Thousands of Bangladeshis participated in a “Long March” from the capital city of Dhaka to the Sundarbans forest March 10 to March 13 to protest the construction of various coal projects proposed for Bangladesh. They sent a strong message of opposition to local industry and government officials as well as international decision-makers. During this four-day, 155-mile-long demonstration, protesters had one demand: “Save the Sundarbans!” The Sundarbans forest, a UNESCO World Heritage…
The Obama administration and the fossil fuel industry are pushing Congress to approve a Trans Pacific Partnership trade agreement with Japan and 10 other Asia-Pacific countries that would ramp up global warming. Friends of the Earth is working in a united campaign with Sierra Club, 350.org and other environmental groups to counter the dirty energy companies by educating the public and members of Congress about the climate threat posed by the TPP.
The…
Gulf Coast residents and activists from around the country came together yesterday to stand strong against the Fossil Fuel Empires who submitted bids to drill on 43 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico. The lease sale was part of the 2012-2017 offshore drilling program approved by the Obama administration. Participants in the rally included Gulf Coast residents from Texas to Florida who sang, recited poetry and spoke out against the atrocities the…
Berta Cáceres ¡presente! On Friday, March 4, Friends of the Earth joined other supporters in front of the U.S. State Department to remember Honduran civil and environmental rights activist Berta Cáceres. Berta was assassinated in her home Thursday, March 3, targeted for her decade-long fight against the building of the Agua Zarca Dam along the Gualcarque River -- territory sacred to the indigenous Lenca people.
Supporters gathered to recount stories of Berta, remember her generous…
Yesterday, Friends of the Earth co-sponsored a rally at the UN in New York City for Berta Cáceres and International Woman’s Day. Berta is a well-known indigenous environmental activist who was murdered in her home on March 2.
Dozens of activists and human rights supporters denounced the criminal violence plaguing Honduran environmentalists – violence that has increased dramatically since the 2009 coup in that in that country.We joined the Organización Fraternal Negra Hondureña (OFRANEH), Associates (JASS),…
Communities in Bangladesh are fighting to stop multiple coal projects, which the U.S. Export-Import Bank may finance, from destroying the air they breathe and the natural resources they depend on. Two coal-fired power plants — Rampal and Orion Group’s Khulna plant — would be constructed near the Sundarbans mangrove forest. The Sundarbans delta is one of the largest mangrove ecosystems…
Either Wednesday or Thursday of this week, the Board of the Green Climate Fund will decide whether or not banking giants HSBC and Credit Agricole will become "accredited entities" of the GCF. Accredited entities are official partners of the GCF; they can receive and manage GCF funds. Here are five simple reasons why the GCF Board should reject their applications for accreditation. Number 1: Scarce public finance must be used to support communities in developing…
Darden is a major purchaser of meat and dairy — and should use that purchasing power to demand that its suppliers employ better animal welfare practices.
For years, Friends of the Earth has been supporting farmers in Uganda's Kalangala Islands to fight back against a palm oil land grab that has turned them from subsistence farmers and fishers, with a small but diverse income stream, into wage laborers on palm oil plantations that were once their own land.
It's been a controversial campaign because the palm oil effort is financed by the UN International Fund for Agricultural Development, and joint partner Wilmar…
Often we hear much talk about balancing economic and environmental concerns, and this idea -- which has widespread support -- is referred to as sustainable development. One of the places on earth where there has been substantial discussion of sustainable development is the Arctic. This is because the region contains abundant natural resources, such as oil, gas and minerals, that companies and governments are seeking to exploit. The region, as well, is seeing increasing amounts…