Africa


Women: in offices and streets, in cities, mountains and forests

In the framework of March 8th, International Women's Day, Friends of the Earth International, in collaboration with Real World Radio and ERA – Friends of the Earth Nigeria, released a video that recounts the struggles of women throughout the world. Different spheres of daily and public life, as well as different times. In addition to the struggle and historical rebellion of…

Plantations cannot feed Africa

The industrial food system, which dominates how we grow, distribute and consume food across the world, is under the control of global food and finance corporations. Their focus is to produce “agrocommodities”, such as palm oil, soy, corn and meat, for trade in global markets. Their central aim is to extract the highest profit possible. “Agrocommodity companies operate in a…

Linking alternatives: building peasant agroecology in Togo

Togo is one of the smallest countries in Africa and home to 8.6 million people. Since the shocks of the Covid-19 pandemic, increasingly extreme weather and recent food price rises, the state of food security in Togo has greatly deteriorated. In 2022, 1 in 5 people in the country don’t have access to or can’t afford enough healthy, nutritious food. Yet…

The impacts of industrial plantations on African women

"We need help around the world," said Patiente Etim from Mbarakum Community in a new Friends of the Earth Africa documentary on the impacts of industrial plantations on women. "The chemicals used by the plantation company affected my son-in-law's eyes. He was a sprayer with GOPDC/SIAT and through the exposure to the work hazard, the chemical affected his eyes. He…

What happened at the African Peoples Tribunal?

The African Peoples Tribunal (APT) that took place this year, after its first edition in November 2020, was developed by Friends of the Earth Africa, Milieudefensie (Friends of the Earth Netherlands), Friends of the Earth International, and Rainforest Action Network. This time, the APT took 10 cases, from 10 countries where Friends of the Earth has member groups, grassroots or…

AN ATTEMPT TO RETRACE THE INTRICATE PATH OF THE ARCHITECTURE OF IMPUNITY

“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…

A complete shift away from dirty energy systems towards 100% renewable energy in Africa is possible

Three-quarters of those without access to electricity now live in Africa, a share that has risen over recent years. The economic effects of Covid-19 have only increased the number of people unable to access electricity and who were forced into energy poverty. In this context, Friends of the Earth Africa has launched a report that analyses this situation and outlines…

IPCC report leaves no doubt about climate change

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released, on 9 August 2021, the first part of its Sixth Assessment Report: “Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis”. The rest of the report will be released over the next few months. “Many of the changes observed in the climate are unprecedented in thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of years, and…

Total breaches obligations in Cabo Delgado

Mozambique Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) project, owned by the French transnational company Total, is located in the Rovuma river basin, in the Cabo Delgado province, north of Mozambique, close to the border with Tanzania. On April 26, the project announced the temporary withdrawal of all its personnel and the indefinite suspension of its activities. According to JA! – Friends of…

Friends of the Earth wins historic ruling against Shell in Nigeria

On 29 January 2021, after 13 years of legal proceedings, the Dutch court ruled in favour of four farmers who, with the support of Friends of the Earth Netherlands, denounced Shell for oil spills in the Niger Delta between 2004 and 2007. “My first impression is that of joy and happiness. When you struggle and you see the fruit of…