News and Features

Reacting to the Chancellor’s Budget today, Friends of the Earth’s head of policy Mike Childs said:

Research by Friends of the Earth has revealed that creating 250,000 green apprenticeships leading to jobs including in renewable energy, woodland creation, and peatland restoration, would help address the crises in youth unemployment (that could cost today's unemployed young people £39bn in future earnings), and climate breakdown.

Welcoming news that power giant Drax has abandoned plans to build Europe’s biggest gas power plant, Friends of the Earth Yorkshire and Humberside campaigner Simon Bowens said:

Local councils in the north west still have over a billion pounds invested in planet-wrecking fossil fuels through local government pension funds.  Freedom of information requests by environmental campaigners found that, despite decreases in recent years, local government pensions in the north west held over £1.4 Billion of investments …

Friends of the Earth has welcomed Cumbria Council’s decision today to reconsider approval for the a controversial coal mine near Whitehaven.

Responding to today’s warning from leading climate scientist James Hansen that the UK government’s decision to allow a new coal mine to go ahead in Cumbria shows a “contemptuous disregard for the future of young people”

Reacting to news that the government’s flagship environment bill has been delayed, and not expected to become law until the autumn, Friends of the Earth campaigner Kierra Box said

“This is yet another clear warning that climate breakdown is here and the impacts – deadly droughts, terrifying wildfires, devastating storms – are hitting us hard and fast.

Secretary of State Robert Jenrick’s decision to allow a controversial new coal mine in Cumbria to go-ahead hugely undermines UK government claims of global leadership on the climate crisis says Friends of the Earth.

Friends of the Earth has welcomed today’s unanimous decision by Newcastle City Council's planning committee to reject a planning application for an opencast coal mine at Dewley Hill.

Judgment is no ‘green light’ for expansion. It makes clear that full climate considerations remain to be addressed and resolved at the planning stage, where Friends of the Earth will continue the challenge against a third runway

UK government announce it will stop funding oil and gas projects abroad in a victory for climate justice

The advice of the government’s advisory Committee on Climate Change on the Sixth Carbon Budget is published today. Responding, Mike Childs, Head of Science at Friends of the Earth, said:

Groups including Friends of the Earth, Grantham Institute at Imperial College London, ADEPT, and Ashden call for central government to provide more funding and support for local action on climate crisis

The Prime Minister has today (Friday 4 December) announced targets designed to reduce the UK’s emissions by at least 68% by 2030 when compared to 1990 levels. Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) were agreed under the Paris Climate Agreement and commit …

Reacting to the Chancellor’s decision today to cut the overseas aid budget to 0.5% of gross national income in 2021, Friends of the Earth’s International climate campaigner, Rachel Kennerley said