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 …
Conference: Reducing Europe’s land dependency and its impacts
On the 3rd December, Friends of the Earth Europe will be holding a conference discussing the causes of, and solutions too, Europe’s excessive land footprint. The half-day conference, ‘Resource Efficiency in Europe: reducing Europe’s land dependency and its impacts’, taking place in the conference hall of The Press Club, Rue Froissart 95, Brussels, will discuss the …
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Biomass ‘dirtier than coal’
Burning whole trees in power stations can be dirtier than coal, concludes a new report in the UK by Friends of the Earth, the RSPB, and Greenpeace. Using the UK government’s own data, the report ‘Dirtier Than Coal, finds that electricity generated by burning conifer trees could increase greenhouse gas emissions by 80% compared to …
Biofuels capped but still likely to starve and pollute
Reforms announced today by the European Commission will not stop biofuels pushing up food prices and accelerating climate change, says Friends of the Earth Europe. [1] The proposals include a 5% cap on crop-based biofuels, which goes some way to controlling the quantity of crops which will be used for fuel. But, this limit is …
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Barroso must not back away from biofuels reform
Brussels, 15 October – EU chiefs must follow through with plans to slash biofuel use, Friends of the Earth Europe warned today as crucial decisions on biofuels policy reform are taken by European Commissioners in Brussels. The warning comes on the eve of World Food Day, against the backdrop of a looming food crisis – …
The role of company reporting in resource efficiency
A new briefing published today aims to highlight the substantial gains companies can make by improving their use of resources. The recommendations come as the European Commission prepares to publish new draft legislation on Non Financial Reporting by companies (expected by the end of 2012). Friends of the Earth Europe considers that this is a …
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