As UN climate negotiations closed among terrible floods in Southern Germany and Eastern Europe, civil society observers warned that the European Union had a lot of work ahead to make November’s annual UN climate summit in Warsaw, Poland, a success. “This week one of the most conservative bodies in the world, the International Energy Agency, warned we are on track to risk … [Read more...]
Pushing every button for sustainability
Imagine opening a newspaper and reading that across the world, fish stocks are recovering, that forests are growing back, that droughts and extreme weather events are declining, that carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are dropping, that oceanic dead zones are regenerating and that threatened species are bouncing back. That’s what John Elkington (pictured) describes when … [Read more...]
UN climate talks set to agree: do nothing
Members of the civil society have reacted angrily at the manner at which the latest round of UN climate talks in Bangkok ended and said it is apparent that the annual UN summit in Doha later this year would approve a plan to take no further action on climate change this decade. Coming after a series of devastating extreme weather events linked to climate change, such as … [Read more...]
Rio+20 an epic fail, say civil society groups
As Rio+20 came to a close earlier this week, civil society groups from across the globe were quick to condemn world leaders - particularly from rich countries - for failing to live up to their promises or offer new vision. "Just like in climate negotiations, the EU dresses up its own economic interests as ambitious new ideas when in reality they came without the political … [Read more...]
GM giant BASF leaves Europe
Friends of the Earth International is delighted to hear that Germany-based BASF is halting the development and commercialisation of genetically modified (GM) crops in Europe. Keeping Europe GM-free Speaking on 16 January, the day of the announcement, Adrian Bebb, from Friends of the Earth Europe said: "This is another nail in the coffin for genetically modified foods in … [Read more...]
