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Changing the Main Course of Climate Change
Changing the Main Course of Climate Change

Agriculture produces an astounding one-third of all global greenhouse gas emissions. Meat and dairy alone generate about half of those food-related emissions — more than the combined tailpipe discharges from every plane, train, car, bus and boat around the world.

US-EU trade talks end in secrecy
US-EU trade talks end in secrecy

Today, October 7, 2016 the United States and the European Union conclude week-long negotiations on the foundering Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership in New York City. At this latest negotiating round, held behind closed doors, civil society representatives were even denied an opportunity to make presentations at a stakeholder’s event, contrary to past practices. TTIP negotiating documents are classified as government secrets, even as several hundred corporate lobbyists who are “cleared advisors” to the U.S.…

Civil Society Concerns Regarding GCF & High Environmental/Social Risk Projects
Civil Society Concerns Regarding GCF & High Environmental/Social Risk Projects

As the Board of the Green Climate Fund prepares to consider its first high risk projects at the upcoming GCF meeting in South Korea October 12-14, more than 100 groups have issued the following statement to express deep concern about the inadequacy of policies and practices in place for financing activities of high social and/or environmental risk. Here's the statement.


Civil Society Statement, September 22, 2016
Concerns Regarding Green Climate Fund and Support…

Getting the GCF We Fought For
Getting the GCF We Fought For

I’ve just returned from attending the 13th meeting of the Board of the Green Climate Fund (GCF). Many of us GCF old-timers[1] can’t help but feel a sense of sincere disappointment. How can anyone who, perhaps naively, looked to the GCF as a people’s alternative to the World Bank not feel at least a bit deflated? Most of the GCF’s resources look to be captured by the same old, same old (i.e. World Bank,…

100 groups call for Climate Investment Funds to sunset
100 groups call for Climate Investment Funds to sunset

Ahead of this week's meeting of the trust funds of the World Bank’s Climate Investment Funds, 100 groups have called for the CIFs to finally sunset, now that the Green Climate Fund is clearly operational. Two-thirds of the groups are from developing countries.

Here's the letter.

June 14, 2016

 

Dear Trust Fund Committee Members of the Strategic Climate Fund and Clean Technology Fund:

 

Now that it has approved projects and is beginning…

5 simple reasons to oppose HSBC and Credit Agricole at the Green Climate Fund
5 simple reasons to oppose HSBC and Credit Agricole at the Green Climate Fund

Either Wednesday or Thursday of this week, the Board of the Green Climate Fund will decide whether or not banking giants HSBC and Credit Agricole will become "accredited entities" of the GCF. Accredited entities are official partners of the GCF; they can receive and manage GCF funds. Here are five simple reasons why the GCF Board should reject their applications for accreditation. Number 1: Scarce public finance must be used to support communities in developing…

Rally Tally: Over 2 million say NO to new offshore drilling
Rally Tally: Over 2 million say NO to new offshore drilling

Yesterday, Friends of the Earth was joined at the White House by over a dozen other environmental groups and grassroots community leaders to deliver over 2 million petitions to President Obama that call for no new offshore drilling.

Here’s what’s going on: last year the Obama administration released a draft five-year offshore drilling program for 2017-2022 that proposes 10 new sales of publicly owned oil and gas to fossil fuel empires like BP, Exxon and Shell. The draft…

A Paris deal: On whose terms?
A Paris deal: On whose terms?

The 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change officially opened on November 30, 2015 with about the amount of pomp you might expect for the 150 world leaders – and Prince Charles – in Paris for the opening ceremony. Security is understandably very tight, with parts of the Boulevard Peripherique closed and a highly visible police presence.

Listening to President Obama speak, you could be forgiven for…

Climate activists call on President Obama to cancel fossil fuel auction coinciding with Paris climate talks

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Climate organizations are calling on President Obama to cancel a fossil fuel auction slated for the final days of the Paris climate talks. Groups argue that selling oil and gas to the highest bidder is inconsistent with President Obama's recent climate leadership, and during the UN summit sends an especially hypocritical message to the international community.

Calling on the President to “Keep Fossil Fuels In the Ground,” activists will be planning an…

Indonesia’s palm oil fires: Responding to the crisis
Indonesia’s palm oil fires: Responding to the crisis

Massive forest fires have engulfed Indonesia for several months, and produce more daily CO2 emissions than the entire U.S. economy. The fires are responsible for as many as 500,000 cases of respiratory infections, and are directly threatening the world's last orangutans; for all of this, the fires are being referred to as a crime against humanity. This particular crime against humanity can be directly traced to the palm oil and pulp and…