Friends of the Earth suspended from UN climate talks

Friends of the Earth representatives have been barred from the United Nations climate talks in the Bella Centre in Copenhagen today. Every delegate from the international environmental campaign group arrived at the centre this morning to find their badges were no longer valid.

Friends of the Earth representatives from countries ranging from Nigeria to Japan and Denmark have been taking part in the negotiations over the past two weeks calling for a strong and fair agreement, with rich countries leading the way with emissions cuts of at least 40 per cent by 2020 without offsetting.

Read FoEE press release

The Angry Mermaid winner is...

The winner of the Angry Mermaid Award 2009, announced by award-winning writer and journalist Naomi Klein at the UN climate talks in Copenhagen today is the biotech giant Monsanto with 37% of the total vote.

Oil giant Shell took second place (18%) in the Award for lobbying to sabotage effective action on climate change, followed by the American Petroleum Institute (14%).

Ten thousand people voted in the Angry Mermaid Award, named after the iconic Copenhagen mermaid who is angry about corporate lobbying on climate change.

Read FoEE press release

Five thousand people Flood copenhagen for climate justice

More than five thousand people from around the world have joined Friends of the Earth International's 'Flood for climate justice' this morning in Copenhagen to demand climate justice and an end to offsetting carbon emissions.

The spectacular, blue-coloured crowd flooded through the streets of Copenhagen with a clear message to decision makers that offsetting carbon emissions - the practice whereby rich industrialised countries pay developing countries to cut emissions rather than making cuts at home - is unfair, and does not lead to cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.

Read FoEE press release

EU: Up your targets

Friends of the Earth Europe activists demanded that Europe must commit to at least 40% reductions in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 without offsetting today, as European Heads of State meet in parallel to the UN climate negotiations in Copenhagen.

The European Union has to date committed to a 20% emission cut by 2020, and pledged to increase this to 30% conditional on the commitments made by other countries. Both targets are inadequate, include huge amounts of ineffective tricks such as offsetting, and would not enable a just solution to the climate crisis.

Read FoEE press release

New study shows 40% emissions cuts possible in Europe

One week ahead of crucial climate change talks in Copenhagen, a new study released today by Stockholm Environment Institute in partnership with Friends of the Earth Europe proves for the first time that Europe could double its greenhouse gas emission reduction target for 2020.

Using detailed modeling the study describes a comprehensive pathway for Europe to achieve 40% emissions cuts through a combination of radical improvements in energy efficiency, the accelerated phase-out of fossil fuels, a dramatic shift towards renewable energies, and lifestyle changes.

Read FoEE press release

Spanish non-GM maize seek asylum in French Embassy

Madrid, Spain, September 29 - Spanish maize fled to the French Embassy in Madrid to seek asylum fearing contamination from genetically modified varieties.

The majority of GM maize grown commercially within the EU is located in Spain. Because of the high risk of contamination, Spanish non-GM maize sought refuge at the French Embassy. France banned the only GM crop authorised for cultivation in the EU, Monsanto’s MON810, at the beginning of 2008.

Read FoEE press release

Green 10 reception welcomes MEPs on arrival to Brussels

New and old members of the European Parliament had the opportunity to meet representatives of the Green 10 at the beginning of the new term of the European Parliament. 

Hosted by MEPs Rebecca Harms, Sirpa Pietikainen and Chris Davies, with a contribution from Jo Leinen, the Chair of Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee, MEPs met the policy staff from the Green 10 organisations working on climate, energy, agriculture, biodiversity, health, public financing, sustainablility, trade, transport and other environment-related policies.

For more information on the Green 10 click here

Young Friends of the Earth summer training camp

The first Young Friends of the Earth Europe summer camp was held on the beautiful Sholta island in southern Croatia. 70 people from 27 different countries lived to together and participated together in a week of activities, seminars, actions, discussions, mural-painting, skill-sharing and workshops.

Follow Young Friends of the Earth Europe Act Now! climate project here

FoEE spend summer 2009 with Coldcut's Energy Union Tour

The Energy Union Tour, promoting the sensible use of energy and sustainable energy production kicked off on July 18th in Munich. The interactive tour with Coldcut – audiovisual artists, musicians, inventors of the audiovisual cutup, and founders of the independent record label Ninja Tune – travelled by train, taking the tour's message to the people, working in partnership with local Friends of the Earth groups to promote the Big Ask campaign calling for legally binding emissions cuts.

The tour visited Munich, Pécs, Vienna, Budapest / Sziget, Košice, Bratislava, and Graz before finishing in Berlin.

You can follow the FoEE Blog from the tour here

More information about Energy Union here

School reports on Leadership

Bonn, Germany, June 11 – With the UNFCCC climate conference in Bonn drawing to a close, leaders of industrialised nations were criticised for failing to show leadership on climate change.

Young activists from Young Friends of the Earth Europe and Friends of the Earth International rewarded end of term school reports, with a “Pass” or “Fail” award, to each of the government leaders, depending on their progress during the last two weeks.

Friends of the Earth International is critical of the role that industrialised countries are playing in the UN climate negotiations, by avoiding taking action at home, promoting carbon offsetting and other false solutions to the climate crisis. Governments have the responsibility to ensure that people and the planet are protected from climate change. Read the blog report of the action here

Read FoEE press release

Environment groups: European Commission off target

Brussels, June 10 – Friends of the Earth Europe and the ‘Green 10’ coalition of leading environmental organisations described the environmental record of the outgoing European Commission as worryingly off target, at a press conference in Brussels, as they published an assessment of the Barroso Commission, giving it an overall mark of 4.4/10.

In all, the ‘Green 10’ report examines successes and failures in 12 policy areas that impact the environment, and sets out a checklist for the next Commission. The Green 10 blamed the low score on, among other things, a failure to reform agriculture and fisheries policies, and, more broadly, to propose sustainable economic policies. But there were some positive notes, notably in climate, energy and transport policy. Download the report here

Read more

Politicians, have you done your homework?

Bonn, Germany, June 5 – On World Environment Day, leaders of industrialised nations were criticised for failing to do their homework on climate change, and were "kept behind after school" for their failure to take action to achieve fair solutions to the climate crisis.

Young activists from Young Friends of the Earth Europe and Friends of the Earth International wore masks with the faces of government leaders, and took their place in a classroom built outside the Maritim Hotel in Bonn. The leaders were forced to write out that they must commit to reduce their carbon emissions by at least 40% by 2020, to repay their climate debt and to promise not to invest in offsets, coal and nuclear. Watch the video here

Read more

New campaign 'pins down' prospective MEPs

Brussels, April 29 – A Europe-wide campaign launched in Brussels today with FoEE campaigners challenging prospective MEP candidates outside European Parliament to show their support for a European Union that puts public interests before private profits – ahead of June’s European Parliament elections.

At www.electioncampaign.eu voters from all 27 EU member states can ‘pin down’ MEP candidates by asking them where they stand on issues including lobbying transparency, big business accountability, trade, and financial market regulation.

Read more

Financial Fools Day – We won't pay for their crisis

Brussels, 1 April – Brussels-based environment, development, farming and transparency campaign organisations denounced the EU’s continuing contribution to the financial crises and the limited solutions it is advocating at the G20 with a theatre spectacle in front of the European Council from today.

Politicians and citizens battled their way out of the financial crisis, to the backdrop of a stock-exchange on stilts – all part of “Financial Fools Day”, a global day of action on the eve of the G20 meeting in London. 

Read more

EU must not cool its commitment to efficient appliances

Brussels, March 12 – Climate campaigners dressed as penguins set up a " penguin refugee camp" made of refrigerators in front of the Berlaymont building.

Environmental organisations are urging Europe not to agree weak energy efficiency measures and confusing changes to energy labels for key appliances. An Avaaz petition signed by over 116,000 citizens across Europe was delivered to a representative of the European Commission.

Read more

EU banks on insiders to fix the financial crisis

Brussels, 25 February – European leaders handling the economic downturn are relying on the advice of a committee dominated by financial industry insiders implicated in the current crisis, says a new report.

'Would You Bank on Them?' examines the track records of members of the EU’s High Level Group of financial “wise men”, who are charged with helping to frame Europe’s response to the meltdown in the financial sector. The group, named after its chairman Jacques de Larosière, is expected to deliver its proposals for reform of the financial system to the Commission today.

Read more

Private screening of the film ‘The Age of Stupid’ with producer Franny Armstrong at the European Parliament

Brussels, 10 February – this private screening of the film ‘The Age of Stupid’ took place at the European Parliament before its official release in the UK (15th of March) and was co-hosted by the Members of Parliament Caroline Lucas, Jens Holm, Vittorio Prodi, Anders Wijkman and Riitta Myller. The event was organised by Friends of the Earth Europe and Greenpeace European Unit and was a unique opportunity to screen a powerful film on the consequences of climate change to a public within the EU institutions.

Read more