Type | Non-governmental organization |
---|---|
Focus | Environmentalism, sustainability, human rights |
Location | |
Area served | Global |
Method | Lobbying, research, direct action |
Members | 33 national member groups |
Key people | Jagoda Munič (Director) David Heller Adrian Bebb Paul de Clerck Agnieszka Komoch |
Website | friendsoftheearth.eu |
Friends of the Earth Europe (FoEE) is the European branch of the world's largest grassroots environmental network, Friends of the Earth International (FOEI). It includes 33 national organizations and thousands of local groups. [1]
The Friends of the Earth Europe office in Brussels fulfills a number of functions. It represents the network's member groups towards the European institutions aiming to influence EU-policymaking; raises public awareness of environmental issues; runs capacity building projects for its membership, and is a secretariat for its 33 national members. The FoEE office is located in a sustainable building housing Belgian and European NGOs near the European Parliament in Brussels. [2]
Country | Name | Website |
---|---|---|
Austria | Global 2000 | |
Belgium (Flanders & Brussels) | Friends of the Earth Vlaanderen & Brussel (Friends of the Earth Flanders & Brussels) | |
Belgium (Wallonia) | Amis de la Terre Belgique | |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | Centar za životnu sredinu (Center for Environment) | |
Bulgaria | Za Zemiata (For the Earth) | |
Croatia | Zelena Akcija (Green Action) | |
Cyprus | Friends of the Earth Cyprus | |
Czech Republic | Hnutí Duha (Rainbow Movement) | |
Denmark | NOAH | |
England/Wales/Northern Ireland (EWNI) | Friends of the Earth (EWNI) | |
Estonia | Eesti Roheline Liikumine (Estonian Green Movement) | |
Finland | Maan ystävät (Friends of the Earth) | |
France | Les Amis de la Terre (Friends of the Earth - France) | |
Georgia | Sakhartvelos Mtsvaneta Modzraoba (Greens Movement of Georgia) | |
Germany | Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland (BUND) | |
Hungary | Magyar Természetvédok Szövetsége (National Society of Conservationists) | |
Ireland | Friends of the Earth | |
Latvia | Zemes Draugi (Friends of the Earth) | |
Lithuania | Lietuvos Zaliuju Judéjimas (Lithuanian Green Movement) | |
Luxembourg | Mouvement Ecologique (Ecological Movement) | |
Macedonia | Dvizhenje na Ekologistite na Makedonija (Ecologists Movement of Macedonia) | |
Malta | Moviment ghall-Ambjent (Friends of the Earth (Malta)) | |
The Netherlands | Vereniging Milieudefensie (Environmental Defence) | |
Norway | Norges Naturvernforbund (Norwegian Society for the Conservation of Nature) | |
Poland | Polski Klub Ekologiczny (Polish Ecological Club) | |
Scotland | Friends of the Earth Scotland | |
Slovakia | Priatelia Zeme Slovensko (Friends of the Earth Slovakia) | |
Slovenia | Focus | |
Spain | Amigos de la Tierra (Friends of the Earth) | |
Sweden | Jordens Vänner (Friends of the Earth) | |
Switzerland | Pro Natura | |
Ukraine | Zelenyi Svit |
The current campaign priorities of Friends of the Earth Europe are:
Friends of the Earth Europe is "working to create the much-needed, fair and urgent transition to a fossil fuel free Europe. It wants to deliver a 100% renewable, no nuclear, super energy-efficient, zero-fossil-fuel Europe by 2030." [3]
The organization calls for radical improvements in energy efficiency, an accelerated phase-out of fossil fuels, a dramatic shift towards community-owned renewable energies, and reduced overall resource consumption and lifestyle changes. This often means targeting extractive industries, especially those who are involved in fracking and tar sands extraction. [4] [5] [6]
The organization has been a key participant in the European movement against GMOs which has been successful in stopping the planting of GM crops across most of Europe. [7]
The organization advocates for more environmentally friendly, equitable and sustainable farming. This includes campaigning to reform the European Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in ways that can mitigate climate change emissions [8] (especially through reducing reliance on soy imports for livestock [9] ), protect biodiversity, and stop the collapse of family farming in Europe's agriculture sector.
FoEE has also been active in its opposition to EU trade deals, such as the CETA agreement with Canada and TTIP with the US, because of a belief that those trade deals do not support human rights and the environment. [10]
One of FoEE's campaigns aims to protect nature and biodiversity by supporting local groups in their preservation initiatives. [11]
Friends of the Earth Europe's economic justice program is occupied with the influence of companies over EU decision-making and the economic, social and environmental consequences of corporate practices. It works to expose cases of corporate capture of EU regulation and examples of the influence of corporate interests over EU policy process which often results in a lack of regulation or weak regulation. [12] [13] [14]
The program looks into the issue of European companies which have subsidiaries outside of Europe. Such subsidiaries of multinational companies often fail to respect EU laws and workers’ rights when operating abroad, and victims too often do not have access to justice. It campaigns for guarantees that companies abide by the same safety and social standards for their workers and facilities outside of Europe as in Europe; and that European companies are held accountable for their practices outside of Europe, in particular in cases of abuses. [15]
In the area of lobby transparency, FoEE looks at how companies exert their influence over and sometimes directly shape decision-making in the EU. It campaigns in favor of transparency in business influence and more balanced representation of stakeholders in EU policy making. FoEE has been active in exposing cases of revolving door scandals, misleading lobby registrations and deceptive lobby practices. It has been lobbying EU Commission and Parliament in favor of stricter EU legislation in order to close the current loopholes and prevent such scandals. [16]
FoEE recognizes and promotes the environmental, economic and social benefits of reducing Europe's resource consumption. They focus on reducing Europe's land, water, materials and carbon use – including the embedded resources Europe consumes beyond its borders. [17] [18] [19]
The organization promotes the reuse and recycling of materials, opposes incineration, and is calling for the full implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and the EU 2030 Agenda. [20]
FoEE's School of Sustainability project is inspired by the Latin American Escuela de la Sustentabilidad. Driven by popular education techniques, the project aims to strengthen the regional network of Friends of the Earth Europe, and create common political analyses for a system of change from environmental justice and human rights abuses to challenging power. [21]
FoEE is an active member of many coalitions working on environmental issues in Europe including:
In 2007 a youth network called Young Friends of the Earth Europe (YFoEE), was established by national Young Friends of the Earth groups affiliated to FoE member groups. YFoEE is an autonomous and self organised youth-led network, with structures and ways of working set and led by young people, yet retains strong links to Friends of the Earth Europe and the Friends of the Earth International Federation and their mission, vision and values. [24]
The YFoEE network unites youth organisations and youth groups working on social and environmental justice in Europe, and runs campaigning and educational activities for young people on a European level. It consists of youth member groups in 15 countries from both EU and Non EU countries, including Natur og Ungdom (Norway), [25] BUNDjugend (Germany) [26] or YFoE Ukraine. [27]
The key campaigning topic of the network since 2007 has been advocating for climate justice, in particular opposing what it considers to be false solutions to climate change, [28] such as nuclear energy, [29] [30] and educating young people to create a youth movement for climate justice. In 2010, YFoEE hosted a parallel convergence to the COP16 UN Climate Talks in Cancún, Mexico, in Brussels, Belgium as an alternative forum to the International political negotiations and to build the regional European Youth Climate Movement. [31]
YFoEE has been active as part of the Youth Climate Movement and youth delegation at the UNFCCC international climate negotiations, and is one of the founding members of European Youth Climate Movement. [32]
The YFoEE network is supported by a secretariat in the office of FoEE in Brussels, and coordinated by a Steering Group of 8 volunteers, elected from the YFoEE network annually at the Annual General Meeting. Campaigns and events are led and developed by individual volunteers and representatives of member groups who make up working groups. [33]
Friends of the Earth Europe receives funding from a variety of government and non-government sources. These include the European Commission under the ‘LIFE+ regulation’, the European Climate Foundation, Oak Foundation, and Isvara Foundation, amongst others. It also gets membership fees from national Friends of the Earth groups. [34]
Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) is an international network of grassroots environmental organizations in 73 countries. About half of the member groups call themselves "Friends of the Earth" in their own languages; the others use other names. The organization was founded in 1969 in San Francisco by David Brower, Donald Aitken, and Gary Soucie after Brower's split with the Sierra Club because of the latter's positive approach to nuclear energy. It became an international network of organizations in 1971 with a meeting of representatives from four countries: U.S., Sweden, the UK and France.
Lobbying is a form of advocacy, which lawfully attempts to directly influence legislators or government officials, such as regulatory agencies or judiciary. Lobbying involves direct, face-to-face contact and is carried out by various entities, including individuals acting as voters, constituents, or private citizens; corporations pursuing their business interests; non-profits and NGOs through advocacy groups to achieve their missions; and legislators or government officials influencing each other in legislative affairs.
Greenwashing, also called green sheen, is a form of advertising or marketing spin that deceptively uses green PR and green marketing to persuade the public that an organization's products, goals, or policies are environmentally friendly. Companies that intentionally adopt greenwashing communication strategies often do so to distance themselves from their environmental lapses or those of their suppliers. Firms engage in greenwashing for two primary reasons: to appear legitimate and to project an image of environmental responsibility to stakeholders.
BUNDjugend is the youth organisation of the Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland (BUND). As an environmental youth organization BUNDjugend is fighting for the protection of nature and environment. BUNDjugend was founded in 1984 and is divided into different state organizations. All members of the BUND under the age of 27 are automatically members of BUNDjugend without extra membership fees. At the moment there are approximately 43,000 active members.
Monica Frassoni is an Italian politician who served as a Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2009 and as co-chair of the European Green Party from 2009 to 2019. In 2018, she was elected at the local Council of Ixelles in the Brussels Region, representing the Ecolo party.
Friends of the Earth U.S. is a non-governmental environmental organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., founded in 1969 by environmentalist David Brower. Friends of the Earth U.S. campaigns on issues including climate change, pollution, nuclear technology, genetic engineering, deforestation, pesticides, food and agriculture and economic policy. It is a founding member of Friends of the Earth International.
The American Chamber of Commerce to the European Union (AmCham EU) is a Belgium-based committee of companies that lobbies in the European Union for US companies and companies with US business ties. It is a member of Amchams in Europe (ACE), an umbrella organization of related committees.
The fossil fuels lobby includes paid representatives of corporations involved in the fossil fuel industry, as well as related industries like chemicals, plastics, aviation and other transportation. Because of their wealth and the importance of energy, transport and chemical industries to local, national and international economies, these lobbies have the capacity and money to attempt to have outsized influence on governmental policy. In particular, the lobbies have been known to obstruct policy related to environmental protection, environmental health and climate action.
Milieudefensie is a Dutch environmental organisation, founded on 6 January 1971, by a group of scientists in response to a report by the Club of Rome. It is the Dutch branch of Friends of the Earth. Milieudefensie is part of the 30 national organisations that Friends of the Earth Europe represents and unites at the European level.
Moviment għall-Ambjent, Friends of the Earth Malta, formerly known as Żgħażagħ għall-Ambjent, is a committee of environmental activists in Malta. The group was first set up as an umbrella organisation for various youth and environmental groups but soon developed into its present form.
The Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) is a non-profit research and campaign group whose declared aim is to "expose any effects of corporate lobbying on EU policy making". It is based in Brussels.
Fern is a Dutch foundation created in 1995. It is an international Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) set up to keep track of the European Union's (EU) involvement in forests and coordinate NGO activities at the European level. Fern works to protect forests and the rights of people who depend on them.
Power Shift Network is a North American non-profit organization made up of a network of youth-led social and environmental justice organizations working together to build the youth clean energy and climate movement. It runs campaigns in the United States and Canada to build grassroots power and advocate for tangible changes on climate change and social justice at local, state, national and international levels in North America. The organization changed its name from Energy Action Coalition in July 2016 in order to reflect its new leadership and it shift from a coalition to a network structure. The Power Shift Network's members, which include other non-profit organizations and student groups focused on environmental justice, social justice, and climate change, focus their organizing and campaigns on campuses, communities, corporate practices, and politics. The Power Shift Network is part of the Global Youth Climate Movement.
Friends of the Earth (FoE) Australia is a federation of independent local groups working for a socially equitable and environmentally sustainable future. It believes that pursuing environmental protection is inseparable from broader social concerns, and as a result uses an environmental justice perspective in its campaigning. It was founded in 1974 and is the Australian member of Friends of the Earth International.
The Youth Climate Movement (YouNGO) or International Youth Climate Movement (IYCM) refers to an international network of youth organisations that collectively aims to inspire, empower and mobilise a generational movement of young people to take positive action on climate change.
Young Friends of the Earth Europe (YFoEE) is a grassroots network of young people and youth organisations working together on social and environmental justice issues. It works collectively on the local, national and European level, to inspire young people, organise actions and events and get attention in the media, in politics and among the general public on issues important to young people.
ClientEarth is an environmental law charity, with offices in London, Brussels, Warsaw, Berlin, Beijing, Madrid and Los Angeles. It was founded in 2008 by James Thornton and the organisation's CEO is Laura Clarke. As lawyers and environmental experts, they use the law to hold governments and other companies to account over climate change, nature loss, and pollution.
CIDSE, which is short for "Coopération Internationale pour le Développement et la Solidarité", is an international family of Catholic social justice organisations from Europe and North America and its international secretariat is based in Brussels.
CEE Bankwatch Network is a global network which operates in central and eastern Europe. There are 17 member groups, multiple non-governmental organizations based in different locations; the network is one of the largest networks of environmental NGOs in central and eastern Europe. Bankwatch's headquarters rest in Prague, Czech Republic.
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