Blog
Dr. Ricardo Navarro discusses impacts of biofuel production and policies on global south
Dr. Ricardo Navarro, president of Friends of the Earth El Salvador (CESTA), stopped by Friends of the Earth U.S. to discuss some of the impacts of biofuel production and policies on the global south. Watch the video below. Read More
Genetic Modification, Pollution and Corn Ethanol
The most popular herbicide in the U.S.is glysophate, which is marketed through several different agribusinesses. Glysophate is called RoundUp by Monsanto. Monsanto is among many agri-giants that have actually genetically engineered corn to be resistant to various herbicides and pests. Monsanto’s product, called RoundUp Ready Corn, can be blanketed in the herbicide but survive, allowing farmers to spray over the entire field, rather than having to make t Read More
How Does Ethanol Contribute to Global Warming?
How does ethanol contribute to global warming? The yellow dots on this map are ethanol plants. They are sources of CO2 emissions, a major greenhouse gas contributing to global warming. Corn ethanol contributes to global warming through several pathways: Read More
Guide to Biofuels: Glossary
Glossary:Agrofuels another term for biofuels. Fuels made from plants.Biodiesel a blend of diesel and a fuel made from plants.Biofuels – see agrofuels.Biomass – the material used to make biofuels… in the US, the dominant biomass used is corn and in Brazil, it is sugar cane. Other materials can be used, such as switchgrass, beets, sorghum, etc. Read More
Just Say “No” to Offsets
After months of tedious negotiations, Senators John Kerry and Joe Lieberman last week introduced a draft of their cap-and-trade bill, the American Power Act. The bill pampers the country's worst industrial polluters while eliminating key components of the Clean Air Act. Read More
European Parliament votes to regulate nanofoods
Novel Foods: Risk Assessment for Nano-Foods Source: European Parliament The European Union (EU) Parliament's Environment Committee voted May 4, 2010 that food produced using nanotechnology should be excluded from the EU's list of novel foods -- foods not on the market before May 1997 -- thereby prohibiting foods containing nanomaterials from being sold on the EU market. Read More
Nano banned from organic in Canada
Nanotechnology involves the creation and manipulation of materials at the scale of atoms and molecules. Scientists are applying nanotechnology to many industries, including food production. Critics say that too little is known about the impact of nanoparticles on human health and the environment. Read More
Short Sea Shipping and the Environment
Friends of the Earth is hosting a forum on short sea shipping, or regional shipping, at the David Brower Center in Berkeley, CA, on May 25, 2010. The forum addresses the potential environmental drawbacks and benefits associated with short sea shipping in the San Francisco Bay and along the California coast. The forum also considers how the maritime and landside sectors involved in goods movement operations, including short sea shipping, can enhance their environmental perf Read More
The 3rd Annual International NanoActivist NGO Summit
Last week Friends of the Earth and the International Center for Technology Assessment co-hosted the 3rd Annual International NanoActivist NGO Summit in our new Washington, DC office. The conference re-convened and expanded the base of interested parties that attended our previous conferences, advancing our collaborative work to develop a broad, comprehensive campaign to regulate the hazardous new field of nanotechnology. Read More