shell’s wildly inaccurate reporting of Niger Delta oil spill exposed, 23 April 2012
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/shell-s-wildly-inaccurate-reporting-niger-delta-oil-spill-exposed-2012-04-23

The statement by the NCP is online at http://www.oecdguidelines.nl/nieuws/publication-final-statement-shell-friends-of-the-earthamnesty-international-1/

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

In the mid 1990s Shell accepted that much of the oil pollution in the Niger Delta was due to the company’s own failures. However, the company now blames sabotage, and more recently oil theft and illegal refining, by communities and criminals for most of the problem, citing misleading figures that purport to show as much as 98% of oil spills being caused by sabotage.

Although Shell has been made aware, for years, of problems with its oil spill investigation process, the company has continued to defend it. Shell frequently refers to its online oil spill database which provides information on oil spills since 2011. The NCP commended Shell for the greater transparency the company has shown since 2011, but also recommended that the company should share data from previous years. Shell has generally been unwilling to provide information on oils spills before 2011.

The company often claims it wants to take a forward-looking approach, focusing on the future instead of the past. Amnesty International and Friends of the Earth International consider this unacceptable as many people in the Niger Delta have had to live, on a daily basis, with the effects of oil spills for decades – including many spills that occurred well before 2011. Shell needs to own up, pay up and clean up the damage it is responsible for in the Niger Delta.

Governments Urged to Limit Weed Killer Found in Humans

Niccolo Sarno — 2013-06-17T12:35:00Z

Media briefing on glyphosate and reasons for concern available at: www.foeeurope.org/glyphosate-reasons-for-concern-briefing-130613

The unprecedented tests carried out by Friends of the Earth Europe revealed that 44% of samples from 182 volunteers in 18 European countries contained traces of the herbicide [2].

Glyphosate is one of the most widely-used weed killers in the world, used by farmers, local government and gardeners, and is sprayed extensively on genetically modified crops.

In the United States and Latin America, farmers are using increased amounts of pesticides, -including glyphosate- due largely to the heavy adoption of genetically modified crops. [3]

The biggest producer of glyphosate is US biotech giant Monsanto which sells it under the brand name “Roundup”.

Lisa Archer, Food and Technology Program Director of Friends of the Earth US said:

“Discovering traces of glyphosate in Europeans raises serious questions. How did it get there? Why aren't governments testing for it? And is it also present in Americans citizens? Unlike Europe, the US grows vast amounts of glyphosate-resistant crops, which have resulted in a massive application of herbicides and superweeds.. Some of them are already out of control. Monsanto’s unauthorised genetically modified wheat recently discovered in US fields is the latest alarm bell and confirms the need for stricter controls on agribusiness.”

In May 2013 a strain of genetically-engineered glyphosate-resistant wheat was found on a farm in Oregon, USA. The wheat was developed by Monsanto which tested it between 1998 and 2005. The wheat has never been approved nor marketed. Trading partners have since introduced restrictions or testing of US wheat imports. [4]

Adrian Bebb, spokesman for Friends of the Earth Europe said:

“Agribusinesses that promote GM crops and pesticides like to pretend they have things under control – but finding this weed killer in peoples’ urine suggests we are being exposed to glyphosate in our everyday lives, yet don’t know where it is coming from, how widespread it is in the environment, or what it is doing to our health.”

“Governments around the world need to limit glyphosate use, step up their investigations, and ensure that people and the environment are put before the interests of a few agribusiness corporations,” he added.

According to 2010 figures, 70% of all the corn that was planted in the United States had been genetically modified to be herbicide resistant; as well as 78% of cotton and 93% of all soybeans. [5]

In Europe there has been widespread opposition to GM crops, with only one GM crop grown commercially, although there are 14 applications currently being considered by the EU to grow glyphosate-resistant crops.

In Argentina, 200 million litres of glyphosate-based pesticides are used yearly on soy plantations alone[6]

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT

Adrian Bebb, Friends of the Earth Europe, Tel: + 49 1 609 490 1163 or email adrian.bebb [at] foeeurope.org

Lisa Archer, food and technology program director, Friends of the Earth US, Tel: +1 - 510-900-3145 or email larcher [at] foe.org

NOTES

[1] This is the first time monitoring has been carried out across Europe for the presence of the weed killer in humans. All of the volunteers who gave samples live in cities, and none had handled or used glyphosate products in the run up to the tests.
For more information read this Wall Street Journal story: http://blogs.wsj.com/brussels/2013/06/13/study-youre-in-trouble-roundup/

[2] Urine samples were collected from 182 volunteers in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Macedonia, Malta, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, The Netherlands, and the UK. Volunteers were all city-dwellers and included vegetarian and non-vegetarian diets. No two samples were tested from the same household. The samples were analysed by Dr Hoppe at Medizinisches Labor Bremen in Germany (http://www.mlhb.de/).

[3] See Reuters story “Pesticide use ramping up as GMO crop technology backfires: study” at http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/02/us-usa-study-pesticides-idUSBRE89100X20121002

[4] USDA APHIS, 29 May 2013. ‘USDA Investigating Detetions of Genetically Engineered (GE) Glyphosate-resistant wheat in Oregon’ http://content.govdelivery.com/bulletins/gd/USDAAPHIS-7d0c5e

[5] For more information see http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/nass/Acre/2010s/2010/Acre-06-30-2010.pdf

[6] For more information see http://www.keine-gentechnik.de/fileadmin/files/Infodienst/Dokumente/2012_08_27_Lopez_et_al_Pesticides_South_America_Study.pdf

El Salvador: Tourism Projects Threaten Mangroves and Communities

Niccolo Sarno — 2013-06-05T12:05:00Z

The Salvadoran government is debating a key proposal which is part of a US$ 277 million aid program from the United States and could sign it in September 2013.

A new video testimony [1] published by Friends of the Earth International on World Environment Day, June 5, shows that mangrove forests, such as the one of La Tirana in the coast of El Salvador, are part of a complex ecosystem that protects coastlines from erosion and filters coastal waters.

Communities living in and around these forests depend on this natural resource for their livelihoods and care for the biodiversity of these fragile ecosystems.

If tourism projects are developed in the protected areas, as the government expects will happen as part of the US Millennium Challenge Fund 'Fomilenio' aid program, “the mangrove forests and communities who depend on these fragile ecosystems would be seriously affected”, says Ricardo Navarro, director of CESTA/ Friends of the Earth El Salvador.

“Coastline tourism projects funded by Fomilenio would displace peasant communities that have always lived in this area because many people there have no legal security over their land” added Navarro.

The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) [2], the US government agency that promotes Fomilenio, chose El Salvador in December of 2011 for a second US$ 277 million non refundable aid package for the development of the coastal strip.

The government could definitely approve the proposal in late 2013, once the MCC has assessed the projects submitted by the country. The deal has to be approved and signed by March 15, 2014, although it could be signed as early as September 2013. [3]

Bajo Lempa is affected by floods during the rainy season, which cause deaths and loss of harvests and infrastructure. The region borders the natural Jiquilisco Bay, where several local organizations have developed important environmental and social projects to protect mangroves and other species living there.

The Jiquilisco Bay and the Jaltepeque Estuary are the country’s most important ecological corridor . They occupy an area of 112,454 hectares. Due to their vulnerability and because they area nesting area for many endangered species, the bay and estuary were declared sites protected by the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance

In 2007, the Bay was declared a biosphere reserve by UNESCO and it is estimated that along its 37 km of beaches live nearly 50% of the only 300 carey tortoises existing between Mexico and Peru.

The government has so far received 72 projects from private investors for $575 million, especially in the international services, agribusiness and tourism sectors. In order to bring about their plans, entrepreneurs offer to invest that amount while the necessary infrastructure is built.

The social organizations and communities of Bajo Lempa believe that the second Fomilenio package will lead to an increasing degradation and pollution of the country’s coastal ecosystems and to the displacement of peasant communities which traditionally belong to these territories.

The social organizations and communities of Bajo Lempa claim that the second Fomilenio fails to consider projects that the communities of Bajo Lempa have been demanding for years, such as building retaining walls, cleaning-up drainage systems and improving the streets; which shows that they have not consulted the local people.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Ricardo Navarro, Director of Friends of the Earth El Salvador / CESTA (Centro Salvadoreño de Tecnología Apropiada)/ cesta@cesta-foe.org.sv Tel: + 503 2213 1400 or +503 2213 1444 (office) or mobile + 503 7888 7567.

NOTES TO EDITORS

[1] The video testimony filmed in the mangrove forests is available at http://www.foei.org/en/media/resources-for-journalists/world-environment-day-tourism-projects-threaten-mangroves-and-communities-in-el-salvador

There are also photos of Bajo Lempa communities members.

A second video testimony shows how, by saving and exchanging his seeds, a small farmer in El Salvador preserves biodiversity and contributes to fighting hunger.

In May 2013 social organizations and communities of Bajo Lempa declared their intention to continue developing a ‘Food Sovereignty’ process with an agroecological focus that includes protecting local seeds, defending the soil and preserving water sources.

[2] The US and El Salvador signed the first Fomilenio in 2007, which delivered US$ 461 million to build a highway and to fund other projects in the North of the country. If the second Fomilenio is approved, it will amount to US$ 413 million and will develop infrastructure in the coastline region of El Salvador.

One of the goals of Fomilenio is to build a bridge that connects the ports of the Pacific coast with those of the Central American Caribbean, thus facilitating trade from Asia to the US and Europe. The new highway called ‘carretera Longitudinal del Norte’ built as part of the first Fomilenio package connects port Cutuco de la Union with Puerto Barrios in Guatemala.

The second Fomilenio package will improve the coastline highway in El Salvador in order to connect other Salvadoran ports. It will also develop new sectors, such as tourism. The MCC was created by the US Congress in 2004 to help poor countries overcome poverty and it has so far provided US$ 8.4 billion in aid around the world. For more information: http://www.mcc.gov/pages/about

[3] For more information, read this recent article by Edgardo Ayala for IPS News Agency: http://www.ipsnews.net/2013/04/activists-fight-u-s-aid-to-develop-el-salvadors-pacific-coastline/

Free Trade and Investment Agreements Under Fire By Civil Society

Niccolo Sarno — 2013-05-27T16:29:11Z

The statement [2] calls for an alternative legal framework for international economic relations. Its signatories welcomed the radical steps announced by Latin American and Caribbean governments in a Ministerial Declaration which had been issued at the first Ministerial Conference of Latin American States affected by transnational interests, held in Guayaquil, Ecuador, on 22 April. [3]

International Investment Agreements (IIAs) – such as the Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) and investment chapters in the Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) as well as Association Agreements – undermine peoples’ rights as well as the sovereignty and constitutions of nations, democracy and the public interest, according to the signatories.

Alberto Villarreal from Friends of the Earth Uruguay / REDES said: “International Investment Agreements grant unprecedented rights to foreign corporations and investors, including the right to sue sovereign States and challenge their public interest policies in international arbitration tribunals that only look after the interests of the investors. They are deadly weapons against democratic rule and the protection of peoples' rights and environmental justice. Any steps taken by governments to put peoples' rights before the rights of investors and transnational corporations need to be supported.“

Bill Waren from Friends of the Earth US said: “Agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership are trojan horses reinforcing the power of transnational corporations and weakening government efforts to protect their citizens and the environment. There is an urgent need for an alternative to the model of the Trans-Pacific Partnership.”

Any country can be sued by a Transnational Corporation if it takes part in an IIA. For this reason the countries signing IIAs lose the freedom to implement laws and policies that favour people and the environment, if these laws or policies go against the interests of corporations.

Signatories propose advancing an alternative legal framework for international economic relations that is based on democratic principles, and prioritises human rights over corporate interests.

Signatories thus recommend that States annul, denounce and stop signing IIAs that have unlawfully subjected them to foreign jurisdictions and violate peoples' rights, and welcome the creation of an International Observatory on investment disputes, agreed by governments at the Guayaquil Ministerial Conference.

Civil society organisations have called on those governments to take swift and concrete steps towards the creation of mechanisms for ongoing dialogue with social movements and organisations in their discussions on investment rules and disputes, as they pledged to do in their Ministerial Declaration, and offered their support to contribute to the task at hand.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT

Alberto Villareal from Friends of the Earth Uruguay / REDES : email comerc@redes.org.uy or call +598 98 556360 (Uruguay phone number)

Bill Waren from Friends of the Earth US : email wwaren@foe.org or call +1 202.222.0746 (U.S. phone number)

NOTES

[1] The negotiations ended on May 24 after ten days of closed meetings.
A video explaining the problems of the Trans-Pacific Partnership is online at http://www.foei.org/en/what-we-do/economic-justice/peril-in-the-pacific
The 11 member states of the Trans-Pacific Partnership announced their intention to finalize their trade negotiations by the end of 2013. The member states of the Trans-Pacific Partnership so far are: Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, United States of America, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Vietnam and Peru. Other countries are being encouraged to join the agreement but without reopening decisions made at previous rounds of negotiations.

[2] The civil society statement is online at: http://bit.ly/YwwVMQ
The final list of signatories is online at: http://bit.ly/12jCL3x

[3] The Latin American countries committed to the Guayaquil Declaration are Ecuador, Bolivia, Cuba, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, St. Vincent and Grenadine and Venezuela.

Their Ministerial Declaration is online in Spanish at: http://cancilleria.gob.ec/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/22abr_declaracion_transnacionales_eng.pdf

European Banks and Pension Funds Fuel Land Grabs in Uganda

Niccolo Sarno — 2013-05-21T10:30:00Z

British, Dutch, French and German banks give over one billion euros of financial assistance to Wilmar and European and American financial institutions own shares in the company worth 621 million euros.

Wilmar International is one of the largest oil palm plantation owners and refiners in the world and was ranked as the world’s worst company in terms of environmental performance by Newsweek magazine in 2011 and 2012. [2]

New research from Friends of the Earth International links Wilmar’s subsidiaries on Kalangala Island, Uganda to land-grabs and violations of both national laws and environmental legislation.

Communities in Kalangala living and working on land acquired for palm oil plantations have been displaced, often with no compensation or alternative livelihood options. About 3,600 hectares of forest have been destroyed, negatively affecting the environment and livelihoods of local people.

Communities also complain of rising food insecurity on the island since large areas that formerly produced food crops for local consumption have been converted to oil palm.

Friends of the Earth International Food Sovereignty coordinator Kirtana Chandrasekaran said:

“European banks and pension funds are stimulating land grabbing, which is destroying thousands of communities worldwide. The financial sector must take responsibility for their activities and ensure their investments respect human rights and abide by local environmental regulations.”

In Nigeria and Indonesia Wilmar is being investigated by a certification body, the Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil, for causing deforestation and violating community rights.

The major financiers of Wilmar International in Europe are HSBC (€877 million), BNP Paribas (€241 million), Deutsche Bank (€24 million) and Rabobank (€222 million) as well as Dutch pension funds ABP and Pensioenfonds Zorg en Welzijn which own shares in Wilmar.

The Government of Uganda and United Nations agency International Fund for Agricultural Development also back Wilmar's oil palm project in Uganda but have failed to adequately assess its negative consequences for local people.

Friends of the Earth Uganda campaigner David Kureeba said: “The Government is responsible for protecting its citizens and it must stop facilitating forced purchase of land for investors.

Investors also need to push Wilmar to clean up its act, or put their money elsewhere. Wilmar and its subsidiaries, backed by European money, are forcing communities from their land in Uganda.”

Friends of the Earth International is calling on financiers of Wilmar to pressure the company to clean up its operations, or consider divestment. European banks and pension funds should not be contributing to land conflicts with local communities, to deforestation, or funding companies who violate national laws.

The campaigning group is asking Wilmar and the Government of Uganda to stop land-grabbing, return land taken from communities and ensure that any future development abides by national laws and free, prior and informed consent from affected communities. The Government of Uganda should respect the Uganda Land Act and not allow compulsory acquisition of land for investments.

*ENDS*

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT

David Kureeba, Friends of the Earth Uganda campaigner
Tel: +256-775-349-283, email: kureebamd [at] yahoo.com

Kirtana Chandrasekaran, Friends of the Earth International Food Sovereignty coordinator
Tel: +44 79 619 86956, email: kirtana.chandrasekaran [at] foe.co.uk

NOTES:

[1] The following materials are available:

'Financing of Wilmar International' (May 2013) report is online at:

www.foei.org/wilmar-financing

A factsheet on Wilmar is online at: www.foei.org/factsheet-wilmar

A factsheet on land grabbing in Kalangala, Uganda is online at: www.foei.org/factsheet-kalangala

Photos and video testimonies from communities in Uganda are online at: www.foei.org/landgrabbing

[2] In 2011 and 2012, Newsweek magazine ranked Wilmar as the world’s worst company in terms of environmental performance, the last of the 500 largest publicly traded companies in the world.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2012/10/22/newsweek-green-rankings-2012-global-500-list.html

Palm oil is commonly used in agrofuels, which is putting growing pressure on land, food and forests. European countries have set targets and subsidies for agrofuels, to meet EU renewable energy goals, but these targets have driven the expansion of plantations overseas. Legislation on agrofuels is currently being debated in the European Parliament and Council. Friends of the Earth Europe is urging the EU to cap and then reduce to zero such fuels, as well as introduce full carbon accounting to prevent high carbon fuels like palm oil biodiesel from being sold in Europe.

Everest 'Climbing for Climate Justice' Expedition Aims to Break World Records

Niccolo Sarno — 2013-05-08T08:30:00Z

Expedition members [1] plan to reach the world's highest mountain peak (8,848 m) on May 26 in an attempt to establish several world records.

The expedition aims to raise awareness of the impacts of climate change and the need for climate justice.

It is organized by Save the Himalayas Campaign and Khangri Media in collaboration with Friends of the Earth Nepal / Pro Public. Friends of the Earth International welcomed the expedition in a letter to the climbers.

The climbers include an 82-year old man trying to break his own record as the oldest person to climb Everest and an armless man trying to establish a Guinness world record for scaling Everest without arms.

“Climate change endangers the glaciers, glacial lakes in the Himalayan mountain range and life and property of the thousands of people residing below the lakes,” said Prakash Mani Sharma, executive director of Friends of the Earth Nepal / Pro Public.

“This expedition aims to draw attention to the disastrous impacts that climate change is having on our precious ecosystems as well as local communities,” he added.

Nepal is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and already experiencing severe problems. The glaciers and glacial lakes in the Himalayan mountain range provide water to approximately ten percent of the world’s population.

Glaciers are melting at an increasing rate, and as a result glacial lakes are growing. The problems associated with this are firstly that the risk of glacial lake flooding is significantly increased. There have already been a number of instances of this happening in Nepal and the results can be disastrous for communities that live in the area or downstream.

“The Himalayas nurture bountiful, mighty, revered rivers such as the Ganga, Indus, Mekong, Yangtze, Irrawaddy, and many others. These rivers feed the lives and livelihoods of over 1.5 billion people including in India, Nepal, Tibet, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, and Afghanistan” said Dipti Bhatnagar, Friends of the Earth International climate justice and energy co-coordinator.

“Climate change disproportionately affects the most vulnerable and marginalised people in Nepal and around the world; the people who are least responsible for the climate crisis,” said Sarah-Jayne Clifton, Friends of the Earth International climate justice and energy co-coordinator.

“The leaders of the developed countries that caused the crisis are not even trying to deliver climate justice. To avoid climate catastrophe we must transform the unjust and unsustainable economic system at the heart of the problem,” she added.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

IN KATHMANDU, NEPAL (Expedition inquiries and expedition materials requests)

Prakash Mani Sharma, executive director of Friends of the Earth Nepal / Pro Public: Tel: + 977 1 98 51 07 22 26 or email propublic@gmail.com

Babu Ram Paudel, Program Coordinator, Friends of the Earth Nepal / Pro Public: Tel: +977 1 98 41 62 22 87 or email baburam.propublic@gmail.com

IN LONDON (General climate justice inquiries)

Sarah-Jayne Clifton, Friends of the Earth International climate justice and energy co-coordinator: +44 7912 406510 or email sarah.clifton@foe.co.uk

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

[1] The 'Climbing for Climate Justice' Expedition' members are:

1. Speed Climber Pemba Dorje Sherpa, the expedition team leader, holds the world record for climbing Mount Everest in the fastest time. He has set four World Records climbing Mt. Everest.

2. Sudarshan Gautam, a Nepal-born Canadian resident who has no arms. If he reaches the summit of Mount Everest, he will become the first person with no arms or prosthetic limbs to achieve this feat. His aim is to establish a Guinness world record for scaling Everest without arms. He wants to raise awareness of the potential threat of serious injury and disability posed by glacial lakes outburst floods (GLOF).

3. Phurba Tenzin Sherpa is the climb leader for this expedition and holds the world record as the youngest climber to summit Everest 8 times. He will be filming the expedition.

4. Shiva Bahadur Sapkota plans to climb Mount Everest backwards. He is climbing backwards to warn developed countries' leaders that development in countries like Nepal is going backward because developed countries are not taking the urgent steps needed to justly address the climate crisis.

5. Kapur Shrestha is climbing Mount Everest on all fours in a polar bear suit all the way to the Summit. He wants to draw attention to the fact that climate change is endangering many animal species including snow leopards found in the Himalayas and polar bears (found in the Arctic region).

6. Min Bahadur Sherchan, 82, holds the record as the oldest person to climb Mount Everest, since reaching the summit at the age of 77. He aims to break his own record.

7. Suman Shrestha, 22, is the youngest member of the Climbing for Climate Justice Team. He believes we need to save World Heritage sites like Mount Everest for future generations and that youth around the world should join the struggle for climate justice. He is General Manager of Khangri Media.

World Bank Must End Support for Honduran Palm Oil Company Implicated in Dozens of Murders

Niccolo Sarno — 2013-03-19T12:10:00Z

The NGOs are : Friends of the Earth International, Global Forest Coalition, Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Urgewald, Rights Action, Rettet den Regenwald/Rainforest Rescue, Global Justice Ecology Project, and Biofuelwatch.

A World Bank Ombudsman [2] is currently investigating an IFC loan of $30 million for Grupo Dinant which was approved in 2009, at least half of which has already been disbursed.

This month, an Open Letter by 17 NGOs [3] and an international petition signed by over 63,000 people [4] have protested the loan and called on the World Bank to immediately cease their support for Grupo Dinant.

Since 2009, international human rights bodies have documented dozens of murders of peasant activists and their supporters in connection with land conflicts involving Grupo Dinant, the company’s armed security guards and Honduran military and police.

The evidence includes a fact-finding mission report by international human rights organisations in March 2011, a hearing before the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights in October 2011, an international public hearing on human rights in the region in May 2012 [5] and a report about human rights abuses attributed to military forces in the region by Rights Action, published this month [6].

The recent Rights Action report confirms that at least 88 members and supporters of peasant movements have been murdered in targeted killings in the Bajo Aguan Valley over the past three years. It documents the direct involvement of Grupo Dinant’s armed security forces in the violence against peasant movements. Contrary to the World Bank’s claims that the violence ended in 2012, two peasant activists were found tortured and murdered in February 2013. [7]

Annie Bird from Rights Action says: “It is a serious indictment of World Bank’s role in Honduras’s land conflicts that their International Finance Corporation admits to directly engaging with the training of Grupo Dinant’s paramilitary ‘security guards’. It is not clear whether this engagement is a response to concerns over human rights abuses but retraining paramilitaries implicated in killings is never an acceptable response. The World Bank must cease such engagement and stop supporting Grupo Dinant at once.”

Almuth Ernsting from Global Forest Coalition and Biofuelwatch adds: “The World Bank’s claims that killings are being investigated by Honduran courts with full cooperation from Grupo Dinant contradict the findings of human rights missions which show a state of total impunity surrounding those murders. Such a state of impunity has been confirmed by the UN Working Group on Mercenaries. Not only must the World Bank cancel its loan but there needs to be a full investigation into their role in human rights abuses in Honduras.”

In 2011, the German development bank, DEG, cancelled a loan for Grupo Dinant due to the company’s involvement in serious human rights abuses.Yet the World Bank continues to back the company and dismiss all independent evidence, as their recent statement shows.

Jeff Conant from Friends of the Earth US adds: “The World Bank’s statement on Bajo Aguan reveals the extent of their complicity with a palm oil company implicated in some of the most serious human rights abuses in Central America today. Years after a damning audit of their palm oil funding and a supposed overhaul of their policies, the World Bank is legitimising the use of armed paramilitaries in land conflicts against peasants who are trying to reclaim their own land, dismissing a vast volume of evidence from independent fact finding missions.”

The NGOs demand cancellation of the World Bank’s loan to Grupo Dinant and an immediate full and independent investigation into the World Bank’s involvement with Grupo Dinant, which must go beyond the remit of the current Ombudsman investigation.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT :

IN THE US: Jeff Conant, Friends of the Earth US +1- 510 900 0016

IN THE UK: Almuth Ernsting, Global Forest Coalition/Biofuelwatch,

+44 -131-6232600

IN GERMANY: Knud Vöcking, Urgewald +49-171-2832408

NOTES TO EDITORS:

[1] www1.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/REGION__EXT_Content/Regions/Latin America and the Caribbean/Strategy/Corporacion_Dinant?

[2] A complaint submitted by Rights Action is currently being investigated by the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO). The CAO is an independent agency which investigates complaints filed by communities affected by project funded by the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC).

[3] fian.org/fileadmin/media/publications/
International_Statement_CAO_-_Lower_Aguan_Honduras_-_01-.pdf

[4] rainforest-rescue.org/mailalert/909/honduras-world-bank-palm-oil-loans-linked-to-murders

[5] fidh.org/IMG/pdf/honduras573ang.pdf , http://hrbrief.org/2011/10/human-rights-situation-in-the-bajo-aguan-honduras/ and www.lawg.org/storage/documents/Honduras/declaration international public hearing bajo aguan.pdf

[6] http://rightsaction.org/sites/default/files//Rpt_130220_Aguan_Final.pdf

[7] See http://www.coha.org/21693/

Land grabs and human rights violations exposed in Liberia ahead of global development summit

Denis Burke — 2013-01-31T16:45:00Z

On the eve of a United Nations meeting in Liberia, that will discuss a new global development framework, Friends of the Earth International is backing the local NGOs’ demands - including renegotiation of contracts for land concessions and a reassessment of the Liberian agricultural development strategy on which these concessions are based. [1] [2]

Malaysian palm oil giant Sime Darby and Indonesian Golden Veloreum have entered into long term land leases with the Liberian Government. Investigations into Sime Darby’s operations reveal that communities located in the areas allocated to the company had little warning or consultation of this land grab. Many of the inhabitants, especially women, say they have lost their farms and food sources, livelihoods, as well as culturally sacred sites to oil palm plantations. [3] [4]

An analysis of the contracts between the Liberian Government and the Asian companies demonstrates they are likely to be violating several Human Rights conventions ratified by Liberia. [5]

“Giving away land for large scale plantations is hailed as promoting the economic recovery of Liberia but in reality these plantations undermine Liberia’s basic food security and cause poverty when livelihoods are lost. Therefore allowing these plantations contradicts the Liberian Government’s own policies on reducing poverty and preventing hunger”, says SDI campaigner Silas Kpanan’Ayoung Siakor.

“Allocating large swathes of fertile agricultural land to foreign companies for several decades will push people further into poverty, as local income generating activities are curtailed and peoples’ earning capacities become limited”, he adds

Civil society organisations are also concerned about large scale conversion of primary and secondary forest to palm oil plantations as Sime Darby expands into Gbarpolu county. They are demanding a halt to any further planting and further deforestation and environmental degradation in any of the concession areas.

“Forests have environmental benefits and provide multiple livelihood sources for the people, which they have now lost. Employment from the plantations is insecure; low- paid and does not contribute to sustaining livelihoods in the long term. Instead, local communities want the Liberian government and the palm oil companies to recognise their ownership of community land”, says SAMFU campaigner Robert Nyahn.

The UN High Level panel meeting in Monrovia brings together political leaders from around the world, including British Prime Minister David Cameron, to discuss development goals especially in Africa. Friends of the Earth Liberia will be present at this meeting to question the suitability of large scale land concessions as a development strategy in Liberia.

Sime Darby claims that it upholds international human rights standards and voluntary guidelines such as the UN Global Compact of which the company is a signatory. However, in its operations in Liberia, Sime Darby is violating several principles of the Global Compact as well as OECD Guidelines for Multinational Companies.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT

Silas Kpanan'Ayoung Siakor, Campaigner, Sustainable Development Institute (Liberia) Phone: 00 35383 148 4210 (Ireland mobile) Email: ssiakor@sdiliberia.org

Maarten Van Den Berg, Communications Coordinator, Friends of the Earth International, Phone: +31 20 622 1369 Email: media@foei.org

NOTES TO EDITORS:

[1] In a statement released today, the three Liberian NGOs are demanding a comprehensive reform program for the agriculture sector which takes into account community livelihoods and recognizes their rights to use and benefit from community resources, to kick-start genuine development in Liberia. See statement at foei.org/simedarby

[2] Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, UK Prime Minister David Cameron and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will convene a high Level Panel meeting on 1st February to discuss global Sustainable Development Goals. See more information on the meeting at http://www.un.org/sg/management/hlppost2015.shtml

[3] A fact sheet with about the operations of Sime Darby in Liberia is online at http://www.foei.org/simedarby

[4] In November 2012, 150 affected community representatives met in Liberia to discuss the impacts of palm oil. See their statement at http://www.foei.org/simedarby

[5] A human rights-based analysis of the agricultural concession agreements between Sime Darby and Golden Veroleum and the Government of Liberia, Forest Peoples Programme 2012, available at http://www.foei.org/simedarby

Dutch Court ruling against Shell a partial victory

Denis Burke — 2013-01-30T14:25:00Z

The court said Shell's subsidiary is accountable for damage caused by oil spills at Ikot Ada Udo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Though this is an important victory, Friends of the Earth International is disappointed that the court did not return a similar verdict in the cases brought by the plaintiffs from Goi and Oruma communities.

The plaintiffs and Friends of the Earth Netherlands plan to appeal this ruling, as well as the principle point of the liability of the Royal Dutch Shell (RDS) parent company.

“This win for the farmers of Ikot Ada Udo has set a precedent as it will be an important step that multinationals can more easily be made answerable for the damage they do in developing countries. We anticipate other communities will now demand that Shell pay for the assault on their environment”, says Friends of the Earth Nigeria’s Executive Director, Nnimmo Bassey, who has played a pivotal role in bringing to light the havoc wreaked by Shell in the Niger delta.

Likewise, Friends of Earth Netherlands campaigner Geert Ritsema comments: ‘This verdict is great news for the people in lkot Ada Udo who started this case together with Friends of the Earth Netherlands. But the verdict also offers hope to other victims of environmental pollution caused by multinationals. At the same time, the verdict is a bitter disappointment for the people in the villages of Oruma and Goi – where the court did not hold Shell liable for the damage. Fortunately, this can still change in an appeal’, he added.

The four Nigerian plaintiffs have been demanding that Shell cleans up the oil pollution in their communities, compensates those affected and prevent further leaks from occurring. The communities of the Niger Delta depend primarily on the environment for their livelihoods, including farming and fishing. Oil industry operations in the Niger Delta have damaged or destroyed local food and water supplies, biodiversity and fishing ponds and crops that locals had used to earn money. Today's ruling follows a hearing in October 2012, which was a landmark in itself.

The court decided not to hold the parent company liable for damage done in Nigeria. Friends of the Earth Netherlands was denied access to evidence proving Shell’s international parent company based in the Netherlands (RDS) determines the daily affairs of Shell’s Nigerian subsidiary (SPDC). RDS owns 100% of SPDC shares. SPDC’s profits (estimated at €1.8 billion annually) are deposited in the Netherlands. Nevertheless, under existing laws, RDS cannot be held liable for the damage done on the basis of these facts alone. Friends of the Earth Netherlands must prove that governance actually comes from the headquarters in the Netherlands. Because Shell has not been ordered by the court to allow access to internal company documents which would demonstrate their governance of SPDC, it has been very difficult to prove this. ‘Apparently our justice system allows a company to pocket the profits from a foreign subsidiary without being held liable for the damage it causes while producing those profits.’ said Geert Ritsema of Friends of the Earth Netherlands.

The court also ruled that Shell has convincingly proven that sabotage was involved in two of the three villages. The plaintiffs find it incomprehensible that the court has allowed itself to be convinced by a number of blurry photos and poor quality video images submitted by Shell.

With the plaintiffs, Friends of the Earth International remains convinced that poor maintenance is the cause of the spills. Even where sabotage is involved, Friends of the Earth International believes that Shell bears responsibility and is liable for the damage.

The widespread devastation faced by communities in the Niger Delta as a result of oil spills by companies like Shell also demonstrates the urgent need for a global transition away from corporate-controlled dirty energy like oil, coal, gas, industrial agrofuels and mega-dams, and the development and roll-out of clean energy alternatives which are appropriate to the needs of communities and under their democratic control. This transition is urgently needed if we are to stop catastrophic climate change and avoid climate tipping points while at the same time addressing the inequalities that prevent millions of people from accessing clean, affordable fuel to meet their basic energy needs.

Notes for the press:

Images

Photographer Marten Van Dijl recently took photos of the plaintiffs and
the pollution in the villages in Nigeria. Portraits of the plaintiffs are
also available; these were taken in October 2012 by Pierre Crom during the
court session in The Hague.
All images can be accessed via
www.milieudefensie.nl/publicaties/fotoalbum/fotoalbum-internationaal/shell-rechtszaak/
and are copyright-free (with photo credit).
For more or other photo material from Nigeria, please contact Marten van
Dijl, who shot photo reportages in the three Nigerian villages last week (
06-51499553, info@martenvandijl.com).
For video material, please contact the Milieudefensie press office.

More information:

More information on the background of the case can be found on the
websitge of Friends of the Earth Netherlands: www.milieudefensie.nl.

For questions about the court case, please contact the Friends of the
Earth Netherlands press office, +31(0)20-5507333.

Social and environmental organizations expose new trade agreements between the EU and Central America, Peru, Colombia

Mercedes Camps Gonzalez — 2012-12-11T16:15:00Z

“The FTA and the Association Agreement passed today require Latin American governments to establish certain guarantees and to reform their laws in order to favour European investment, i.e., to be open to investments from European corporations with no conditions or requirements that may limit their profits. This will cause even more damage to the Latin American peoples and environment”, said Grace Garcia of Friends of the Earth Costa Rica (COECOCEIBA), coordinator of the International Solidarity Mission of Friends of the Earth International in Central America [3].

Lucia Ortiz, coordinator of the program Economic Justice, Resisting Neoliberalism of Friends of the Earth International said: “The FTA and the Association Agreement will allow European corporations to operate in Latin America with greater impunity. They will secure favourable conditions for their investments, leading to the loss of peoples’ rights, especially workers, the displacement of local communities and environmental degradation”.

Social and environmental organizations are calling the national Parliaments both in Europe and in Latin America to not ratify the agreements.

The FTA and the Association Agreement include a non-binding “democratic clause” to defend human rights. According to the civil society organizations that signed the public statement as part of a global campaign against transnational corporations, the clause has proven to be ineffective in the past [4].

“European corporations should comply with the standards set up by the European Union, including human rights laws when they operate outside Europe. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, as the Friends of the Earth international delegation could verify”, said Jagoda Munic, chair of Friends of the Earth International.

From November 13 to 19, Jagoda Munic participated in the Friends of the Earth International solidarity mission in Guatemala and El Salvador, that verified systematic human rights abuses and criminalization of environmental activists and communities resisting mining and dams, including the local resistance to the construction of a hydroelectric dam by Spanish corporation Hidralia S.A.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

IN SPANISH:

Grace García (in Costa Rica), Friends of the Earth Costa Rica, Tel: +506-2223-3925 or email grace@coecoceiba.org

Lucia Ortiz (in Brazil), coordinator of the program Economic Justice, Resisting Neoliberalism of Friends of the Earth International. Mobile: + 55 51 9841 8707 and + 55 48 99150071 or email: lucia@amigosdaterrabrasil.org.br

IN ENGLISH:

Jagoda Munic (in Croatia), chair of Friends of the Earth International, mobile: +385 98 17 95 690 or email: jagoda@zelena-akcija.hr

NOTES TO EDITORS

[1] The public statement signed by Friends of the Earth International, the Transnational Institute, Linking Alternatives, Ecologistas en Accion, the Inter-American Platform for Human Rights, Democracy and Development (PIDHDD), Attac France, Mexican Network for Action Against Free Trade (RMALC), Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) and tens of other organizations as part of a global campaign against transnational corporations is available here:

http://www.foei.org/en/media/comunicado-tlc-y-ada/view

[2] Several reports showing the negative impacts of these types of agreements are available here: http://www.enlazandoalternativas.org y http://www.stopcorporateimpunity.org

[3] For more information about the Friends of the Earth International solidarity mission in Central America, please go to: http://www.radiomundoreal.fm/Gira-Internacional-de-Solidaridad, http://www.foei.org/es/media/archive/2012/guatemala-y-el-salvador-corporaciones-transnacionales-saquean-recursos-naturales-y-violan-derechos-humanos-denuncia-mision-internacional?set_language=es

[4] For more information on the ‘democratic clause’ and the Free Trade Agreements, please read: http://www.enlazandoalternativas.org and http://www.tni.org

Front page image by Xaf

Doha climate talks: Industrialised countries block climate action

Niccolo Sarno — 2012-12-08T16:25:00Z

Asad Rehman, Friends of the Earth International spokesperson in Qatar said: “The Doha deal is as empty as a desert mirage. Despite the official spin, these talks delivered nothing: no real progress on cutting greenhouse gases and only an insulting gesture at climate finance.

“ The blame lies squarely with the rich industrialised world, most notably the US. The Obama administration is succeeding in its efforts to dismantle the UN global climate regime and other wealthy nations have joined in, paralyzing the climate talks and forcing the world’s poor to pay the price.”

“ We demand justice for the people of developing nations who suffer the most from the crisis, a crisis caused mainly by the rich industrialised world. “

“ Hope for a solution lies with the people. We must demand action from our governments and reject them if they fail to deliver.”

The 18th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change saw no substantial progress on the promises made by the industrialised world to address its historic role in causing the climate crisis.

Under the Convention, developed countries are committed to deliver strong and binding emissions cuts in line with climate science and equity, and adequate climate finance to compensate developing countries and support their sustainable development.

Sarah-Jayne Clifton, Friends of the Earth International energy coordinator said:

“The fossil fuel lobby won the Qatar desert climate battle, where we witnessed dirty industry elites still holding the reins of our governments. Meanwhile the climate crisis worsens and the window for action shrinks day by day. Developed countries did not even try to solve the climate crisis at these talks. Instead, they continued to protect the interests of fossil fuelled corporations and helped financial elites grow their latest cash cow: the global carbon market scam.”

Dipti Bhatnagar, Friends of the Earth International climate justice coordinator said: “We need a strong and binding international agreement to curb the global climate crisis. But as the talks in Doha show, people around the world cannot wait for our governments to see sense and deliver the solutions. Working together in our communities, people are already resisting fossil fuels and dirty energy, building clean energy cooperatives, transforming our food systems, and protecting our forests, land and water from multinational corporations. Only people-and-planet-centred solutions will solve the climate crisis and create a better future for us all. We must make our governments listen and demand climate justice now”.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Asad Rehman, climate campaigner, Friends of the Earth International spokesperson in Qatar: +974 3338 6383 (in Doha) / +44 7956 210332 or email asad.rehman@foe.co.uk

Sarah-Jayne Clifton, Friends of the Earth International climate justice and energy coordinator: +44 7912 406510 or email sarah.clifton@foe.co.uk

Dipti Bhatnagar, Friends of the Earth International climate justice and energy coordinator : +258 840 356 599 or email dipti@foei.org

Investors must stop land grabbing, say civil society groups

Niccolo Sarno — 2012-12-03T08:00:00Z

Banks and pension funds are increasingly engaging in large-scale acquisitions of land with extremely damaging consequences for local populations. The London conference will bring together funds with more than USD3 trillion in assets to explore opportunities for investments in Africa, Latin America and Russia.

The civil society groups are warning that pension funds and banks attending the conference, for instance Deutsche Bank, must ensure they do not fund risky investments that threaten the livelihoods and food sovereignty of countless local communities.

Since 2008 rising financial investments in land have contributed to more than 200 million hectares of land being taken from small farmers, fisherfolk, and other rural communities, robbing them of their means of survival. [3] Land grabbing also frequently involves violent evictions and human rights violations. Institutional investors are expected to increase by 500% their agricultural investment portfolios by 2017.

Kirtana Chandrasekaran, Friends of the Earth International Food Sovereignty programme co-ordinator, said: “Unfortunately private investment in farmland may be seen by many as low risk and positive for developing countries. Yet they are often a disaster for local communities and the environment. Legal uncertainty and community opposition means that most farmland investments are also risky for investors.”

“Major investors such as banks and pension funds need to urgently investigate their investment portfolios and stop funding land grabs,” she added.
Earlier this year Friends of the Earth Europe released the report 'Farming money: How European banks and private finance profit from food speculation and land grabs'. The report analyses the activities of 29 European banks, pension funds and insurance companies, including Deutsche Bank, Barclays, RBS, Allianz, BNP Paribas, AXA, HSBC, Generali, Unicredit and Credit Agricole. It reveals the significant involvement of these financial institutions in food speculation, and the direct or indirect financing of land grabbing. [4]

COUNTRY EXAMPLES

LIBERIA

In Liberia, farmland investments have facilitated land grabbing. A quarter of the country - including vast swathes of fertile land- has been handed to palm oil, rubber and logging companies, preventing its use for food production. These large plantations are promoted as a means to create jobs, bring development, and increase the government’s budget. In reality they are jeopardizing the land rights of local populations, threatening local livelihoods and putting the future of one of the world’s most significant biodiversity hotspots into doubt.

This week in Liberia the Sustainable Development Institute (SDI) / Friends of the Earth Liberia is holding a major conference with oil palm plantations-affected communities who are demanding to be heard and consulted.

Between 2009 and 2010 the government of Liberia allocated more than a million acres of land to transnational palm oil producers Sime Darby and Golden Veroleum Liberia without consulting or securing the consent of those living on and using the land. [5]

ETHIOPIA

In the past few years, Ethiopia allocated huge areas of fertile arable farmland to foreign investors with little consultations with the affected communities. Since 2008 more than 3.6 million hectares of land has been allocated to foreign investors. For instance, in Gambela region, an Indian company -Karuturi Global- has been allocated staggering 300,000 hectares of land depriving indigenous people of access to water, fishing and grazing grounds, traditional construction materials, and food. Like in many other cases there has been a lack of prior consent and consultation with the local people and affected communities were not consulted and did not give their prior consent these farmland investments.

“In Ethiopia and elsewhere farmland investments for instance in plantations are jeopardizing the land rights of local people, and threatening local livelihoods ,” said Nyikaw Ochalla from Anywaa Survival Organisation-ASO.

MADAGASCAR

“In Madagascar, landgrabbing is caused by foreign and domestic investors implementing agribusiness projects and setting up biodiversity conservation areas, but also developing tourism and extractive industry infrastructure” says Mamy Rakotondrainibe, from the Collectif pour la défense des terres malgaches -TANY in Madagascar.

“We are currently supporting pastoralists communities’ claims against the Italian company Tozzi Green which aims to lease 100 000 hectars in the Ihorombe region to mainly cultivate jatropha for agrofuel production” she adds.

UGANDA

A report released earlier this year by Friends of the Earth Uganda revealed widespread violations of people’s rights and environmental destruction from a land grab in Uganda. [6]

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

IN THE UK

Kirtana Chandrasekaran, Food Sovereignty programme co-ordinator, Friends of the Earth International, Tel: +44 (0)20 7566 1669 or Mobile: + 44 (0) 79 619 86956 or email: kirtana.chandrasekaran [at] foe.co.uk

Nyikaw Ochalla from Anywaa Survival Organisation-ASO Tel: +44 (0)118 9414507 or Mobile: +44 (0)7939 389796

IN CANADA

Devlin Kuyek from GRAIN, Tel: +1-514-571-7702

IN ITALY

Giulia Franchi, Campaigner Terra/Land Campaigner, Re:Common Tel. (+39)06 92 59 31 40 – +39 06 92 59 31 41

NOTES TO EDITORS

[1] The civil society groups are: Friends of the Earth International / Anywaa Survival Organisation / GRAIN / Re: Common (Italy)

The groups are calling pension funds and other private and public financial institutions to stop speculation on land and other damaging investments in the global food chain; publicly disclose complete information about any direct or indirect financing of land acquisitions and other deals that might involve land grabbing; be subject to mandatory, prior and independent assessment of the potential impacts of investments and products on tenure rights, livelihoods, the environment and the progressive realisation of the right to adequate food. More information at : http://www.foeeurope.org/sites/default/files/press_releases/joint_statement_on_the_finance_of_land_grabs_june_2012_en_1.pdf

[2] The Global AgInvesting Europe 2012 website is: http://www.globalaginvesting.com/Conferences/Home?eventId=11

[3] See Oxfam 2011 Land and Power: The growing scandal surrounding the new wave of investments in land, http://policy-practice.oxfam.org.uk/publications/land-and-power- the-growing-scandal-surrounding-the-new-wave-of-investments-in-l-142858

[4] For more information visit: http://www.foeeurope.org/farming-money-Jan2012 and www.farmlandgrab.org

[5] For more information: 'Communities in Liberia meet this week to discuss options after large-scale land grab':
http://www.foei.org/en/what-we-do/climate-and-energy/latest-news/2018our-future-is-now2019-communities-in-liberia-meet-this-week-to-discuss-options-after-large-scale-land-grab

[6] For more information on the Uganda case see: http://www.foei.org/en/media/land-grab

New Report: Smartphones devastating Indonesian island people, forests, and corals

Niccolo Sarno — 2012-11-24T07:00:00Z

// High-res photos of the devastation caused by tin mining on Bangka island can be downloaded for free editorial use by media organisations here: http://photolibrary.foe.co.uk/?c=126&k=11d5cf9866 //

The research by Friends of the Earth in the UK and Indonesia shows that Samsung and Apple deal with companies that use tin mined on Bangka island and it’s almost certain that this tin ends up in their products although the companies may not have known this or the devastating effect of mining on the island.

When asked by Friends of the Earth whether they used tin from Bangka, they neither confirmed nor denied this. Tin is used as solder in all phones and electronic gadgets.

Andy Atkins, Executive Director of Friends of the Earth England, Wales and Northern Ireland, said:
“Samsung and Apple may not have realised it, but our research shows that mining tin to make both companies’ smartphones may come at a terrible cost to people and the environment.”

Pius Ginting, campaign manager at Friends of the Earth Indonesia - known in Indonesia as Walhi - said:
“Tin mining has damaged more than 65 percent of Bangka's forest areas and more than seventy percent of Bangka's coral reefs. Fifteen rivers are now contaminated by tin mining waste and access to clean water has become a problem for more than half of Bangka's population. And mining tin on Bangka is very dangerous: since the beginning of this year, more than sixty miners died, most of them buried in tin mines or trapped underwater.”

To prevent problems elsewhere and help ensure that companies make products in a way that’s within the planet’s safe limits, Friends of the Earth England Wales and Northern Ireland has launched a new 'Make It Better' campaign. [2]

The campaign is calling on Samsung and Apple customers and others to ask the smartphone makers to back new rules for all companies to come clean about their supply chains.

Paul de Clerck, economic justice programme coordinator at Friends of the Earth Europe, said : “Samsung and Apple refuse to tell us where their tin comes from. We are asking the European Union to urgently come up with regulations forcing companies to disclose the resources they use and the environmental and human rights impacts associated with them.”

Key findings from ‘Mining for Smartphones: the True Cost of Tin’:
----------------------------------------
Devastation on Bangka island:

Dangerous and unregulated tin mining on Bangka island killed and injuring miners – police figures show that in 2011 an average of one miner a week died in an accident.

Silt from tin mining dredgers and boats is clouding the formerly clear sea around Bangka, killing the seagrass eaten by turtles and 60-70% of the island’s coral reefs, driving away fish and ruining fishermen’s livelihoods.

Farmers struggle to grow crops in soil turned acidic by the destruction of forests for tin mining, while abandoned craters scar large parts of Bangka island.

Doctors suspect a possible link between Bangka’s high number of malaria cases and the hundreds of abandoned tin mine craters filled with stagnant water that are a breeding ground for disease-carrying mosquitos.

Almost half of all mined tin is turned into solder for the electronics industry and around a third of the world’s tin is from Bangka and neighbouring island Belitung.

---------------------------------------------
Smartphones impact on the world:

There are now more than 1 billion smartphones in use around the world, according to consulting firm Strategy Analytics, with growing demand likely to push this beyond 2 billion within the next three years.

In 2011 Samsung sold around 95 million smartphones and Apple around 93 millions

There are many things companies could do to reduce the impact of phones and make them better for customers – from introducing universal chargers or batteries that can charge in seconds to designing them to be much easier to take apart and repair. Experts say that through innovative design and better reuse of old phones phone companies could cut demand for tin and other raw materials.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

In the UK: Eleanor Bradstreet, Friends of the Earth England, Wales and Northern Ireland press office: +44(0) 7912 406513 or email eleanor.bradstreet [at] foe.co.uk

In Indonesia: Pius Ginting, campaign manager at Friends of the Earth Indonesia - known in Indonesia as Walhi: +62 81 93 29 25 700 or email pius.walhi [at] gmail.com

In Belgium : Paul de Clerck,economic justice programme coordinator at Friends of the Earth Europe: +32 494 38 09 59 or email paul [at] milieudefensie.nl

NOTES TO EDITORS

[1] Case studies of people affected by mining in Bangka and the full investigation into Samsung and Apple’s supply chains are available in Friends of the Earth’s new report ‘Mining for Smartphones: the True Cost of Tin’: http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/reports/tin_mining.pdf

[2] The Make It Better campaign is asking leading smartphone makers to say whether their phones contain tin linked to the destruction of coral reefs and forests in Indonesia’s Bangka islands – and to back new rules for all companies to come clean about their supply chains at www.foe.co.uk/makeitbetter

UN Climate Talks: Urgent Progress Still Not in Sight

Denis Burke — 2012-11-23T13:57:56Z

The UN climate talks, ongoing now for 20 years, have made little progress in delivering concrete climate action and are now heading backwards. Most recently they agreed 2015 as the date to launch a new treaty to deal with climate action which probably won’t come into force until 2020 [2].

And many governments look set to attend the talks in Doha to promote a further weakening of the framework for global emissions reductions, while at home they continue to support the expansion of false solutions to the climate crisis.

Global emissions need to peak around 2015 if we are to have a decent chance of bringing emissions down to safe levels in time to prevent a further worsening of the earth's climate and avoid the unprecedented destruction, insecurity and suffering that catastrophic, irreversible climate change would cause.

Sarah-Jayne Clifton, Friends of the Earth International climate justice coordinator, said:

“From the carnage wrought by Hurricane Sandy to the devastating flooding in Nigeria, the impacts of climate change are now evident for all to see, and alarmingly more frequent. Carbon dioxide levels have reached a record high, setting us on track for a terrifying 6 degrees of warming. Unfortunately developed countries, led by the United States, are accelerating the demolition of the world’s international framework for fair and urgent climate action. And most governments continue to support and advance the very policies that are driving the climate crisis, from dirty fossil fuel extraction of oil, gas and coal to carbon trading, agrofuels, large-scale industrial agriculture and ‘green desert’ plantations.”

The US, Australia, Canada and Japan continue to be the main players dragging their feet and undermining progress in the UN talks. Europe has pledged an emissions target which will allow its emissions to continue to grow, and continues to push for the expansion of carbon trading, a dangerous scam which only benefits corporations and financial elites. Meanwhile these and other countries are supporting false solutions to the climate crisis and ignoring the voices of people resisting the imposition of destructive projects and the land grabs, displacement and environmental destruction that they cause.

The power of vested interests and multinational corporations and their influence over government policies and UN processes remains at the heart of the ongoing failure of the talks and their recent further unraveling [3]. Tackling their influence is essential to unlocking the deadlock, and will unleash multiple other positive impacts like releasing for public benefit the hundreds of billions of dollars in public subsidies to dirty fossil fuel corporations.

Asad Rehman, climate campaigner for Friends of the Earth England, Wales and Northern Ireland said: “Friends of the Earth International is urging governments attending Doha to finally wake up to the reality of the climate crisis and make urgent progress on the foundations of fair and ambitious climate action: emissions cuts in line with science and equity; adequate public finance to support climate action in the developing world; progress on technology transfer; and an end to carbon trading. All are needed to drive forward the transformation of our economies, deliver real sustainable energy and food alternatives, and tackle emissions while improving health and wellbeing for everyone. We are nearly out of time. Without urgent progress governments will face a total loss of confidence in their ability to act in the interests of people and the environment.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Asad Rehman, climate campaigner, Friends of the Earth England, Wales and Northern Ireland (in Doha): +44 7956 210332

Sarah-Jayne Clifton, Friends of the Earth International climate justice coordinator: +44 7912 406510

[1] Developed (Annex I) countries are responsible for three quarters of historic emissions despite only hosting 15% of the world´s population. Because of their historical responsibility for climate change they have a moral and legal obligation under the climate convention to cut their emissions first and fastest and to provide adequate public finance for climate action by developing countries.

[2] Last year at COP 17 in Durban, South Africa, instead of making progress on implementing the existing negotiating roadmap agreed in Bali in 2007, parties agreed to launch a whole new round of negotiations on an agreement to cover climate action. The Durban Platform (ADP) will commence negotiations in Doha and is due to finish its work by 2015. There is a very high risk that the Durban Platform will delay action on emissions for another ten years, lock in low ambition, undermine the principles of equity and justice in the global climate framework, and further deregulate the framework, leading to a system even weaker and less effective than the Kyoto Protocol. At COP 18 in Doha countries are supposed to be finalising the targets for developed country emission reductions under the Kyoto Protocol second commitment period; making progress on climate finance and comparable emissions reductions targets for the US (which is not party to the Kyoto Protocol); and commencing negotiations on the Durban Platform.

[3] 400 global civil society organizations and social movements have denounced corporate capture as a root cause of failing environmental multilateral negotiations. Clear demands were presented to the UN earlier this year to help put an end to the excessive and harmful influence of corporations over processes like the UN climate talks. So far the UN did not issue a public response. Friends of the Earth International's report on the corporate capture of the UN is available at: http://www.foei.org/en/resources/publications/pdfs/2012/reclaim-the-un-from-corporate-capture/view

Friends of the Earth International is demanding:

Urgent, binding and deep emissions cuts by developed countries in line with science and equity
Provision by developed countries of adequate climate finance and technology transfer to developing countries for sustainable development and adaptation to climate impact
An end to carbon trading and offsetting
A top-down framework for future climate action which respects and reasserts the principles in the UNFCCC, including the principle of
Common But Differentiated Responsibility (CBDR), and which includes binding emissions targets for developed countries and no new market mechanisms
Efforts by all governments to drive forward the transformation of our unsustainable economies, protecting the rights and livelihoods of communities and delivering a safe climate and greater health and wellbeing for all.

International Mission in Guatemala and El Salvador: 'Transnational corporations pillage natural resources and violate human rights'

Mercedes Camps Gonzalez — 2012-11-19T15:45:00Z

The mission was organized from November 13 to 19 by Friends of the Earth El Salvador (CESTA) and Friends of the Earth Guatemala (CEIBA) with the participation of allied organizations like the Transnational Institute and member groups of La Vía Campesina.

The cases of resistance visited by the mission in Guatemala included: the resistance against Marlin mine, owned by Canadian corporation Goldcorp in San Miguen Ixtahuacán municipality; the situation of the political prisoners of Santa Cruz Barillas who were arbitrarily arrested in May of 2012 for resisting the building of a hydroelectric dam owned by Spanish corporation Hidralia SA, and finally the resistance of the residents of San José del Golfo to the installation of Exmingua mine, owned by Canadian Radius Gold Corporation.

The delegates of the mission in El Salvador were informed in detail about the struggle of the Environmental Committee of Cabañas department to avoid the installation of a gold and silver extractive project in El Dorado by Canadian corporation Pacific Rim.

The representatives of the environmental federation included the chair of Friends of the Earth International, Jagoda Munic from Croacia, as well as delegates from the Philippines, Spain, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Honduras, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and Sweden.

"After talking with the affected communities, there is a feeling of sadness and outrage because of the situation they are going through", said FoEI chair, Jagoda Munic.

She expressed international solidarity with the struggle of the communities affected in Guatemala and with the defense of human rights, and affirmed Friends of the Earth International's responsibility to continue supporting the resisting communities.

"The communities that are resisting have been accused of terrorism. We have been able to verify that, far from it, they are defending their territories and their livelihood", said Jagoda Munic.

Lastly, Jagoda Munic condemned the arbitrary detentions of the leaders of the resistance and said the international community will be waiting for the outcome of the hearing to be held next November 26 by the Guatemalan judiciary, where a decision regarding those who are still detained over the case of Santa Cruz Barillas will be issued.

Meanwhile, the chair of Friends of the Earth Spain, Victor Barro, said "The investment in Latin America by corporations that claim to be Spanish, like Hidralia SA, Telefonica, Union Fenosa and Aguas de Barcelona has caused socio-environmental conflicts and human rights violations. These actions ensure the perpetuation of the European way of life, which is currently in crisis and affects more and more people in both regions. A proof of this was the general strike recently held in Europe".

Barro also expressed the message given by the political prisoners he visited at the prison of Region 18 in Guatemala City: "The company should leave our families alone and they should get out of our territories".

Meanwhile, Danilo Urrea, of Friends of the Earth Colombia (CENSAT) talked about the different cases of resistance visited during the mission. "We are witnessing a structural crisis of the extractivist and patriarchal model caused by the breaking of relations between society and nature. This is shown in the territorialization of capital and the financialization of nature, which leads to displacement and human rights violations".

Danilo added "Colombia is an example of the criminalization of the protests and the struggle through laws and through the militarization of the territories all over Latin America. The disappearance of leaders and the displacement has become one of the strategies used by the corporations to dismantle the struggle and to take over territories".

Lyda Forero of the Transnational Institute said the Permanent Peoples' Tribunal that gathered between 2006 and 2010 heard many cases of corporations that violate human rights in Central America. "Two years later, we verify that the human rights violations exposed before the Tribunal continue and are getting worse".

The delegates of the international mission said the economic and ecological crimes committed by transnational corporations in the case of Marlin and Barillas mines in Guatemala and of Pacific Rim in El Salvador are symptomatic of global systemic problems.

They also exposed the crimes committed by transnational corporations with the complicity of governments (which adopt laws in favor of corporations even above community rights) by way of international trade or investment treaties.

The delegates of the international mission called on the European Members of Parliament to reject the Partnership Agreement between the European Union and Central America in order to prevent Europe from becoming an accomplice of the crimes committed by transnational corporations in Central America.

The European Parliament is about to ratify the Partnership Agreement between the EU and Central America on December 11 to 13.

The delegates of the mission were clear that transnational corporations are confronting communities and dividing families through the transfer of funds and misleading advertising as part of their corporate social responsibility strategy.

The mission expressed the need to end the impunity of transnational corporations in Central America.

It also expressed the need for transnational corporations to leave the affected territories and compensate the impacted communities.

It also called for the release of the political prisoners who were criminalized for civil resistance, and in the case of El Salvador, they called for the clarification of the murders and persecutions committed against environmental activists, with all the legal and ethical guarantees.

The international mission will write a preliminary report of its actions to be circulated soon.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

CONTACTS:

IN ENGLISH:

Jagoda Munic, Chair of Friends of the Earth International: jagoda [at] zelena-akcija.hr

IN SPANISH:

Ricardo Navarro, Chair of Friends of the Earth El Salvador (Centro Salvadoreño de Tecnología Apropiada): cesta [at] cesta-foe.org.sv
Victor Barro, Chair of Friends of the Earth Spain: presidencia [at] tierra.org