Friends of the Earth is the U.S. voice of Friends of the Earth International, an international federation of diverse grassroots-based environmental organizations in 77 countries working in solidarity for sustainable, equitable and just societies.
We believe that as the world’s biggest historical global warming polluter, and as a wealthy nation with considerable resources, the United States has a special responsibility to lead the world in forging equitable solutions to the climate crisis, and we hold elected officials accountable for living up to that responsibility. We also believe, for the poorest countries on our planet, the global economic system has been an underlying cause behind environmental degradation and disruption of people’s livelihoods, and we work to change unjust global financial institutions and trade rules.
Read the latest news and updates from our International campaigns:
President Obama's climate negotiators are in Copenhagen, joining leaders from across the globe for the critical two week climate conference. Friends of the Earth U.S. president Erich Pica and staff members Nick Berning, Kate Horner, Karen Orenstein, Ian Illuminato and Elizabeth Bast are reporting in a variety of ways on what's happening both inside and outside those talks. We're working with more than 400 colleagues in the Friends of the Earth international network to push President Obama and other leaders of developed countries to lead the way to a strong and just global agreement to tackle climate change.
Check back here regularly from December 7 - 18 for videos, pictures, notes and ways you can become involved!
Check out video and a blog post about our "Flood for Climate Justice," which serves as a reminder that regardless of the outcome of the negotiations inside the Bella Center, there is a growing movement for climate justice among activists that can hopefully produce truly just and sustainable solutions to the climate crisis in the future.
Rich countries' spurning of discussions over new emissions reduction targets under the Kyoto Protocol stalled negotiations today in Copenhagen. The Danish government, which is presiding over the climate conference, made a procedural move that appeared to be an attempt to kill off the Kyoto Protocol, making it easier for rich countries to avoid making needed emissions reductions.
Five thousand activists from around the world joined the Friends of the Earth International ‘Flood for climate justice’ in Copenhagen today. They demanded climate justice and an end to offsetting carbon emissions. Our spectacular, blue-coloured, crowd flooded through the streets of the city with a clear message to decision makers: Offsetting carbon emissions – the practice whereby rich industrialised countries pay developing countries to cut emissions rather than making cuts at home – is unfair, and will not lead to the cuts in greenhouse gas emissions the world desperately needs.
A big U.S. congressional delegation is arriving here at the climate summit in Copenhagen next week, and it includes notorious climate science deniers Sen. James Inhofe (R-Big Oil/Oklahoma) and Rep. Joe Barton (R-Big Oil/Texas).
But one of the world's most prominent science deniers -- "Nobel Laureate" "Lord" Christopher Monckton, who provides the "scientific" analysis upon which Barton, Inhofe, and other members of the anti-science crowd depend -- is already here and he's already generating embarrassing headlines for their movement.
Our Health and Environment Campaigner, Ian Illuminato, will be joining the rest of our team in Copenhagen on December 13. Ian’s mandate during the negotiations will involve lobbying for stricter assessment of risky technologies, which are being promoted to help with the climate crisis.
There is pressing concern that in the panic to respond to the climate crisis, governments and industry will promote risky ‘techno-fix’ solutions that will actually make our situation worse. It may seem like a bad science fiction plot to consider spraying nanoparticles of sulphur in the upper atmosphere to act as a giant planetary sunscreen, or dumping iron nanoparticles in the ocean to trigger giant algal blooms that will supposedly suck up carbon dioxide. However these and similar proposals are beginning to attract qualified support from previously skeptical quarters. Despite the clear need for it, there is a serious shortage of well researched critical information available about the applications and implications of nanotechnology and synthetic biology for climate change and in the areas of energy production and use.
A quiet day, considering the fervor of emotions from the beginning of the week. However, Kate was on Democracy Now with Amy Goodman to talk about what targets really mean and the climate debt we owe developing countries.
Over the last day in Copenhagen, heated debates and surely thousands of conversations here in the conference center have focused on what the legal outcome of the climate negotiations should be -- and how to get there.
Today, President Obama accepted his Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo Norway. And the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance has responded with a powerful letter addressed to President Obama.
