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| Abbreviation | FoEI |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1969 (57 years ago) (1969) |
| Founder |
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| Focus | |
Area served | Global |
| Members | 75 national member groups |
Key people |
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| Volunteers | Some 5,000 local activist groups |
| Website | www |
Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) is an international network of grassrootsenvironmental 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.[2] The organization was founded in 1969 inSan Francisco byDavid Brower, Donald Aitken, and Gary Soucie after Brower's split with theSierra Club[3] because of the latter's positive approach tonuclear energy. It became an international network of organizations in 1971 with a meeting of representatives from four countries:U.S.,Sweden, theUK andFrance.[4]
FoEI currently has a secretariat (based inAmsterdam,Netherlands) which provides support for the network and its agreed major campaigns.[5] The executive committee of elected representatives from national groups sets policy and oversees the work of the secretariat. In 2016,Uruguayan activistKarin Nansen was elected to serve as chair of the organization. Sri Lankan activist Hemantha Withanage has served as chair of FoEI since 2021.[6]
Friends of the Earth International is an international membership organisation, with members spread across the world. Its advocacy programs focus on environmental, economic and social issues, highlighting their political and human rights contexts.
As per its website, the current campaign priorities of Friends of the Earth International are:[7]economic justice and resistingneoliberalism;forests andbiodiversity;food sovereignty; andclimate justice and energy. The campaign priorities of FOEI are set at its bi-annual general meeting. Additionally, FOEI also plans campaigns in other fields, such as waste and overconsumption, international financial institutions, ecological debt,mining andextractive industries, andopposition tonuclear power.[7][8] FOEI has campaigned for the closure of theDiablo Canyon nuclear plant in California.[9] FOEI also supports campaigns from the regions or member groups, such as the one on theconsumption and intensive production of meat (Meat Atlas) byFriends of the Earth Europe.[10]
FOEI claims that it has been successful as it has eliminated billions in taxpayer subsidies to corporate polluters, reformed theWorld Bank to address environmental and human rights concerns, pushed the debate on global warming to pressure the U.S. and U.K. to attempt the best legislation possible, stopped more than 150 destructive dams and water projects worldwide, pressed and won landmark regulations of strip mines and oil tankers and bannedinternational whaling.[11] Its critics claim that the organization tries only to obtain media attention (as by releasing the song "Love Song to the Earth"), but does not stay with locals to actually solve complicated problems, and that it prevents development in developing countries. They have also been critical of its policy to accept high levels of funding from companies and charities related to oil and gas.[12]
One of Friends of the Earth's most recent campaigns and legal battles was the "Shell Case", led byMilieudefensie (Friends of the Earth Netherlands). In 2021, a court in the Netherlands ruled in a landmark case that the oil giant Shell must reduce its emissions in 2030 by 45% compared to 2019 levels. This was the first time that a company had been legally obliged to align its policies with theParis Agreement. This was later overturned in November 2024.[13]
In January 2025 when UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced plans to take onNIMBYs who block major infrastructure projects, such as nuclear power, roads, railway and wind farms, Friends of the Earth criticized Starmer, saying he was scapegoating people with "valid concerns about a project's impact".[14]
The member organization in a particular country may name itself Friends of the Earth or an equivalent translated phrase in the national language, e.g.,Friends of the Earth (US),Friends of the Earth (EWNI) (England Wales and Northern Ireland),Amigos de la Tierra (Spain and Argentina). However, roughly half of the member groups work under their own names, sometimes reflecting an independent origin and subsequent accession to the network, such asPro Natura (Switzerland), theKorean Federation for Environmental Movement, Environmental Rights Action (FOE Nigeria) andWALHI (FOE Indonesia).
Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) is supported by a secretariat based inAmsterdam, and an executive committee known as ExCom.[15] The ExCom is elected by all member groups at ageneral meeting held every two years, and it is the ExCom which employs the secretariat.[16] At the same general meeting, overall policies and priority activities are agreed.
In addition to work which is coordinated at the FoEI level, national member groups are free to carry out their own campaigns and to work bi- or multi-laterally as they see fit, as long as this does not go against agreed policy at the international level.
TheMeat Atlas is an annual report on the methods and impact ofindustrial animal agriculture. The publication consists of 27 short essays and, with the help of graphs, visualises facts about the production and consumption of meat. TheMeat Atlas is jointly published by Friends of the Earth andHeinrich Böll Foundation.[17]
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