Sweden

Friends of the Earth Sweden was founded in 1971 and is one of the four co-founders of Friends of the Earth International. With roots in the radical environmental movement of the 1970s, Friends of the Earth Sweden has grown to encompass 15 local groups with more than 2,600 members.

Friends of the Earth Sweden’s objective is to fight climate change, defend the environment and promote global solidarity. The methods they use are public information campaigns, mobilising action and influencing decision-makers on a wide range of topics on all levels – from daily household decisions to national and international policies. A recurring approach is taken in highlighting the role of the powerful economic driving forces behind the type of development that leads to human and environmental destruction.

Volunteers play a large role coordinating campaign activities and deciding the direction of campaigns in working groups on energy, traffic, food sovereignty, nuclear waste, forestry and climate. Local groups democratically decide their own activities which include participating in national and international campaigns. Friends of the Earth Sweden has produced a series of publications, on issues such as targets for material and energy flows, the North’s consumption impact, forestry, food sovereignty and the use of land and natural resources.

The publication Naturbruksupproret, which is about reclaiming power over the use of land and natural resources, illustrates how important it is to shift the power balance from corporations to local producers in the transition to a just and sustainable society.