International

This 2004 report by Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) argues that environmental rights are fundamental human rights, essential for survival, health, and dignity. It documents numerous global case studies where neoliberal economic globalization and corporate activities have led to the violation of these rights, including the displacement of indigenous peoples, toxic pollution, and the privatization of water. The document advocates for a framework of environmental justice, the recognition of new rights for climate refugees, and the enforcement of corporate accountability through legal mechanisms and international norms.

• Friends of the Earth International defines environmental rights as the access to unspoiled natural resources necessary for survival—specifically land, shelter, food, water, and air—as well as ecological rights and political rights, such as the right to information, participation in decision-making, and the right to resist unwanted developments.
• The report identifies a systemic link between environmental rights violations and the marginalization of specific groups, stating that the most severe violations are typically inflicted on people whose civil, political, social, and economic rights are already disregarded.
• In Argentina's Salta province, the indigenous Ava Guarani people have faced violent evictions and displacement from their ancestral lands to make way for sugar plantations and refineries operated by the San Martin del Tabacal company and the US-based Seaboard Corporation.
• The report documents severe health and environmental damage in Curaçao caused by Royal Dutch Shell's oil refinery operations, noting that pollutants were approximately four times higher than maximum concentrations accepted elsewhere in the world as of 1983.
• In Colombia, the aerial spraying of glyphosate (marketed by Monsanto) as part of Plan Colombia has been criticized for devastating ecosystems and harming the health of farmers and indigenous communities, with reports of ocular and cutaneous afflictions.
• The report highlights the struggle against water privatization, citing the 1999 privatization of water services in Cochabamba, Bolivia, by the Aguas del Tunari consortium, which led to a 300 percent price increase and subsequent massive public uprisings that forced the company to leave.
• The report argues that climate change is creating a new class of 'climate refugees' or 'ecologically displaced people,' estimating that up to 150 million people could be displaced within 50 years, though they currently lack recognition and protection from the UNHCR.
• FoEI advocates for the recognition of 'ecological debt,' which is the cumulative result of resource plundering, biodiversity loss, and climate change caused by industrialized northern countries and owed to the people of the South.
• The report describes 'environmental racism' as a phenomenon where toxic facilities and pollution disproportionately target communities of color, citing the RSR Corporation lead smelter in West Dallas, Texas, as a primary example.
• In the Niger Delta, the report condemns the continuous flaring of natural gas by companies such as Shell, ExxonMobil, and ChevronTexaco, stating that Nigeria contributed approximately 20% of global flaring in the late 1990s.

APA

Friends of the Earth International (2004). International. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/our-environment-our-rights.pdf

Chicago

Friends of the Earth International. International. 2004. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/our-environment-our-rights.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Friends of the Earth International |title=International |date=August 2004 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/our-environment-our-rights.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{friendsoftheearthinternational2004international, author = {{Friends of the Earth International}}, title = {{International}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2004}, month = aug, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/our-environment-our-rights.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }