Forests
Worldwide, deforestation and conversion of land accounts for nearly a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions.The destruction and degradation of tropical rainforests driven by industrial agriculture is linked to human rights abuses, displacement of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, and destruction of critical species habitat. Intact forests are foundational to the cultures, livelihoods and spiritual well-being of hundreds of millions of people; they regulate the climate locally and globally; and they are the planet’s immune system, as rich biodiversity and dynamic, living ecosystems guard against the release of pandemic diseases.
Consequently, deforestation is at the center of some of the planet’s most urgent, overlapping crises: Increasingly intense natural disasters, unprecedented species loss, and an epidemic of violence against land and environmental defenders. There is no way to address the climate crisis without protecting the world’s last standing forests. Friends of the Earth’s International Forests program works to address the root causes of forest destruction and the marginalization of forest-dwelling communities. Our campaign on land grabs, forests & finance pressures the world’s largest financial institutions to “defund deforestation;” advances legislative and regulatory solutions; and seeks to amplify the voices and struggles of frontline environmental human rights defenders.
Getting six major multinationals to stand up and take action is no small thing, but there is still work to be done.
Studies suggest that cattle ranching and animal feed production is currently responsible for 80% of deforestation across the Latin America and Caribbean region.
More than 111,000 Friends of the Earth members demanded that the Forest Service permanently protect our National Forests from corporations
After years of pressure from environmental activists, Proctor & Gamble shareholders took a vital step towards protecting our forests.
Friends of the Earth and our allies have pushed businesses and corporations to cut ties with abusive and destructive palm oil companies.
More than 40,000 Friends of the Earth members signed our petition urging Nestlé to cut ties with REPSA. And Nestlé responded.
Friends of the Earth groups strongly denounce the most recent instance of intimidation by Astra Agro Lestari (AAL) against community members who are calling for the return of their land taken by the company without consent.
This week, Sens. Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Mike Braun (R-IN) and Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) announced the introduction of the federal FOREST Act, an updated version of a bill first introduced in 2021.
Today, leaders and advocates from around the world joined New Yorkers in calling on Governor Kathy Hochul to sign The New York Tropical Deforestation-Free Procurement Act into law before the end of the year.
A powerful group of Indigenous leaders and climate justice organizers used the stage of New York’s Climate Week to build momentum for the New York Tropical Deforestation-Free Procurement Act.
Agribusiness companies operating in the Brazilian Cerrado continue to drive violence, intimidation, and dispossession against Indigenous leaders, traditional communities and environmental human rights defenders
Rather than pursuing a peaceful resolution following these recent business suspensions, Astra Agro Lestari is fomenting further violence and intimidation.
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DownloadNY Tropical Deforestation NGO sign-on letter
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Learn MoreLand Grabbing and Ecocide: How Bunge, TIAA, and Harvard Fuel the Destruction of the Brazilian Cerrado
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DownloadNY Deforestation Bill Fact Sheet