Special Reports


People in over 150 countries get ready to mobilise against climate change inaction

“Communities in the South are being hit by the impacts of climate change and dirty energy now. It's not a question of the future, it's a question of now, it's a question of survival now”, warned environmental activist Sara Shaw, from Friends of the Earth  , on Wednesday. “We are participating in these mobilizations to stand with people being impacted…

System change is urgently needed to face serious biodiversity crisis

“If we keep on allowing that those who defend the environment actually get killed, we can never hope to save the environment”, said environmental activist Nele Marien, of Friends of the Earth International (FoEI), a few hours before the beginning on Tuesday of an important meeting of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UN CBD) that will take place…

Threats and abuses of the growing gas industry in Mozambique

Mozambique is rapidly becoming one of the Liquified natural gas (LNG) giants of the world. With little international media coverage, oil and gas monsters such as Exxon, Eni, Chevron, Shell and BP are rubbing their hands at the million dollar business prospects in this African country. Ongoing projects, whilst still in their exploration and construction stages, are already displacing local…

Plastic waste trade: one of the most cynical businesses in the capitalist world

“We are calling for an end to all plastic waste trade. We find that some of the developed countries are still trying to dump their waste into other countries. Do not dump your waste into developing nations”, (This is what said on Monday environmental activist Mageswari Sangaralingam of SAM - Friends of the Earth Malaysia in an interview with Real…

UN scientific report warns about historic environmental devastation

A scientific report issued on Monday states that the natural world is in a dire situation and that human actions have significantly altered nature in different parts of the world. “Human actions threaten more species with global extinction now than ever before. Around 1 million species already face extinction, many within decades, unless action is taken to reduce the intensity…

Vía Campesina´s 3rd Solidarity Mission launched in Colombia

With an opening press conference, a meeting with members of Congress at the National Parliament Building and a meeting with social organizations, Vía Campesina´s 3rd International Mission to Colombia was launched. The goal? To verify compliance with the Peace Accords signed in 2016 by the government (then led by Juan Manuel Santos) and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC,…

Malaysian Court rules in favor of activist accused of defamation by transnational mining company

The Federal Court, the highest court of Malaysia, unanimously dismissed an appeal filed by Raub Australian Gold Mining (RAGM), a gold mining company that had sued activist Sherly Hue for defamation. Hue is part of the resistance against the company´s operations in Bukit Koman, Pahang State. The Court´s decision issued in mid-February, which puts an end to the suit that…

Haiti: A social minefield

The mobilizations began on February 7 with the Haitian population fed up with the corruption of Jovenel Moïse’s government and the high cost of living. The protesters demand the resignation of the president and his prime minister, an immediate national dialogue to establish a transitional government, and a call for a Constituent Assembly. They also demand the prosecution of those…

No evidence

In an abbreviated procedure, which lasted two weeks, on December 14 lonko Facundo Jones Huala, a Mapuche authority of the Pu Lof from Cushamen, was convicted by the Chilean justice system for the crimes of arson and illegal possession of a firearm. A week later, Judge Francisco Olate of the Public Oral Court of Valdivia announced the sentence to 9…

Hands tainted with blood

Days before the first anniversary of the murders of eight indigenous people of the Philippine village Datal Bonglangon, Mindanao Island, on December 3rd, 2017, one of the lawyers supporting the local community, Pochoy Labog, directly accused the company that has been occupying this native territory since early 1990s. He is also accusing Rodrigo Duterte´s administration, due to its policies complacent…