2008

Workshop on campesino forest use, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica.

One of the main topics at the United Nations climate talks in Accra from 21– 27 August 2008 was Reducing Emissions from Deforestation in Developing Countries (REDD).

What was at stake? The proposed inclusion of forests in carbon markets would enable developed countries to avoid real carbon emissions reductions at home. Furthermore, any proposal that increases the financial value of forests may trigger a vast increase in land rights abuse. This would be the result of a rapid expansion of state or corporate control over forests without regard to the rights of Indigenous Peoples and other forest-dependent communities.

In Accra, Friends of the Earth International presented its positions and proposals in various official workshops, side events and discussions with country delegates.

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Download our new briefing as PDF: Forests are More than Carbon

Read regular updates from Kate Horner of FoE US here

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A selection of FoEI in the news

Read climate talks updates from Third World Network

Watch videos from the conference at the United Nations web site

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The FoEI team in the Accra Conference Center

In an edition of the Economist in April 2009 the Malaysian Palm Oil Council referred to their product as "the green answer".

They claimed that "what makes palm oil so attractive is that its production puts minimal strain on the environment.”

Additionally they stated that: “Palm oil is the only product available to sustainably and efficiently meet a large proportion of the world‟s increasing demand for oil crop-based consumer goods, foodstuff and biofuels”

Friends of the Earth totally refutes the claims and we believe they are in contravention of UK advertising regulations as there is insufficient evidence to back these up and many more. As a result Friends of the Earth England, Wales and Northern Ireland have filed a complaint to the UK Advertising Standards Association (ASA).

Read the complaint here [PDF]

Update: On September 10, 2009 the ASA ruled in our favour.

Background to the 2007 complaint

In 2007 an advertisement appeared on UK television from the Malaysian Palm Oil Council. The images and text of the television ad portrayed Malaysian palm oil as green and environmentally friendly, using statements such as "a gift from nature, a gift for life" and "helping the planet breathe", as well as images of oil palm trees and tropical rainforests. In particular, the final sentence "sustainably produced since 1917" is clearly misleading - the consumer is likely to take from the term that palm oil is produced without harming the environment in any way. The footage in the advertisement, by hinting that palm oil production does not harm trees or contribute to deforestation, also misleads the consumer into believing palm oil is "sustainably produced".

Making its official complaint to the UK Advertising Standards Agency, FoEI stated that it strenuously opposes the palm oil council’s reference to so-called "sustainable" palm oil. On January 9, 2008, FoEI’s complaint was fully upheld, as the UK ad watchdog agreed there was no evidence to support the Council's claim that palm oil is sustainably produced. The watchdog further deemed the adverts to be misleading, and stated they should not be broadcast again.

More information:

photo credit: myrthe verweij