The European Commission last Friday approved a certification scheme which would brand biofuels produced from palm oil as ‘sustainable’, despite evidence that their production contributes to deforestation, peatland degradation, disputes over land rights, and climate change.Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth Europe argue that legitimising the use of palm oil biofuels by approving the scheme …
Mining for smartphones: the true cost of tin
Tin used in some of the best-selling brands of smartphones is almost certainly linked to the devastation of forests, farmland, coral reefs and communities in Indonesia, according to a new report ‘Mining for Smartphones: the True Cost of Tin’ from Friends of the Earth. The investigation links destructive mining techniques in Bangka, Indonesia, to products …
Collapse of EU budget talks short-changes people and planet
With today’s collapse of negotiations at the EU budget summit in Brussels, environment groups CEE Bankwatch Network and Friends of the Earth Europe called on countries to focus their efforts on agreeing a deal in the new year that has quality EU spending at the top of the agenda. Markus Trilling, EU Funds coordinator for …
Collapse of EU budget talks short-changes people and planetRead more
EU budget negotiations must focus on quality spending
As European leaders gather in Brussels today for the EU budget summit, quality spending must be the focus of discussions if the future European budget is to tackle Europe’s environmental and economic crises, according to environment groupsCEE Bankwatch Network, Friends of the Earth Europe and Transport & Environment. European spending has often been misguided and …
EU budget negotiations must focus on quality spendingRead more
European Parliament takes risky stance on risky fuel
In a vote on two parliamentary reports on shale gas, despite widespread recognition of the dangers of ‘fracking’, a split European Parliament did not impose a de facto moratorium, or ensure the highest possible environmental and health standards for an undeniably dangerous technology [1]. Antoine Simon, shale gas campaigner for Friends of the Earth Europe …
European Parliament takes risky stance on risky fuelRead more
Green spending appears on EU budget radar
The latest EU budget 2014-20 negotiating text, published today by President of the European Council, Herman van Rompuy, contains the first sign of hope for a future EU budget that tackles climate change and helps support a sustainable future for Europe’s 500 million people, according to CEE Bankwatch Network and Friends of the Earth Europe.Contained …
