Friends of the Earth


Covid-19: The peoples’ path from crisis to recovery

Real World Radio and Friends of the Earth International present this special show, which aims to highlight the impacts of Covid-19 and national responses to the pandemic on peoples and territories. We look at how social movements and Friends of the Earth groups have responded to the pandemic, analyse the politics behind the health crisis, and explore the possibilities for…

African Peoples Tribunal demands a radical shift in the way transnational corporations operate

The African Peoples Tribunal, organised in Lagos and online by Friends of the Earth Africa, saw testimonies on cases from 10 African countries. The 24-28 November event ended with a call on governments to urgently ensure that human rights are respected and protected. It also denounced the collusion between governments and transnational corporations as objectionable and unacceptable. “This was probably…

Shell taken to court in the Netherlands: groundbreaking case against climate change

“What we are doing is filling the governance gap by ensuring that multinational corporations, starting with Shell, are regulated through a national court in the Netherlands”, said Donald Pols, director of Friends of the Earth Netherlands (Milieudefensie), in a press conference on 26 November. This organisation, along with six others (ActionAid Netherlands, Both ENDS, Fossielvrij NL, Greenpeace Netherlands, Young Friends…

10 ways Shell is destroying our Earth

New research by the OCI (Oil Change International) shows that Shell’s climate ambitions are nowhere near enough to prevent further global warming. The OCI examined the climate plans of 8 oil giants. If their plans are implemented, it will be impossible to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. The researchers used 10 criteria to assess the companies to see whether…

Irregularities surrounding police investigation in to death of Indonesian human rights activist Golfrid Siregar

Golfrid Siregar, member of the legal advocacy team of WALHI North Sumatra was found unconscious on a roadside on 3 October 2019, and died three days later in hospital. Despite being found fatally injured under very suspicious circumstances, the police said that his death was the result of a traffic accident. “Last year, the police held a press conference regarding…

South African organisations urge government to investigate murder of anti-mining activist

Mama Fikile Ntshangase was shot dead at her home in Mtubatuba, KwaZulu-Natal province, by four gunmen on 22 October. She was Vice-Chairperson of a sub-committee of the Mfolozi Community Environmental Justice Organisation (MCEJO) and actively opposed the expansion of the Tendele coal mine near her home. “We feel that she was actually the target, and in killing her, the aim…

Every vote counts

As of Friday morning, Joe Biden had secured 253 electoral votes of the 270 needed to win the Electoral College, with Donald Trump at 214. But in the last few hours, Trump turned to the courts to stop the vote count, tweeting "Stop the Count" and refusing to acknowledge his electoral defeat. Meanwhile, the major media cut off the livestream…

Assessment of the sixth round of negotiations for the UN Binding Treaty on Transnational Corporations and Human Rights

The Open-Ended Intergovernmental Working Group that is negotiating a Binding Treaty on transnational corporations and human rights at the United Nations Human Rights Council ended its sixth round of negotiations on 30 October in Geneva, Switzerland. According to the social movements and organizations from all continents that are working for its adoption, the Binding Treaty should seek to ensure access to justice…

Costa Rica: Government environmentalism deepens crisis

This first article, of a series of three, analyzes the current sociopolitical situation. We will share our vision of what kind of environmental management is proposed by the current government. In a second article, we will analyze some of the proposals and policies that the government has followed or put into practice. Finally, the third article will talk about real…

Social victory in Sweden: Oil company Preem drops plans to expand oil refinery

“I'm absolutely sure that our resistance was one of the big factors that made them realise that this was not going to happen” said activist Lena Maloney from Friends of the Earth Sweden in an interview with Real World Radio. “They might have been able to expand their oil refinery if there had been less uproar,” added the environmental activist…