Other Articles


Colombia: Arbitrary detentions of peasant representatives denounced

The Latin American Coordination of Rural Organizations (CLOC-LVC) denounced the "arbitrary detention" by the Attorney General's Office of Colombia of three well-known leaders of the National Agricultural Coordination (CNA) on December 15. They are Adelso Gallo, a recognized peasant and social leader from the central-eastern region of Colombia, a member of the National Board of the CNA, detained in the…

Water: a fundamental human right on Wall Street

Since December 7, water has been listed on the Wall Street “commodity futures market”, as well as oil, gold, wheat or soybeans. Buyers do not purchase physical products at the time of the futures transaction, but acquire rights to a quantity of water in the future, at a fixed price. This is commonly called "financial speculation". The index called NQH2O…

Covid-19: The peoples’ path from crisis to recovery

Real World Radio and Friends of the Earth International present this special show, which aims to highlight the impacts of Covid-19 and national responses to the pandemic on peoples and territories. We look at how social movements and Friends of the Earth groups have responded to the pandemic, analyse the politics behind the health crisis, and explore the possibilities for…

It’s settled: fumigation is a death sentence

Horticultural producer Ricardo Prieto was sentenced this Monday, December 14, to three years in prison for the manslaughter of Nicolás Arévalo and injuries to Celeste Estévez in Lavalle, in the Argentinian province of Corrientes. The 4-year-old boy died on April 4, 2011 from acute poisoning followed by death, as confirmed by the autopsy, due to the presence of endosulfan in…

African Peoples Tribunal demands a radical shift in the way transnational corporations operate

The African Peoples Tribunal, organised in Lagos and online by Friends of the Earth Africa, saw testimonies on cases from 10 African countries. The 24-28 November event ended with a call on governments to urgently ensure that human rights are respected and protected. It also denounced the collusion between governments and transnational corporations as objectionable and unacceptable. “This was probably…

Shell taken to court in the Netherlands: groundbreaking case against climate change

“What we are doing is filling the governance gap by ensuring that multinational corporations, starting with Shell, are regulated through a national court in the Netherlands”, said Donald Pols, director of Friends of the Earth Netherlands (Milieudefensie), in a press conference on 26 November. This organisation, along with six others (ActionAid Netherlands, Both ENDS, Fossielvrij NL, Greenpeace Netherlands, Young Friends…

Social organisations against UN Food Systems Summit in 2021

“If this Summit, convened by the United Nations (UN), goes on in the same way, whatever guidelines come out of it will most likely continue promoting the industrial food systems that have made people unwell,” warns Saúl Vicente from the International Indian Treaty Council. He was referring to the UN Food Systems Summit, scheduled for September 2021. Vicente added that…

10 ways Shell is destroying our Earth

New research by the OCI (Oil Change International) shows that Shell’s climate ambitions are nowhere near enough to prevent further global warming. The OCI examined the climate plans of 8 oil giants. If their plans are implemented, it will be impossible to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. The researchers used 10 criteria to assess the companies to see whether…

Death threats against CLOC-Via Campesina leader Nury Martínez

In early November, Elsa Nury Martínez, Chair of the National Agricultural Union Federation in Colombia (FENSUAGRO) and member of the Latin American Coordination of Rural Organisations (CLOC-Via Campesina), received death threats against her and her family. These threats came from the ‘Black Eagles’ narco-paramilitary group (Águilas Negras - Bloque Capital), who singled out the peasant leader as a military target…