Wilmar International, the world’s largest palm oil trader, recently bowed to civil society pressure and committed to cut out deforestation, peat land destruction and the exploitation of human rights from its supply chain. This comes after years of land-grabbing, according to Friends of the Earth Europe, fueling conflicts, the destruction of endangered habitats, and human …
Conference: The four footprints in policy & practice
How land, water, carbon and material footprints can help create a more resource efficient Europe 11th February 2014, 9.15am – 6.30pm Press Club Brussels, 95 Rue Froissart – 1040 Bruxelles Friends of the Earth invites you to a conference exploring how the four footprints – Carbon, Water, Land and Material footprint – are already being …
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Europe must reduce its use of world’s land
A report published today by the United Nations International Resource Panel highlights how global land consumption is unsustainable in a world of finite resources. [1] The findings echo research by Friends of the Earth Europe on Europe’s global land footprint. [2] Increasing demand for limited land – to grow food, to produce energy and wood, …
No end to hunger and harm caused by biofuels
European Union energy chiefs failed today to limit the quantities of ‘food based’ biofuels allowed in Europe in a key debate in Brussels. The outcome means that plans to prevent biofuels competing with food will be further delayed, pushing more people into hunger and leading to further deforestation. EU energy ministers debated a proposed limit …
Fate of EU biofuels policy hangs in balance – take action
This Friday (November 29) a crucial meeting will take place in Brussels which is likely to determine the fate of the EU’s controversial biofuels policy. The meeting between all EU ambassadors will aim to reach an agreement on how to reform Europe’s failing biofuels policy, which Europe’s energy ministers will then ‘rubber stamp’ when they …
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Commodity Crimes
This report is the result of an investigation into two of the world’s leading distributors of palm oil. It documents the illegal logging of land near protected forests in Indonesia by Bumitama Agri Group. The illegal activities include irregular permits, the encroachment on land which is home to endangered orangutans, and illegal clearing and landgrabbing. The …
