mobilise, resist, transform and successes 40 years of struggles

The report documents various environmental and social justice campaigns led by Friends of the Earth (FoE) member groups across the globe. Key achievements include the 2008 UK Climate Change Act, a ban on open-pit metal mining in Costa Rica (2010), and the cessation of commercial whaling in Spain (1985). The document also details ongoing resistance against coal-fired power plants in Germany and Scotland, gas flaring in Nigeria, and the impact of large-scale dams in Mozambique, South Korea, and the Philippines. It emphasizes a strategy of combining grassroots mobilization, legal challenges, and international solidarity to combat corporate globalization and protect indigenous and community rights.

• In 2010, Costa Rica became the first country in Latin America to ban all new open-pit metal mining projects, following a unanimous vote by the legislative assembly and a preceding executive decree by President Laura Chinchilla.
• The United Kingdom passed the world's first Climate Change Act in 2008, which established legally binding targets for greenhouse gas emissions cuts.
• Friends of the Earth Germany/BUND successfully stopped the construction of 15 coal-fired power plants across Germany using legal challenges and grassroots resistance.
• In Nigeria, the Federal High Court ruled in November 2005 that gas flaring in the Iwherekan community was unconstitutional as it violated constitutional rights to life and dignity.
• Spain ended commercial whaling in 1985, following a campaign by Friends of the Earth Spain that utilized its observer status at the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to pressure the government.
• Uruguay achieved a landmark victory in 2004 when 64.7% of voters approved a Constitutional Reform in Defence of Water, establishing water as a human right.
• In the European Union, lobbying and public opposition led to a de facto moratorium on new genetically modified (GMO) crops and foods starting in 1998.
• In Argentina, a law was approved on September 30, 2010, to protect glaciers from mining and ensure climate change policies align with glacier preservation.
• The International Maritime Organization (IMO) approved new rules on March 26, 2010, to reduce shipping emissions, which will require ships within 200 miles of US shores to cut air pollution by 80% or more by 2015.
• In Bangladesh, the High Court ruled in 2009 that all ship-breaking yards operating without environmental clearance must close, and banned the import of vessels not pre-cleaned of hazardous materials.

APA

Friends of the Earth International (2011). mobilise, resist, transform and successes 40 years of struggles. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/40-years-of-struggles-and-successes.pdf

Chicago

Friends of the Earth International. mobilise, resist, transform and successes 40 years of struggles. 2011. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/40-years-of-struggles-and-successes.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Friends of the Earth International |title=mobilise, resist, transform and successes 40 years of struggles |date=2011 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/40-years-of-struggles-and-successes.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{friendsoftheearthinternational2011mobilise, author = {{Friends of the Earth International}}, title = {{mobilise, resist, transform and successes 40 years of struggles}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2011}, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/40-years-of-struggles-and-successes.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }