Search Climate Insights Directory

The report examines the role of hydropower in Latin America and the Caribbean's transition to low-carbon development. While the region relies heavily on hydropower—supplying 46% of its electricity—climate change poses risks through glacier retreat and precipitation variability. The authors advocate for integrated planning using the WEAP and LEAP tools to manage the water-energy nexus and navigate tradeoffs between hydropower, biofuels, and other water demands.

Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) documents global campaigns where local and Indigenous communities use collective rights to oppose corporate-led extractive and agricultural projects. The report highlights legal battles against dams in Malaysia and oil pollution in Nigeria, resistance to tar sands in North America, and the promotion of community-based forest governance and food sovereignty in regions such as Indonesia, Cameroon, and Latin America.

The document outlines various international efforts to protect the ancestral and collective rights of local communities and Indigenous Peoples. It highlights resistance against large-scale industrial projects, such as the Bakun dam in Malaysia, mining in the Philippines and Costa Rica, and oil sands extraction in Canada and the US. The report also discusses community-based forest governance in Indonesia and Cameroon, the promotion of food sovereignty through local markets in Colombia and seed banks in Uruguay, and the fight against genetically modified organisms (GMOs) globally. It argues that community rights serve as a legal and social tool to resist corporate dominance and transition toward environmentally sustainable and socially just societies.

The report presents a series of case studies from FOE member groups in Nigeria, Uganda, Indonesia, Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, the United States, Guatemala, and Switzerland. It highlights the conflict between industrial agricultural models—characterized by monocultures, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and land grabbing—and community-led efforts to maintain agroecological practices, preserve native seeds, and secure land rights. The document argues that food sovereignty is inextricably linked to the protection of forests and biodiversity, and it showcases various strategies for resistance, including community-based conservation, the creation of alternative markets, and legal initiatives to prevent urban sprawl and industrial land use.

This report by Friends of the Earth International compiles experiences from Nigeria, Uganda, Indonesia, Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, the USA, Guatemala, and Switzerland. It argues that food sovereignty is inseparable from the protection of biodiversity and forests, and it documents how local communities—including indigenous peoples and peasant farmers—resist monocultures, land grabbing, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) through agroecology, seed conservation, and community-based land management.

The document presents a collection of case studies from Friends of the Earth International member groups, highlighting the intrinsic link between biodiversity and food sovereignty. It examines the negative impacts of industrial monocultures, land grabbing, and genetic modification in countries such as Nigeria, Uganda, Indonesia, Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, the USA, Guatemala, and Switzerland. Each case study emphasizes the role of local and indigenous knowledge, the importance of seed saving, and the necessity of community-led land management to resist corporate-driven agricultural systems and environmental degradation.

The document argues that the dominant agro-industrial model, driven by profit and export, marginalizes rural women by ignoring their role in social reproduction and denying them land rights. Through testimonies from the Global South, it illustrates how corporate land grabbing and state complicity lead to economic displacement and environmental degradation. In response, rural women are organizing through movements like La Via Campesina to promote food sovereignty, preserve ancestral seeds, and implement agro-ecological alternatives to ensure the sustainability of life and biodiversity.

The document argues that rural women in the Global South face severe gender-based inequality, including restricted land access and economic exploitation, which is exacerbated by a corporate-led agribusiness model. It highlights how this model causes environmental destruction and social displacement, disproportionately affecting women who are often the primary preservers of biodiversity and traditional seeds. Through testimonies from regions such as Nigeria, Indonesia, and Latin America, the report details the 'work overload' women face as they manage both social reproduction and agricultural production, often without recognition or fair pay. It advocates for 'food sovereignty'—the right of peoples to control their own seeds, lands, and food production—as a political and practical alternative to the industrial model. The report concludes that rural women are leading resistance through agro-ecological practices, political self-organisation, and the preservation of ancestral knowledge to ensure the sustainability of human life.

Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) is a global federation of 76 autonomous environmental groups with over 2 million members. Founded in 1971, the organization has evolved from a small group of activists into a decentralized network that prioritizes environmental and social justice. FoEI's current strategy, 'mobilise, resist, transform', focuses on challenging the neoliberal economic model, which it identifies as the driver of climate change, biodiversity loss, and resource depletion. The federation advocates for key concepts such as 'environmental space', 'ecological debt', and 'food sovereignty' to create sustainable societies. Its work spans several core areas, including climate and energy justice, forest protection, food sovereignty, and resisting extractive industries like mining, oil, and gas.

The document outlines the 40-year history and strategic framework of Friends of the Earth International (FoEI), a global federation of 76 member groups. It argues that environmental destruction, poverty, and human rights violations are systemic issues rooted in a neoliberal economic model. FoEI's approach focuses on 'mobilizing, resisting, and transforming' through key concepts such as climate justice, ecological debt, and food sovereignty. The report details specific campaigns against extractive industries, GMOs, and deforestation, while highlighting the role of grassroots activism and international solidarity in achieving policy changes and protecting indigenous rights.

Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) marks 40 years as a global federation of 76 member groups and over 2 million collaborators. The organization advocates for environmental and social justice by opposing neoliberal economic models and 'false solutions' to the climate crisis. Its strategic framework focuses on three pillars: mobilizing public support, resisting the root causes of environmental degradation, and transforming societies through concepts like ecological debt, food sovereignty, and climate justice. FoEI's work spans diverse sectors, including opposing industrial mining and fossil fuels, protecting biodiversity and forests, and promoting sustainable, local food systems.

The report criticizes the World Bank for its continued investment in 'dirty energy' and its leadership in expanding carbon markets. It highlights specific projects, such as the Medupi coal plant in South Africa and the Nam Theun 2 dam in Laos, as evidence of environmental and social harm. The document further contends that the Bank's promotion of REDD and carbon offsets leads to the privatization of forests and the marginalization of indigenous rights, while its role as an interim trustee for the Green Climate Fund is viewed as undemocratic and conflicted.

The report criticizes the World Bank for its continued funding of coal-fired power plants and large hydropower projects, which it claims lock developing nations into high-carbon futures and cause significant social and environmental harm. It specifically highlights the Medupi plant in South Africa and the Tata Mundra plant in India as examples of 'dirty energy' investment. The document also attacks the Bank's role in expanding carbon markets and REDD schemes, arguing that these mechanisms privatize forests, marginalize Indigenous peoples, and allow rich nations to avoid real emission cuts. Finally, it expresses concern over the Bank's role as the interim trustee of the Green Climate Fund, citing a lack of democratic accountability and a poor track record on social justice.

The report details the outcomes of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) programs, specifically the Cooperative Research Networks (CRN II), Small Grants Program for Human Dimensions (SGP-HD), and an IDRC-funded project on the Río de la Plata basin. Key findings highlight the vulnerability of Andean cloud forests, the impact of land-use changes on hydrology in the Río de la Plata basin, and the increasing frequency of hurricanes in the Caribbean. The document emphasizes the 'value added' by integrating social and economic sciences (Human Dimensions) to bridge the gap between scientific research and policy implementation, citing specific influences on forest protection laws in Brazil and glacier protection legislation in Argentina.

The document examines the critical role of MRV in the successful implementation of REDD+, highlighting the need for standardized forest definitions and robust Reference Emission Levels (RELs). It discusses the 'nested approach' to link subnational and national monitoring, the trade-offs between cost and accuracy across IPCC reporting tiers, and the institutional and technical capacity gaps in developing countries. Using examples from Indonesia, Brazil, and others, it argues for inclusive, transparent, and potentially regionalized MRV frameworks to ensure the credibility of carbon credits.

The IAI is transitioning toward a 'Center of Excellence' model for water security, headquartered at the University of Arizona and the Universidad Católica de Santiago, to better integrate transdisciplinary research on hydrology and climate. Scientific synthesis has highlighted that biophysical changes in land use, such as albedo and evapotranspiration, are as critical as biogeochemical effects. The Institute has expanded its capacity-building through training institutes in Argentina, Chile, and Paraguay, focusing on seasonal climate predictions and urban responses to climate change. Administratively, the IAI faces significant instability due to personnel contracting issues in Brazil and a lack of official response from the Brazilian government regarding host country agreement amendments, leading the Executive Board to seek alternative host countries.

The IAI Directorate Report for 2011 details the transition toward establishing 'Centers of Excellence' for water security, the synthesis of research on land-use and climate interactions, and the implementation of regional training institutes. It highlights scientific findings on the importance of climate volatility over long-term trends and the role of biophysical changes in land-use. The report also addresses significant operational challenges in Brazil, including staffing instability and unresolved host country agreement amendments, while noting renewed financial and political engagement from several member countries.

In this 2011 commencement speech at the University of California at Berkeley, Amory Lovins advocates for "applied hope"—a pragmatic, action-oriented approach to solving global crises. He argues that the most effective way to improve the future is through tangible, scalable solutions that leverage resource efficiency to turn scarcity into abundance. Lovins envisions a future where oil, coal, and nuclear energy are phased out in favor of energy efficiency, distributed renewables, and combined-heat-and-power, leading to stabilized global climates and the end of energy-driven conflicts.

The report details the progress of the Second Collaborative Research Network (CRNII), the Small Grants Program for Human Dimensions (SGP-HD), and an IDRC-funded project on the La Plata Basin. Key findings include the impact of land-use change on hydrology in the La Plata Basin, the vulnerability of Andean cloud forests and glaciers, and the development of urban pollution forecasting for Latin American cities. The document emphasizes the role of 'Human Dimensions' projects in bridging the science-policy divide, providing evidence for forest protection laws in Brazil and Argentina, and improving water management strategies in Chile and Mexico. It also highlights the capacity building achieved through scholarships and workshops for over 1,600 students across the programs.

The report details the progress of the Second Collaborative Research Network (CRNII), the Small Grants Program for the Human Dimensions (SGP-HD), and an IDRC-funded project on the La Plata Basin. It highlights the integration of social and economic research into natural sciences to bridge the science-policy divide, resulting in 343 joint scientific publications and significant capacity building for over 1,600 students. Key findings include the impact of land-use change on hydrology in the La Plata Basin, the vulnerability of Andean cloud forests and glaciers, and the influence of ocean currents on fisheries and carbon sequestration in the South Atlantic. The document also notes direct policy contributions, such as informing the National Glacier Protection Law in Argentina and updating urban decontamination plans in Bogotá and Medellín.