Press releases
TREE PLANTATIONS CAUSE GRAVE PROBLEMS
COSTA RICA, September 21st, 2010 – Today Friends of the Earth International celebrates the international day against tree plantations, a yearly event aimed at exposing that large-scale plantations cause grave problems for local people and the environment. [1]
WORLD BANK LAND GRAB REPORT COMMENT: BIOFUELS CAUSE LAND GRABS
BRUSSELS (BELGIUM) 8 September 2010 -- Commenting on a new World Bank report published today in which the Bank backs the practice of nations selling vast agricultural lands to foreign investors [1], Mariann Bassey, African food and agriculture coordinator for Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria said: “Rural communities and the environment in poor countries are being ignored in the rush for our land and resources."
Biofuels for Europe driving land grabbing in Africa
BRUSSELS, (BELGIUM) / BENIN CITY (NIGERIA), August 30, 2010 – The amount of land being taken in Africa to meet Northern countries’ increasing demand for biofuels is underestimated and out of control, new investigations by Friends of the Earth reveal today. [1]
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]
un climate talks: developed nations strangle hope of progress
BONN (GERMANY), 6 August 2010 -- Speaking at the close of the latest round of UN climate talks in Bonn today, Asad Rehman, International Climate Campaigner at Friends of the Earth England, Wales and Northern Ireland, said: "As we approach the next major UN climate summit in Cancun, developed nations are strangling any hope of major progress by continuing to stall the negotiations.
eu-brazil biofuels deal: "land-grabbing charter"
Brussels/Maputo, Mozambique, July 14 – Friends of the Earth Europe has strongly criticised an agreement expected to be announced today by EU and Brazilian leaders to expand biofuels in Mozambique. The agreement to promote biofuels in Africa to power European cars is described as "immoral and perverse."
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.
US actions in Bonn threaten strong and just climate agreement
BONN, GERMANY, 11 June 2010 - On the final day of UN climate talks in Bonn, Friends of the Earth International warned that US intransigence is threatening vital progress in the talks leading up to the climate conference in Cancun, Mexico, this November.
Launch of 'responsible soy' label faces global opposition
BRUSSELS (BELGIUM), 8 June 2010 – A proposed new label for ‘responsible’ soy will not stop deforestation, 235 civil society groups from across the globe warned in a letter today, ahead of a conference set to finalise the labelling scheme in Sao Paulo, Brazil. [1]
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.
Fairness must guide Bonn climate talks: UN must not cede to weak US proposals
BONN, GERMANY – On May 31 the first major UN climate negotiations will begin following the disastrous talks in Copenhagen last December. Friends of the Earth International is calling on Yvo de Boer - the outgoing UNFCCC Executive Secretary - to ensure that the interests of all countries are represented fairly.
biodiversity lost at unprecedented rate
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND– On May 22, the Day of Biological Diversity, during the International Year of Biodiversity, 2010, Friends of the Earth International will warn that biodiversity continues to be lost at an unprecedented rate and that forest-dependent peoples, fishing communities and the poor are suffering the consequences the most.
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.
2010 photo competition winners announced
April 30, 2010 -- The judges have made their choices for the 2010 Friends of the Earth International photo competition on the theme "Acting in Solidarity and Building Movements for Change." More than 700 photos were received from 46 countries around the world, from both amateur and professional photographers.
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]
Bolivian Government Increases its Moral Authority on Climate Change
BOLIVIA, APRIL 21, 2010 – Thousands of environmentalists, peasant farmers, Indigenous Peoples and experts have gathered in Bolivia to participate in a groundbreaking conference on climate change which is also being attended by a delegation from Friends of the Earth International.
friends of the earth swaziland director wins prestigious goldman prize
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA (USA), April 19, 2010 -- Friends of the Earth International welcomed today's announcement that the director of Friends of the Earth Swaziland / Yonge Nawe, Thuli Brilliance Makama, is one of six winners of the prestigious Goldman Prize in San Francisco.
BOLIVIAN CLIMATE CONFERENCE SIGNALS HOPE
In the wake of the failed UN Climate talks in Copenhagen and rich nations promoting the unwelcome 'Copenhagen Accord', the Bolivian government is convening the 'World People's Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth' on April 19-22. [1]
FAO Accused of Favouring Polluting Industrial Agriculture
LONDON (UK) / MONTEVIDEO (URUGUAY), March 1st, 2010) -- Genetically Modified food and crops will not tackle hunger, poverty or climate change, said today Friends of the Earth International on the first day of the “International Technical Conference of the FAO on Agricultural Biotechnologies in Developing Countries” held in Guadalajara, Mexico, from March 1st to March 4th.
