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Bogus ‘Nature Based Solutions’ won’t solve the climate crisis. It’s just corporate greenwashing.
‘Nature-based solutions’ to the climate crisis were the talk of the town at COP26. The 2021 COP presidency made nature one of its top priorities. ...
02 December, 2021COP26 pledge to end deforestation no more than a rebranding of previous flawed attempts to greenwash increased carbon emissions
The COP26 pledge to halt deforestation is riddled with hypocrisy and loopholes that risk allowing corporations and historically big polluting countrie...
03 November, 2021Ahead of UN climate summit Friends of the Earth International spotlights how ‘Nature Based Solutions’ is being used to disguise climate-trashing business-as-usual
27 October 2021. Amsterdam, Netherlands and Glasgow, UK.
27 October, 2021Nature based solutions: a wolf in sheep’s clothing
Friends of the Earth International rejects the concept of Nature Based Solutions (NBS). NBS is often used as an umbrella term covering a range of sch...
27 October, 2021Briefing note on Target 8
As the climate crisis has a huge impact on biodiversity, it is logical that the Global Biodiversity Framework should also address climate issues. The ...
11 October, 202150 years of fighting for environmental justice
Our 50th Anniversary is an opportunity to assess our contributions to environmental justice, learn from our history, analyse the current international...
15 June, 2021Current CBD negotiations not on track to prevent biodiversity collapse.
While the climate crisis has dominated the airwaves for a while now, the biodiversity crisis is at least as serious. Actually, these are multiple, int...
21 May, 2021Mainstreaming biodiversity proposal is dangerous and will not halt its collapse.
Biodiversity is collapsing globally. More than a million species are at risk of extinction and entire ecosystems are disappearing daily. According to ...
17 May, 2021Covid-19: The peoples’ path from crisis to recovery
What impact has the Covid-19 pandemic had on the peoples, communities and allies that Friends of the Earth works with? How have government interventio...
05 March, 2021Fisherfolk who plant trees: Turning the tide on mangrove deforestation
Planting trees seems a strange thing for a fisherman to do. And when a group of fishermen began planting mangroves on Malaysia’s west coast in the l...
04 March, 2021“Nobody can tell us what to do”: Agroecology as resistance
“We can’t afford to plant only one crop - we have to do what is of more benefit to us,” says Nuie anak Sumok (below). “And nobody can tell us ...
21 December, 2020Defending territories and indigenous peoples’ rights in Malaysia
Among the tropical forests and mangroves of biodiversity-rich Borneo, the indigenous communities of Sarawak have lived in harmony with nature for cent...
11 December, 2020Principles for a Just Recovery from the COVID-19 crisis
The COVID-19 crisis is the result of an economic system that prioritises profits over peoples’ rights and the environment. The systemic, inter-r...
25 August, 2020The military model destroying the Brazilian Amazon
“Scorched land is basically vacant land, it has nothing on it. This allows speculation to come in to play. Forested lands can be made in to preser...
06 July, 2020COVID-19 crisis is a wake up call for system change
Friends of the Earth expresses its deep concern and solidarity as the world faces the COVID-19 crisis, which is already impacting so many peoples glob...
15 April, 2020Tricks of the trade: corporations leading the deregulation of environmental protection
The environment is under threat. A global scientific assessment this year highlighted the urgent crisis in biodiversity worldwide, with natural ecosys...
05 March, 2020Global rescue plan to stop extinction “hopelessly weak and inadequate”
Rome, 24 February 2020 - A draft global plan to halt the collapse of nature will not protect vulnerable communities or stop the Earth’s sixth mass e...
24 February, 2020Time to tackle biodiversity loss: Draft post-2020 UN Framework not ambitious enough
2020 is hailed as the “super year” for biodiversity: an opportunity to address the dire state of the natural world, in the wake of urgent calls fr...
17 January, 2020Unprecedented bushfires in Australia and flooding in Indonesia: the devastating extremes of climate impacts
"We’re in a state of anxiety, shock and grief. Many of our staff, volunteers and the communities we work with have lost homes and environments. Th...
13 January, 2020Amazon wildfires are a wake-up call for the world
The wildfires raging in the Amazon rainforest - predominantly in Brazil, but also in Bolivia, Paraguay and Peru - are no accident. Expansion of the ag...
04 September, 2019Change the system or face global ecological collapse says global biodiversity assessment
6 May 2019, Paris: The world faces ecological collapse and mass extinctions unless dramatic action is taken to change social and economic systems, acc...
06 May, 2019Condemnation of the assassination of Sergio Rojas in Costa Rica
Friends of the Earth Latin America and the Caribbean (ATALC) denounces and condemns the assassination of Sergio Rojas, an indigenous Costa Rican defen...
21 March, 2019Progress for peoples and Nature at COP14, but corporate influence continues
Negotiations at the 14th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity produced some successes for peoples and Nature, but corpo...
13 December, 2018COP14: Corporate power and declining biodiversity
Corporate pressure has been strong during the past two weeks of negotiations at the Convention on Biological Diversity in Egypt. While the planet spir...
03 December, 2018Biodiversity convention must lead to a world that lives within planetary boundaries
This statement is on behalf of Friends of the Earth International, the Global Forest Coalition, Econexus, Forests of the World, and Fundación Ambient...
20 November, 2018Genetic extinction technology challenged at UN Convention on Biological Diversity
SHARM EL SHEIKH, EGYPT — Today, the African Centre for Biodiversity and Friends of the Earth International held a press conference at the 2018 UN Co...
18 November, 2018Civil society demands action on biodiversity loss
The world is facing a biodiversity crisis, and leaders and delegates of the Convention on Biological Diversity must take real action to halt the devas...
18 November, 2018RSPO: 14 years of failure to eliminate violence and destruction from the industrial palm oil sector
More than 100 organizations from five continents signed on to this open statement from Friends of the Earth International and the World Rainforest Mov...
12 November, 2018The magnitude of the planetary crisis requires action of a similar size; the solution is system change
We are facing deep-rooted climate, social and environmental crises. The current dominant economic system cannot provide solutions. It is time for sys...
14 August, 2018Free Territories declaration: a practice of autonomy
Communities, their organizations and Friends of the Earth International groups, use a variety of strategies in the defense of Nature and the territori...
23 April, 2018We can feed the world and protect our forests – but it requires system change
Do we care more about people or forests? This seems to be the question implicit in much of the current debate that pits forest protection and nature c...
03 April, 2018Community forest management and agroecology
The wellbeing of our communities, our natural world and our ability to feed ourselves in a just and sustainable way has been ravaged in just a few dec...
19 March, 2018REDD+ fuels human rights abuses, causes of climate change – report
A Friends of the Earth International report argues that Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) initiatives fail to reduc...
25 January, 2018Murder of Indigenous peoples in Philippines as blatant human rights abuses continue
It is with great sadness and anger that we received the news of the murders of Datu Victor Danyan as well as seven members of his family and community...
14 December, 2017Feeding our peoples and building the movement to change the world
Declarations from La Via Campesina, VII International Conference
16 October, 2017Friends of the Earth International denounces massacre of peasant farmers in Peru
Friends of the Earth International denounces the killing of six peasant farmers in the Peruvian Amazon on 1 September.
13 September, 2017International Day of the World’s Indigenous People
Today on International Day of the World’s Indigenous People, Friends of the Earth Asia Pacific (FoE APAC) groups from 13 countries are celebrating t...
09 August, 2017International Day for biological diversity: celebrate by protecting biodiversity, not promoting tourism.
22 May 2017 is International day for biodiversity and this year’s theme is tourism. The UN Convention on biodiversity (CBD) is using this opportunit...
21 May, 2017Anniversary of Berta Cáceres’ murder
March is a month of struggle and resistance for Friends of the Earth International marked by the one-year anniversary of Berta Cáceres’ murder on 2...
01 March, 2017COP fails to rise to the challenge of protecting biodiversity
The stakes for the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 13) were high, as biodiversity is being lost at alarming r...
20 December, 2016Biodiversity still in state of emergency
Friends of the Earth International is part of the CBD Alliance, a group of about 400 members of organizations and social movements around the world th...
19 December, 2016Four steps forward, one leap back on global governance of synthetic biology
CANCUN, MEXICO — This week, 196 countries meeting at the 2016 UN Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) Conference of the Parties made progress on the glo...
19 December, 2016Coca-Cola, Clarins, DivSeek & Canada win Biopiracy Awards at the COP 13
Coca-Cola, Clarins, DivSeek and the governments of Canada and Brasil, were the winners of the 6th “Captain Hook Awards” ceremony that honored the ...
14 December, 2016Greater regulation needed on synthetic biology at the COP 13
Friends of the Earth International and allies call for greater regulation on synthetic biology at the COP 13
13 December, 2016News from Biodiversity COP – Cancun, Mexico
Biodiversity is under great threat, with a decline of 38% of terrestrial species and 36% of marine species since 1970. There is immense contamination ...
09 December, 2016Over 160 Organizations Called for Moratorium on Gene Drives at the COP 13
On December 5th, international conservation and environmental leaders, including Friends of the Earth International called on governments at the CBD C...
05 December, 2016Life is not a business!
Joint statement made by the indigenous peoples of Mexico on the inauguration day of the COP 13, 4 December 2016, Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico
04 December, 2016Mainstreaming biodiversity: a real solution to the devastation of nature?
4 December marks the start of the Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP). While not as well-known as the climat...
04 December, 2016Forests and water – Historical links and new threats
The relationship between forests and water is of crucial importance both for our survival and for the health of the planet. There is a vast amount of ...
21 March, 2016Support defenders of human rights and nature in Honduras
In the space of two weeks, four activists working with local communities opposing development projects have been shot. The Honduran government is eith...
16 March, 2016International Women’s Day 2016 Statement
On International Women’s Day, 8th March 2016, we raise our voices in indignation at the brutal murder of our sister Berta Cáceres – indigenous Le...
07 March, 2016Førde fjord – a dumping ground for Norway’s mining industry?
On the 17th of April 2015, mining company Nordic Mining was given approval by the Norwegian Government (Ministry of Climate & Environment and the ...
17 February, 2016New scientific research equips the “Battle for Sutjeska” campaign: Bosnia and Herzegovina
Friends of the Earth Bosnia and Herzegovina/ The Center for Environment recently released a publication, short movie and photo series “National park...
24 December, 2015People power gathers momentum even as politicians fail in Paris
Actions and mass protests gathered pace around the world in the last two weeks, stealing the spotlight from the Paris climate talks, showing the stren...
12 December, 2015’Stop the haze’ : Friends of the Earth Indonesia protest at Paris climate talks
Activists from Friends of the Earth Indonesia/WALHI held an action at the international climate talks in Paris today, about the forest fires that have...
04 December, 2015Murder in Guatemala’s palm oil fields. Demand an investigation and protections for human rights activists involved
On September 18, environmental activist Rigoberto Lima Choc was murdered in Northern Guatemala. This happened just after a court upheld charges he fil...
01 October, 2015Indonesia – Community Forest Management: From Little Things Big Things Grow
For over five years Friends of the Earth Indonesia/WALHI has been developing a community-led model to protect the country's forests. It is based on re...
30 September, 2015Nigeria palm oil land grab exposes need for human rights treaty
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, July 8, 2015 – A new report on palm oil land grabs in Nigeria by Asia’s leading agribusiness group exposes the need for a bi...
08 July, 2015Action: Harvard’s investments are wrecking lands and livelihoods in Argentina
Harvard University has one of the world’s largest endowments, which manages roughly US$30 billion. Some of this money is invested in forestry projec...
01 July, 2015World Environment Day—Celebrating community management
San Jose, Costa Rica – Friends of the Earth International has celebrated World Environment Day on 5 June every year since 1973. This year we celebra...
03 June, 2015Friends of the Earth Africa groups push back on extractive activities, land grabs in Africa
Friends of the Earth Africa (FoEA) groups have decried the impact of extractive companies’ operations across the African region, cautioning that if ...
26 May, 2015New radio show focuses on environmental struggles around the world
Growing Voices is Real World Radio’s new English language program that features a specific case of an environmental struggle in the world each month...
26 March, 2015Violence in Uganda and Indonesia: Why plantation companies can’t be trusted to police themselves
On February 27, Indra Pelani, a 22 year-old farmer and environmental defender from Jambi, Indonesia, was traveling to a harvest festival when he was b...
17 March, 2015Time to protect the Norwegian fjords and our common sea
As a diverse group of environmental organizations in the countries surrounding the North and Barents Sea, we are writing to you to urge you not to all...
23 January, 2015How climate change, dirty energy and extractivism are affecting people
We often talk about climate change as an abstract, global problem. But when energy and extraction companies disrupt the climate, how do they change pe...
11 December, 2014Indonesia’s new president promises to put peat before palm oil
JAKARTA, Dec 5 2014 (IPS) - Last week, Indonesia’s new president, Joko Widodo, ordered the country’s Ministry of Environment and Forestry to revie...
07 December, 2014Friends of the Earth France: Pinocchio Awards 2014 – cast your ballots!
Friends of the Earth France/Les Amis de la Terre, in partnership with CRID (Centre de Recherche et d’Information pour le Développement/Research and...
20 October, 2014Friends of the Earth Czech Republic/ Hnutí Duha to receive prestigious EuroNatur Award
The coming November will be the twenty fifth anniversary of the fall of the Iron Curtain. To commemorate this event the nature conservation foundati...
20 August, 2014International Mangrove Day
July 26 is International Mangrove Day. Why, you may wonder, do mangroves get their own special day? Because they are a truly unique and sadly endanger...
26 July, 2014FoE Malaysia calls on Malaysian Government to address negative impacts of its overseas foreign direct investment
Although the outflow of Malaysian investments abroad has been more than the inflow of investments into the country, serious concerns have arisen about...
23 June, 2014YASunidos: Ecuadorian Authorities Thwart National Referendum on Yasuní-ITT through Fraud and Militarization
On Tuesday May 6 the Ecuadorian National Electoral Council (CNE) proclaimed that the social movement YASunidos did not reach the required amount of si...
07 May, 2014Harvard: Stop destroying the Iberá Wetlands!
Friends of the Earth Argentina is engaged in a campaign to protect some of that country’s most important wetlands, and their campaign will soon arri...
08 April, 2014Forests need proper definition, NGOs tell FAO
MEDIA ADVISORY, 27 March, 2014 -- La Via Campesina, Friends of the Earth International, Focus on the Global South, World Rainforest Movement and more ...
27 March, 2014What’s driving the palm oil industry’s human rights abuses and environmental destruction?
If you’re looking to do your part to protect tropical rainforests, you need look no further than your kitchen pantry. As you’ve likely heard by no...
08 January, 2014Bowing to civil society pressure, palm oil giant promises to end its forest destruction
9th of December 2013 – In response to years of pressure from civil society, Wilmar International, the world's largest palm oil trader, has just anno...
09 December, 2013Europeans forced to drive with more rainforest-destroying biofuels
Friends of the Earth Europe comes with new figures on the eve of a crucial vote in the European Parliament on biofuels policy.
09 September, 2013Friends of the Earth Africa: Africa is Sovereign and will not be Re-colonized!
An Open Letter from Friends of the Earth Africa, signed by many NGO's and other groups from Africa and other parts of the World, which is being handed...
22 August, 2013Friends of the Earth Australia calls for transparency on climate aid and recognition of customary land rights in Indonesia
Friends of the Earth Australia has called on the Australian government to initiate an open review of its failed experiment in climate aid in Central K...
20 August, 2013International Mangrove Day
On International Mangrove Day, we reflect on the urgent need to protect and preserve mangrove forests, such as La Tirana on the coast of El Salvador, ...
26 July, 2013Why the end of the Kalimantan Forests and Climate Partnership is important
Australia has shut down the Kalimantan Forests and Climate Partnership (KFCP), leaving most of the project's targets unmet. When announced in Septembe...
23 July, 2013All about Sime Darby in Liberia
Malaysia-based Sime Darby, one of the world's largest producers of palm oil, is developing oil palm plantations in Liberia, swallowing up farmlands an...
08 July, 2013Friends of the Earth Australia: Australia’s forest carbon experiment in Indonesia ends in failure
AusAID has effectively axed its $47 million forest carbon experiment in Kalimantan ahead of Prime Minister Rudd's visit to Indonesia this week. The Ka...
03 July, 2013World Environment Day
A proposal by the Salvadoran government to develop tourism projects along the country’s coastline threatens mangrove forests and local communities, ...
05 June, 2013Land Rights and the World Bank Group: Setting the Record Straight
Responding to concerns raised by Friends of the Earth International and others about the impacts of land grabbing, The World Bank claims that land lea...
03 May, 2013Genetically modified crops: European farming at risk
Environmental and agricultural organisations have launched a new campaign today to prevent the further spread of genetically modified (GM) crops in Eu...
18 March, 2013What some Friends of the Earth Groups are planning for The International Day Against Monoculture Tree Plantations on September 21
Friends of the Earth groups around the world will commemorate the International Day against Monoculture Tree Plantations in a variety of creative ways...
19 September, 2012Defend life (Jmaktik buch’utik sk’anik spojik jkuxlejaltik) – a poem about Plantations
Jmaktik buch’utik sk’anik spojik jkuxlejaltik (Defend life) by Jose Manuel Martín Pérez (translated from Tzotzil - original below)
19 September, 2012International Day against Monoculture Tree Plantations: September 21
Branding a plantation a 'forest' is like calling a big swimming pool a 'lake'
13 September, 2012In pictures: Land grabbing in Uganda
John Muyiisha and his community in Kalangala, Uganda, have lost their land. One day, BIDCO, a Kenyan company, arrived and told him that the land was n...
23 April, 2012Land grabbing: Trampling human rights in Uganda
In Uganda whole communities are being displaced and scattered as the political elite offer up land to international buyers without a thought for those...
04 April, 2012