Annual Review 2021

Real zero, not ‘net zero‘

We were at COP26 as part of Friends of the Earth International’s global delegation. Despite the restrictions, the climate movement was strong and visible on the streets of Glasgow.

Global Day of Action for Climate Justice. 100,000 people joined the Climate March in Glasgow at COP26. © Hanae Takahashi / Friends of the Earth Japan

Opposition mounts against climate action chiller

The little-known climate-wrecking Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) faced mounting opposition from civil society, MEPs and national governments.

Exit the Energy Charter Treaty action in Brussels. © Friends of the Earth Europe

‘Meat Atlas’ exposes devastating industry

Our trailblazing Meat Atlas revealed the ties between European meat consumption, industrial animal farming, and the global climate and biodiversity crises.

Meat Atlas. © Heinrich Böll / Friends of the Earth Europe

The economy is designed, and we can redesign it!

A common vision for an environmentally and socially just economy.

We campaign for social and environmental justice at the heart of the EU.

We unite more than 30 national groups and thousands of local groups across Europe.

We unite more than 30 national groups and thousands of local groups across Europe.

Jagoda Munic,

Friends of the Earth Europe

May 2022

Creating space for change

We had hoped that 2021 would allow us to put Covid-19 behind us. That was not to be. Wave after wave of the pandemic has taught us many things – about patience and adaptability, organising effectively remotely, the strength and connectedness of Friends of the Earth’s grassroots network, and the centrality of solidarity in response to global challenges. 

The pandemic has shown how Friends of the Earth’s vision and narrative – of interconnected environmental and social justice – is more vital than ever. Indeed, the inequity of access to life-saving Covid-19 vaccines epitomises the injustice at the root of the struggle for a fairer world.

We have seen that ‘building back better’ is not a given. After two years, the rich have become richer and the poor poorer whilst little has been done to address the climate emergency.

Minds are now, rightly, consumed by the horrific illegal war Putin has waged on Ukraine. War is the worst thing that can happen to people and nature. We call for 2022 to be a turning point, away from armed conflict, and away from the fossil fuel era has fuelled conflicts worldwide.

Fierce public campaigning will be needed to gain support for the just solutions – and the inevitable trade-offs – to the multiple interlocking crises we face and to build back fairer, sustainable, peaceful societies.

One vehicle for such campaigning is the European Green Deal. We continued to look at Green Deal proposals through a justice lens and to advocate for progressive policies. A pre-requisite for this must be the removal of obstacles. Our Fossil Free Politics campaign is exposing perhaps the biggest barrier; the stranglehold of fossil fuel corporations.

At the same time, we have witnessed some previously overlooked issues, like energy poverty and agroecology, start to get the public and political attention they deserve. And Young Friends of the Earth Europe have been bringing the voice of youth into the Green Deal debate and opening-up space for transformational and just policy proposals.

Another important truth revealed by the pandemic, is that governments can act fast and implement society-wide changes when there is political will. This learning must be transferred to the climate crisis. The new IPCC reports makes it devastatingly apparent that too much time has been wasted and the only pathways that remain out of climate catastrophe are exceedingly difficult. We need systemic changes to decrease inequality and increase sustainability. This means abandoning the fallacy of market solutions and so-called ‘green’ or ‘sustainable’ growth, as we have advocated in our ‘7 sparks to light a new economy’ paper.

Learning is a principle we seek to apply internally, as well as in what we demand of others. Last year, we trained local organisers to implement community renewables projects across Europe. And we hosted discussions on intersectionality, focusing on gender and racial justice – and developed new alliances in doing so.

Friends of the Earth Europe will continue to learn and to be at the forefront of creating the space for change.

Our Campaigns

Future of Europe

Climate justice and energy

Corporate power

Food, farming and nature

Resource justice

3,300

young people empowered by the Young FoEE SYSTEM:RESET project in 2021

23

people trained to be community organisers for the energy transition in 2021

1,200,000

citizens who signed the ‘Save Bees and Farmers’ citizens initiative

93,342

visits to our new website in 2021

1,740

mentions of FoEE in the press in 2021

Staff Away Day 2021. © Friends of the Earth Europe

Friends of the Earth Europe Executive Committee 2021-2022

Alasdair Roxburgh, Friends of the Earth England, Wales and Northern Ireland – Chair

Akos Éger, Friends of the Earth Hungary – Treasurer

Martin Galea De Giovanni, Friends of the Earth Malta – Secretary

Alexander Fedorov Friends of the Earth Russia – Member

Anna Kárníková, Friends of the Earth Czech Republic – Member

Blanca Ruibal, Friends of the Earth Spain – Member

Lars Igeland, Friends of the Earth Sweden – Member

Ziva Kavka Gobbo, Friends of the Earth Slovenia – Member

Campaign Highlights 2021

Real zero, not ‘net zero‘

We were at COP26 as part of Friends of the Earth International’s global delegation. Despite the restrictions, the climate movement was strong and visible on the streets of Glasgow.

Global Day of Action for Climate Justice. 100,000 people joined the Climate March in Glasgow at COP26. © Hanae Takahashi / Friends of the Earth Japan
This Commission is over-relying on failed market-mechanisms and unproven technofixes to ‘clean’ our polluting and unfair energy system.
Jagoda Munic, Director
in Forbes.

 

The United Nations climate summit, COP26, brought climate justice campaigners from around the world to Glasgow, Scotland. We were there as part of Friends of the Earth International’s global delegation. The conference had been delayed one year by Covid-19, and we were outspoken about the inaccessibility of the talks to delegates from the Global South most impacted by the climate crisis.

Despite the restrictions, the climate movement was strong and visible on the streets of Glasgow. Almost 150,000 people took part in the biggest ever mobilisation for climate justice in the United Kingdom. This was mirrored by marches around the world. We organised stunts inside and outside the conference venue, and called out, imparticular the ‘net zero‘ smokescreen and other greenwashing antics by the countries and industries most responsible for the climate emergency.

Opposition mounts against climate action chiller

The little-known climate-wrecking Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) faced mounting opposition from civil society, MEPs and national governments.

Exit the Energy Charter Treaty action in Brussels. © Friends of the Earth Europe

Leaks from the negotiations to supposedly ‘modernise‘ the treaty revealed that the talks are failing and EU attempts to phase down protection for fossil fuel investments were rejected.

For our first physical stunt since before the pandemic, we brought attention to the ECT by hanging a giant sword of Damocles over bewildered EU politicians to depict how the threat of the treaty is seriously hampering climate action. More than one million people signed the petition calling on countries to pull out of the treaty. And more than 400 civil society organisations signed a statement asking European governments to withdraw. The campaign for a coordinated exit of both the EU and its Member States from the ECT is going strong.

‘Meat Atlas’ exposes devastating industry

Our trailblazing Meat Atlas revealed the ties between European meat consumption, industrial animal farming, and the global climate and biodiversity crises.

Meat Atlas. © Heinrich Böll / Friends of the Earth Europe

Our trailblazing Meat Atlas revealed the ties between European meat consumption, industrial animal farming, and the global climate and biodiversity crises. The publication showed how industrial animal farming is responsible for up to 21% of climate-damaging emissions. It also exposed how 20 meat and dairy firms emit more greenhouse gas than Germany, Britain or France.

The comprehensive and graphical report, produced together with Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, hit the headlines worldwide. It generated more than 350 media articles in 35 countries. It underscored our call for a transition to nature-friendly food and farming in the EU Farm to Fork Strategy and other policies.

The economy is designed, and we can redesign it!

A common vision for an environmentally and socially just economy.

The Von der Leyen Commission’s plan for a circular economy is out of touch with the reality and urgency of the planetary emergency… because it is written to satisfy the demands of endless economic growth, over the needs of people and the natural world.
Meadhbh Bolger, Resource justice campaigner
in Euractiv.

We want to inspire action to wholly transform the current dominant growth-based, capitalist, neoliberal economy. And to dismantle the power structures maintaining and driving it. This economic system is at the root of the destruction of our shared planet and of people.

Over more than a year, we led a bottom-up process of interactive webinars and workshops with our members all over Europe, to develop seven transformational ideas for a new economy for Europe.

It is not a utopian ‘blueprint’ or manual, rather a broad and inspiring vision. We broke down this vision of a new economy into seven parts – seven interdependent areas which together can transform our economy to sustain life within Earth’s limits.

Now we want to galvanise collective action from governments and people to redesign an economy that serves the wellbeing of all and our shared planet.

Read our 7 Sparks to Light a New Economy.