Since the project’s inception in 2006, Friends of the Earth has advocated against the use of public funds for the proposed coal to gasoline plant in Medicine Bow, Wyoming. Despite claims from DKRW, the Enron-headed company behind the project, that it could be financed though private investment, it has repeatedly turned to federal and state sources of funding, from a request for a Department of Energy loan guarantee, to state industrial and private activity bonds.…
In a press release issued yesterday by Friends of the Earth International, we asked for cancellation of a World Bank loan to Honduran palm oil producer Grupo Dinant. Here's why:
The third meeting of the United Nations Green Climate Fund wrapped up last week. Though “paradigm shift” emerged as the new catch-phrase of GCF discourse -- as the fund’s governing instrument calls for a “paradigm shift towards low-emission and climate-resilient development pathways” -- the board meeting was almost anything but. Follow the money…Wait, there is none! There is laughably little money being put forth toward the GCF by rich countries, which undercuts a sense…
Friends of the Earth is excited to announce our new campaign to prevent genetically engineered fish from hitting our dinner plates: the Campaign for Genetically Engineered (GE)-Free Seafood.
As we recently reported, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration is in the final stages of approving genetically engineered salmon for human consumption. If approved, it would be the first-ever genetically engineered animal allowed to enter the U.S. food supply. To make matters worse, the FDA…
The just-released Mitsubishi Heavy Industries report on the San Onofre steam generators conclusively reveals that, as far back as 2005-2006, the joint Southern California Edison/Mitsubishi anti-vibration bar design team had identified worrisome problems with Edison’s proposed design for the steam generators MHI was contracted to build. The report confirms that Edison’s contract with Mitsubishi specified that the new, radically redesigned replacement steam generators meet the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s “like for like” standard (10 C.F.R. §50.59)…
How green can China be? Can China hold true to its commitment to sustainably financing overseas investments by requiring banks to consider international environmental standards when making loans? These are the tough questions China needs to ask in assessing its one year old pledge to green investments abroad. Rey Edward, Friends of the Earth’s campaigner on China sustainable finance, reflects on the opportunities and challenges of this landmark policy.
When I first visited Beijing in the early…
Friends of the Earth, U.S. has released a new video, “Peril in the Pacific: Trans Pacific trade agreement threatens people and the planet.” The video highlights the threats to the environment and human rights posed by the secret negotiation of the TPP deal and in particular its draft investment chapter. The video illustrates these threats by telling the story of Chevron v. Ecuador, a cautionary tale about an international investment…
With Arctic sea ice melting dramatically due to global warming and natural resource development and trade on the upswing, the region is confronting substantial growth in commercial shipping within its waters. Increased Arctic shipping raises threats not only to human health and welfare, but also to the Arctic’s pristine environment. Sewage dumping, oily bilge water discharges, oil and fuel spills, invasive species, toxic air pollutants, and climate-forcing emissions of black carbon are just some of…
Friends of the Earth has released new testing results from the Australian Government’s National Measurement Institute , which has found that many popular sunscreen and cosmetic products are using potentially hazardous forms of a common ingredient -- anatase titanium dioxide and nano anatase titanium dioxide. Six of the eight products tested, including well-known brands such as Nivea (Beiersdorf AG (BEIG.DE)), L'Oreal SA (OREP.PA), and CoverGirl (Procter & Gamble Co (NYSE:PG)), were found to contain…
The Carnival Triumph’s “cruise from hell”…the tragic capsizing of the Costa Concordia in Italian waters…the Shell oil rig that ran aground on a small island south of Kodiak, Alaska… …there hasn’t been a lot of good news in the last few months for the cruise and shipping industries. In fact, the rash of accidents and cruise ship horror stories has cast a spotlight on the safety and environmental practices of cruise ships…