EU Environment Ministers meeting today in Luxembourg shelved a Commission report [1] analysing the possibility of increasing the EU’s current 20% by 2020 emissions target. Friends of the Earth Europe believes that this jeopardises the EU’s chances of averting catastrophic man made climate change. The decision came on the same day as a UN climate …
Biofuels: No sustainability in sight
Brussels, June 10, 2010 – Commenting on the European Commission’s Communication on new sustainability criteria for biofuels, Adrian Bebb, food and agriculture campaigner at Friends of the Earth Europe said: “Europe’s policy on biofuels is inherently unsustainable. It is driving deforestation, damaging the environment, creating more greenhouse gas emissions, increasing hunger and encouraging rampant land-grabbing …
NEW REPORT: Canada’s dirty tar sands lobby diary
Brussels, 5 August 2011 – The government of Canada is engaging in an unprecedented lobby effort to open up the European market to oil from its devastating tar sands, an investigation by Friends of the Earth Europe reveals. [1] A detailed ‘diary’ compiled by Friends of the Earth shows the extent of Canadian efforts to …
European Commission expected to approve seven certification schemes for biofuels without public scrutiny
Brussels, July 18, 2011– The European Commission is expected to release the names of seven voluntary certification schemes tomorrow, approved to certify biofuels according to the ‘sustainability criteria’ set out in the Renewable Energy Directive. This follows a lawsuit filed by environmental law organisation ClientEarth, Friends of the Earth Europe (FOEE), FERN and Corporate Europe …
Lufthansa’s green claims don’t fly
Brussels/Berlin/Hamburg, July 15, 2011 – Lufthansa launches its first controversial bio-fuelled flight today, amidst outcry from green groups [1]. Fuelling aeroplanes with biofuels presents Lufthansa and the aviation industry with a convenient smokescreen, greenwashing their image, facilitating the airline industry’s expansion plans and diverting political attention from the real need to cut air travel in …
No emissions cuts for Europe at climate talks
Brussels/Bonn, August 6 – International climate negotiations ended today with Friends of the Earth Europe criticising Europe and other rich industrialised countries for trying to avoid making any emission reductions. Research released during the latest talks in Bonn, Germany shows how a number of serious loopholes in the Kyoto Protocol seriously threaten efforts to tackle …
