by Gaurav Madan, senior forests and lands campaigner — Agribusiness companies operating in the Brazilian Cerrado continue to drive violence, intimidation, and dispossession against Indigenous leaders, traditional communities and environmental human rights defenders (EHRDs). The Brazilian Cerrado is home to Indigenous, Quilombola (Afro-descendant), and peasant communities that depend on the land for sustenance, culture and livelihood. Known as the…

by Jeff Conant, senior international forests program manager — After more than two years of pressure from Friends of the Earth U.S., in close alliance with WALHI/Friends of the Earth Indonesia, corporations took notice of harmful and abusive practices carried out by Astra Agro Lestari (AAL), one of Indonesia’s largest suppliers of palm oil to the world market. Beginning…

by Adriane J. Busby, senior food and climate policy analyst — Since the campaign trail, President Biden has recognized climate change as “the greatest threat facing our country and our world.” He has touted the Inflation Reduction Act and its investments in underserved communities as a key accomplishment and tried to position the U.S. as a global climate leader. But there’s…

by Kendra Klein, PhD, Deputy Director for Science — Is the world’s most widely used herbicide safe? Pesticide giant Monsanto spent millions on deceptive communications strategies to convince the world that Roundup — and other weedkillers with glyphosate as the active ingredient — is safer than table salt. Yet glyphosate was flagged as having the potential to cause cancer…

By Gaurav Madan, Senior Forests & Lands Campaigner The age-old axiom asks: “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” Indonesian forest-dwelling communities have a question of their own: “If a destructive palm oil company is suspended by…

by Jeff Conant, International Forests Program Director This piece is a set of reflections from Jeff Conant, International Forests Program Director, during a recent trip to Indonesia to meet with local village communities. The village of Air Pahlawan in Sumatra, Indonesia sits amid steep jungled hills two hours’ ride by…

By Paolo Mutia, Food & Agriculture Campaigner Have you ever walked into your favorite grocery store only to see some of your favorite foods missing in the produce section? Unfortunately, this could become commonplace if we don’t end the use of toxic pesticides in our food system. …

by Kendra Klein, PhD, Deputy Director for Science — There would be no apple pie, no tomato sauce for pizza, no coffee for a morning pick-me-up without bees and other pollinators. That’s why Friends of the Earth is fueling a race to the top to save bees from toxic pesticides with our Bee-Friendly Retailer Scorecard. …

by Valerie Zundel, Oceans and Vessels ASM Fellow Ports serve as crucial nodes in the global trade network. Transportation is the leading source of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. Although medium- and heavy-duty trucks used at ports and along freight corridors account for about only 10% of vehicles, they…