Energy transition is one of the key ways to tackle climate change. The current energy system, based on fossil fuels such as oil, coal and gas, is a major emitter of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. These gases are responsible for global warming. But the problems of the current energy system lie not only in the type of energy and…
On 23 August, Friends of the Earth Latin America and the Caribbean (ATALC) together with social movements and organisations from the region held a public event in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, to discuss the urgent need to agree an international legally binding instrument on transnational corporations and human rights. The goal is to gain the support of democratic governments…
On 7 April, 2020, the foundation and pipelines of the Trans-Ecuadorian Oil Pipeline System (SOTE) and the Heavy Oils Pipeline (OCP) collapsed, causing a huge oil spill on the waters of the Coca River, which rapidly reached the Napo River. Both rivers are part of the Amazonas River Basin, which flows into the Atlantic Ocean. This polluted the water, land,…
“What we see at the international level and often at the national level is an imbalance between the rights of peoples and the rights of corporations,” warned environmental activist Sam Cossar-Gilbert, speaking about the Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanism in a recent webinar. ISDS is “a biased justice system, organised by private lawyers, not by judges, and it's a tool…
On 17 August 2021, the third revised draft of the Binding Treaty on human rights and transnational corporations was published- as part of the seven years of negotiations at the United Nations. As the negotiations develop and new drafts are presented, what has been agreed is becoming further removed from the demands of civil society. This latest draft is no…
Oil and gas giants BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Shell and Total, and their lobby groups, have invested 251 million euros since 2010 to influence the European Union, warns a new study by several European organizations. The research reveals that these five transnational corporations and their lobby groups currently employ 200 lobbyists in Brussels, Belgium, the EU's main administrative headquarters. In addition,…
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…
“We are here to talk about Palestine, we are here to talk about BDS and we are here to talk about human rights and I´m very happy to see all of you here tonight”, said Waters at the beginning of the meeting with Uruguayan journalists Alejandra Casablanca and Virginia Martínez and political expert Gabriel Delacoste. The meeting was organized by…
Karin Nansen, Friends of the Earth International´s Chair, said on Monday in Geneva, Switzerland, that “communities all over the world are calling for justice and to put an end to impunity”. “We are also calling for an effective mechanism, and also an International Court”, she added. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHVJk5j5aUo&feature=youtu.be[/embed] Nansen was the facilitator at the press conference of the Global Campaign to…
