Friends of the Earth

The EU-Mercosur trade deal, agreed in 2019 but yet to be ratified, is set to benefit European agrochemical companies whilst having dire consequences for nature, local communities and Indigenous communities in South America. It will lead to a steep increase in exports of crop to Europe and import of dangerous agrochemicals to the southern cone, particularly Brazil. This is why…

Welcome to Real World Radio’s special show celebrating 50 years of Friends of the Earth International. We spoke to former chairs and a founding director of the world’s largest grassroots environmental organisation - started in 1971 - to chart its emergence and development in political, strategic and structural terms, and in relation to the external world. The participants included: Edwin…

On July 8, 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Uruguayan Senate approved Law no. 19889, the Urgent Consideration Law (UCL), as is known the project presented by the right-wing coalition government led by Luis Lacalle Pou. The “urgent consideration” character meant that the content of the law had to be addressed within a maximum period of 90…

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…

Environmental federation Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) is mobilising again on 8 March, International Women's Day. The national, regional and global struggles of FoEI member groups are based on the principles of Gender Justice and Dismantling Patriarchy as a key aspect to build social, environmental and economic justice. [embed]https://twitter.com/FoEint/status/1500382507056906242[/embed] On this occasion, Real World Radio asked Latin American and…

"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…

The COVAX mechanism to distribute Covid-19 vaccines, mobile apps giving companies access to private data, biotechnology, language capture and alleged rights-based discourses — these are all examples of strategies used by transnational corporations to gain more power over global governance each day. In 2021, social movements defending Food Sovereignty warned about the strong influence exerted by agroindustrial corporations over the…

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…

The United Nations (UN) negotiations for a Binding Treaty to regulate human rights violations perpetrated by transnational corporations and enable victims to access justice “have taken a qualitative leap forward,” declared the Global Campaign to Dismantle Corporate Power and Stop Impunity . Following the seventh round of negotiations hosted by the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva from 25-29 October,…

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…