Friends of the Earth


Meeting for new UN framework to protect biodiversity to be held in Italy

Environmental federation Friends of the Earth International reaffirms its concern over the lack of ambition in the new framework currently under negotiation at the UN, which will set the basis for the protection of biodiversity globally from 2020 to 2030. A Friends of the Earth International delegation will participate in the second meeting of the Open Ended Working Group of…

Bukele: brutality and bullying typical of 20th century dictators

On the afternoon of Sunday 9 February, President Nayib Bukele entered the Legislative Assembly Hall of El Salvador escorted by armed military officers and members of the Civil National Police. He alleged that he was attending a special meeting of the Legislative Assembly which, under his mandate, the Council of Ministers had convened for that day. The “special reason”, of…

“The hardest part is knowing that Vale continues operating”

During the march of people affected by mining company Vale in Brumadinho (Brazil) held by the Brazilian Movement of People Affected by Dams (MAB) from 20-25 January, during the first anniversary of the worst socioenvironmental crime in this South American country, Real World Radio interviewed activist Leticia Paranhos, co-coordinator of the Economic Justice-Resisting Neoliberalism Program (EJRN) at Friends of the…

Hope, Outrage and Courage on the First Anniversary of Brumadinho Dam Disaster

On 24 January, the eve of the first anniversary of mining company Vale's crimes in Brumadinho, human rights defender Leonardo Boff expressed his solidarity with the 270 victims and their families. The theologian, philosopher and writer participated in an international seminar, ‘One year after the crime committed by Vale in Brumadinho’, organized by the Brazilian Movement of People Affected by…

Healing through the struggle for Human Rights

Lead, mercury, cadmium and zinc are just some of the heavy metals found in the toxic mud left over from mining activities. Government officials in Minas Gerais, Brazil, identified levels of these metals up to 21 times above the acceptable metal in the mud that spread through Brumadinho and the Paraopeba River on 25 January, 2019. Geraldo Martins, a healthcare…

Australia: this is climate change

"Australia is experiencing an unprecedented fire crisis. 10 million hectares have been burned already. Nearly 2000 homes have been destroyed and many lives lost. The fires are so immense they have created their own weather systems, sparking more fires by generating their own dry electrical storms. Firefighters have never seen anything like it. Scientists are now saying many billions of…

Real World Radio Europe #24

A vibrant and protected civic space is an essential part of a healthy democracy - but it´s under attack. 16 Friends of the Earth member organisations have told us they are facing restrictions, intimidation, harassment and attacks - what we collectively call 'shrinking space'. In this episode we hear how it is affecting our members in Austria and in Cyprus,…

No deal on carbon market at COP25

The COP25 negotiations came to an end after breaking the record: from December 2 to 14th. To get no deal on carbon markets at COP25 in Madrid has been Friends of the Earth's big fight this week, because carbon markets devastate Indigenous Peoples, Southern communities and fuel climate chaos. But they warned: "It's not the end of the fight; we…

From Santiago to Madrid, the world woke up

In a year marked by climate mobilizations, the people took to the streets once again in Madrid and Santiago against political inaction in the face of the climate and environmental crises. These are demonstrations that unite in one same voice the diversity of the struggles, demanding concrete and ambitious measures based on social justice, equity and the protection of Nature.…

Carbon Markets: a new form of climate colonialism

On December 5, international social movements and organizations fighting for climate justice demanded the elimination of carbon markets from the Paris Agreement, at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 25) in Madrid. Friends of the Earth International, La Vía Campesina, Grassroots Global Justice Alliance, the Indigenous Environmental Network, and the Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development launched a…