There must be a moratorium on synthetic biology – something Friends of the Earth is pushing for internationally – to ensure this emerging technology is properly regulated and does not threaten the environment, biodiversity, human health, or social justice.
Yesterday, I was arrested for the first time in my life!
My hands were cuffed, alongside so many others, at the White House fence, as I joined 47 environmental and progressive leaders -- including Bill McKibben of 350.org, Mike Brune of the Sierra Club, NASA climatologist Dr. James Hansen, Daryl Hannah, and civil rights leader Julian Bond -- in sending a strong message to the Obama administration:
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Tonight, Dan Rather Reports will run an hour-long special on synthetic biology. Friends of the Earth has been leading the charge for the proper oversight of this emerging technology and was interviewed for this investigative piece and we highlight our concerns with the rapid developments in synthetic biology in the absence of proper regulation: Synthetic biology is an extreme form of genetic engineering, an emerging technology that is developing rapidly yet…
Science and social movements agree: Palm oil expansion is bad for people and bad for the planet
Just a few years ago, palm oil entered the spotlight as one of the best and brightest options for a “drop-in” biofuel feedstock (a type of biofuel that can be “dropped into” existing transportation infrastructure) to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, cut back on climate emissions, and bring economic development to marginal lands in developing countries. But a…
It’s no secret that climate change is costing us big money these days. In 2011-2012, the price tag for extreme weather in the U.S. reached $126 billion. Droughts across the Midwest and Texas, wildfires in the West and the destruction from Superstorm Sandy all resulted in severe damage and heartbreak that will be felt for years -- and a monumental cost to taxpayers.
In the last two years 67 percent of U.S. counties were…
As Senator John Kerry’s confirmation hearing opened yesterday, President Obama set high expectations for his nominee to lead the State Department with a rigorous commitment to combating catastrophic climate change. But for Kerry to live up to the promises in the president’s inaugural address, he must reverse the often disappointing direction taken by the State Department on climate issues under the leadership of outgoing Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Senator Kerry has spent many years calling…
It's time to reform Senate rules.
Throughout my career at Friends of the Earth, I have urged senators and their staff to use the parliamentary tools at their disposal -- threats or actual use of filibusters, anonymous holds, etc. -- in instances requiring a 60 vote majority in order to block legislation that we oppose. This method of obstructing harmful legislation was really helpful during the Bush administration, as we fought to protect the Arctic…
From climate change to clean water, from healthy forests to safer food, progress on our most important environmental priorities is being crippled by the outsized role of money in politics. It’s an old story by now: big polluters, with their vast army of lobbyists, too often outgun environmental advocates on important public health and environmental policies.
Big corporations, with their loads campaign cash, are able to taint our elections and install anti-environmental public officials. A…
Right before the holidays, while most of us were spending time with our families and friends, the Food and Drug Administration was busy giving the biotechnology industry a big, fat, genetically engineered gift. On December 21, the FDA quietly released its long-awaited draft Environmental Assessment on genetically engineered salmon -- the last step before it can approve GE salmon for human consumption. This fish, which has been genetically engineered to grow twice as fast…
Often, I am asked to assess the environmental movement. Will we win the fight against the fossil fuel industry? Can we prevent the worst impacts of climate disruption? Who’s out there fighting the good fight for a healthy and just world?
My answer to these questions is we must win the fight against fossil fuels; we will prevent the worst impacts of climate disruption; and Rebecca (Becky) Tarbotton, the head of Rainforest Action Network, is…