Climate Justice and Energy


Colombia: An energy-hungry country, fed on coal

Over the past 30 years, Colombia has seen eight presidential terms, six presidents, and the steady ascent of neoliberalism which is, today, firmly established. During these three decades, political and legislative transformations in the country have embraced the national and transnational private sector and changed the rules of the game for the local economy. From the early 1990s, a trade…

Small-scale farming in the European Union: youth voices from the ground

Farming in Europe is increasingly dominated by monocultures and factory farms. So what does it mean to be a young small-scale farmer in this context? How can they get the power and resources to produce and distribute food sustainably? Three young farmers from Denmark, Malta and Sweden have shared with us their story: why they became farmers, the agricultural situation…

Costa Rica: A greenwashed country

Costa Rica is internationally renowned as a “green country” for several reasons, including its extensive forest cover and “clean energy” generation. However, some of its agricultural and energy sector policies and laws, many of which are based on various Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and over 15 bilateral agreements, contradict the environment and national sovereignty principles. Comunidades Ecologistas La Ceiba – Friends…

BLACK OVER GREEN: OIL SPILLS IN ECUADOR

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,…

Africa: the impacts of climate change following new IPCC warnings

The new report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) confirms that “some damages are beyond repair and it will be impossible for many developing countries or many communities to adapt, especially if the 1.5 degrees threshold (of average global warming) is breached,” said environmental activist Amos Nkpeebo, from Friends of the Earth Ghana. “We are facing…

GUAPINOL, HONDURAS: “OUR COMRADES SHOULD BE RELEASED”

Six water defenders are still in jail in Olanchito prison, in the Yoro department of Honduras, despite the recent ratification by the Supreme Court of Justice of an appeal for their release, submitted on 10 February 2022. They have been in pre-trial detention for 30 months, with no legal grounds. On 9 February, the defenders were condemned by the Trujillo…

Brumadinho: 3 years of impunity amid heavy rains and floods

Three years ago, on January 25, 2019, at 12:28 noon, the Dam I of the mine Córrego do Feijão, run by the company Vale SA, collapsed. It contained 12 million cubic meters of mud with toxic waste that spilled over #Brumadinho and continued its course through the Paraopeba River and the San Francisco River. This mud spill killed 272 people,…

“The EU-Mercosur trade deal only benefits multinational corporations”

Friends of the Earth Europe (FoEE) and Foe Brazil denounce in a report published early this year that the European Union (EU)-Mercosur trade deal will increase environmental disasters, in this case, by increasing the export of meat from Brazil to Europe through supply chains of transnational companies to supply major European retailers. This is happening “while deforestation skyrockets and Brazil…

“Agroecology is the only way in which we can produce food sustainably”

The new edition of the Meat Atlas, published on 7 September 2021 by Friends of the Earth Europe, Heinrich-Böll Stiftung and BUND/Friends of the Earth Germany, reveals the role of the meat industry in the health, biodiversity and climate crises and the impacts of meat production on people, particularly communities in the Global South. “The Meat Atlas is a publication…

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…