Blog
Ship Shape: Reducing Vessel Speed
Reducing vessel speed represents one important way in which ships can limit air pollutants including greenhouse gases. A 10% decrease in fleet speed can translate into more than a 20% reduction in emissions. In California, the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles have incentive-based vessel speed programs that have proven successful, with participation rates of over 90%. Read More
Ship Shape: Reducing Harmful Global Air Pollution
After a great amount of effort by Friends of the Earth and partners including air quality control districts, the U.S. Congress finally passed legislation last month to implement an international oceans convention to reduce harmful global air pollution, which was then signed into law by the President. Read More
Holding Bush’s EPA Accountable
More than a year after the Supreme Court ruled that the EPA must treat greenhouse gases as "pollutants," President Bush's lap dog at the EPA—Administrator Stephen Johnson—still refuses to respond with meaningful action. We’ve decided enough is enough and are holding the EPA to account. Friends of the Earth and allied groups filed legal documents informing the EPA that will take it back to court in order to force it to act. Read More
Big Oil Takes Our Tax Dollars
Friends of the Earth’s new analysis shows that even though the oil and gas industry is experiencing record profits, it is set to receive at least $33 billion in handouts from taxpayers over the next five years. Read More
Don’t Be A [Gene] Doper
Don't Be A [Gene] Doper Athletes are seeking a new, controversial technology that may make it possible to alter their DNA, allowing them to run faster or hit harder. Genetically manipulating a person's genes can be fatal – gene therapy experiments have ended in death. Yet athletes have already approached scientists asking for this technology to give them an extra edge. Chinese doctors are providing current Olympic athletes with new gene doping methods. Read More
Ship Shape: Clean Cruise Ship Act
We have great news to share! Just last week, Congressman Sam Farr (D-CA) introduced the Clean Cruise Ship Act of 2008 (H.R. 6434), a bill that would finally put an end to the dumping of sewage and other pollutants by cruise ships within 12 miles of our coastlines. In a single week, one large cruise ship can dump over 200,000 gallons of raw human sewage and one million gallons of graywater (polluted water from sinks, kitchens, and laundries) into our coastal waters. Read More
What’s the Real Solution to High Gas Prices?
For decades, we’ve let Big Oil and the Highway Lobby write our energy and transportation policies, making our nation more oil-dependent and auto-dependant than any other country. This has left our workers and families with few options but to use their products – gasoline and roads. For transportation, most people… Read More
Ship Shape: Introduction
Welcome to Ship Shape, a new series featuring our Clean Vessels Campaign! Friends of the Earth's Clean Vessels Campaign is working to fight pollution from ocean going vessels such as cargo ships and cruise ships. Ocean going vessels discharge enormous amounts of pollution -- from particulate matter, to greenhouse gas pollution, to raw sewage and oil spills. Ships also harm marine mammals directly through routine collisions with whales and other creatures. Read More
New Biotechnologies: No Longer Science Fiction
Gillian Madill, Friends of the Earth's Genetic Technologies Campaigner, recently testified to the House Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Trade on new human biotechnologies. Her testimony addressed the implications of various biotech issues, from bioweapons to human-animal hybrids and gene doping -- technologies already gaining ground that can present a very serious threat to human life and the environment if not approached with caution. Read More