Blog
Wilmar International and European banks and pension funds fuel landgrabs in Uganda
European banks and pension funds continue to finance one of the largest and most destructive palm oil giants, Wilmar International, according to new research released today by Friends of the Earth Europe. Well known European banks including HSBC, BNP Paribas, Deutsche Bank and Rabobank offer financial assistance to Wilmar valuing over one billion euro, and European and American financial institutions own shares in the company worth $799 million. Read More
No fracking way: Keeping hydraulic fracturing out of California
Thanks to new high-tech advances, California is on the verge of another oil boom: a fracking boom. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking as it is commonly known, involves drilling horizontal wells and pumping toxic fluids into them at high pressure, which cracks the rocks to allow the trapped shale oil to… Read More
California REDD: A False Solution
Among environmental advocates, and especially forest defenders, REDD can be a complicated and divisive issue; among those a little beyond the inner circles of environmental advocacy, it’s downright baffling. Read More
BP greenwashes as climate dangers grow
BP’s careful control of image hides a record that should be alarming With spring fully sprung and another Earth Day past, it is critical the public stay alert to corporations that wrap themselves in a green patina while acting to the contrary. King among the “green-washers” is British Petroleum, BP… Read More
Worst bee die-off in 40 years
Updated May 2013: Take action here to tell Home Depot, Lowe’s and other stores not to carry products containing bee-killing neonicotinoids. Spring is in the air, and as we plant our vegetable gardens and enjoy the blossoming flowers, it’s easy to forget the small creatures that keep many of… Read More
Financing Reef Destruction?
A new study from an Australia NGO tells how Chinese financing will potentially devastate the Great Barrier Reef. Yes, you read that correctly. The Great Barrier Reef – home to endangered sea turtles, blue whales, sea snakes, and fragile coral reefs – is being destroyed in exchange… Read More
New Chinese guidelines are a step in the right direction, but dont go the distance
Earlier this year, China’s ministries of Commerce and Environmental Protection jointly issued new guidelines for the environmental practices of Chinese companies doing business abroad. The new guidelines are an important step toward improving China’s global green reputation – but ultimately fail to go far enough in compelling Chinese firms… Read More
Fossil fuel export proposals explode around the world
With the reliance on coal declining in places like the U.S. and Australia, Big Coal has found another way to offload its dirty goods — by shipping it overseas. The global coal trade expanded by over 13 percent in 2010 and last year the U.S. hit a record in the… Read More
Free trade in frankenfish? Trans Atlantic free trade agreement could be a monster
“Frankenfish is a 2004 monster movie dealing with genetically engineered fish in the bayou.” -Wikipedia “European Union… measures governing the importation and use of GE (genetically engineered) products have resulted in substantial barriers to trade.” U.S. Trade Representative, 2013 report on sanitary measures In his 2013 State of… Read More
Keystone XL pipeline: Can John Kerrys State Department finally get it right?
In February John Kerry took over at the State Department, providing a glimmer of hope to those demanding that the agency finally serve as an honest broker on the review of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline. Kerry, a fierce advocate for bold action on climate change, certainly has his work… Read More