In a dramatic show of people power, an estimated 50,000 people gathered on Saturday (6 October) to defend Hambach Forest and the climate.
Under crisp sunshine, they demanded an end to coal in Germany, a clean climate, and the protection of the ancient forest at threat from coal mining expansion.
Hambach Forest in Germany's Rhineland is 10,000 years old. But it is under massive threat from German energy giant RWE, which wants to destroy the last remaining part of the forest to mine for coal.
Norway is famous for its rich, untouched nature – and for its fish. Shockingly, the Norwegian government has put both at stake with a controversial decision in 2015 to permit dumping of vast amounts of mine waste in the pristine Førdefjord.
The European Commission has today been urged to ensure the safety of one of Eastern Europe’s richest wildlife sites.
Kresna Gorge in Bulgaria – a fragile valley of outstanding importance, with twice the butterfly species of the UK – is threatened by a Bulgarian government decision to build an EU-funded motorway through it. Construction could start soon if the Commission doesn’t act.
Nature protection efforts are being undermined by the European Commission’s failure to consistently challenge Member States on illegal nature destruction, warn four nature NGOs in a new publication today.
While the Balkans are increasingly popular as a holiday beach paradise, they hold a sparkling secret: The peninsula itself is home to the richest network of wild rivers on the continent. But the exclusive biodiversity, as well as the nature haven and water resources of many local communities are under a great threat. Over 3,000 hydropower dams and diversions are planned in the region, in addition to over 1,000 that already exist.
EU governments today passed a total ban on bee-harming neonicotinoid pesticides on outdoor crops.
Commenting on the vote, Sandra Bell, bee campaigner for Friends of the Earth Europe said:
"This comprehensive neonicotinoid ban, covering all outdoor crops, is a tremendous victory for our bees and the wider environment.
A year after an EU Commission ‘Action Plan’ stated EU governments should better implement nature protection rules, a new report assessing 18 EU countries shows that all 18 are dragging their feet and failing to protect Europe’s most precious natural areas.
On World Water Day, Centar za životnu sredinu/ Friends of the Earth Bosnia and Herzegovina is highlighting how international development banks are underwriting a swath of destructive hydro-energy projects across Southeast Europe – including many in protected areas.
Naturvernforbundet/Friends of the Earth Norway joined an international coalition of environmental and human rights groups today for a new campaign to end the dumping of hazardous mine waste, known as tailings, into oceans, rivers and lakes. The practice smothers seabed floors and coral reefs, threatens fisheries, and harms human and wildlife health.