Experts

The resources here are specifically designed for use by experts.

Briefings

Agrofuels: Fuelling or Fooling Europe?
(PDF† 174K) October 2007
Friends of the Earth Europe's position on agrofuels/biofuels.

The use of palm oil for biofuel and as biomass for energy
(PDF† 67K) August 2006
Friends of the Earth's position on the use of palm oil for biofuel and as biomass for energy.

European League Table of Imports of Illegal Tropical Timber
(PDF format - 620K) August 2001
The UK is the worst importer of illegally sourced timber in the EU.

The Environmental Threats of the Kielder Transfer Scheme
October 1997
Inter-river transfers are used to redistribute water from areas of surplus supply to those where there is a
shortage of water. Such projects may cause serious environmental and social impacts.

Sustainability and Logging In Canada's Forests
October 1997
This briefing examines the current forest management practices in Canada and assesses whether they are sustainable.

Sustainability and the Trade in Tropical Rainforest Timber
October 1997
The purpose of this briefing is to describe some of the underlying technical issues concerning 'sustainability' in tropical forests and thus to assess the validity of claims currently being made by companies involved in the trade in tropical timbers.

Lost at sea? - Shoreline management plans and coastal defences
August 1997
This briefing reviews progress of the first set of plans in their attempts to ensure habitat compensation for the inevitable losses that lie ahead.

The environmental consequences of pulp and paper manufacture
October 1996
The aim of this briefing is to provide a general understanding of the processes and issues associated with the paper manufacturing process

Environmental assessment of drought orders and permits
July 1996
Drought orders, emergency measures for use in times of drought, are being abused to meet rising demands for water.

Out of the woods - Reducing wood consumption to save the world's forests
April 1995
The UK is one of the world's largest importers of wood
products from the temperate and boreal forests of North America and Scandinavia, as well as the tropical rainforests.

Consultation Responses

Environmental Liability Directive
(PDF† format 63K)
February 2007
Friends of the Earth's response to DEFRA's Consultation on options for implementing the
Environmental Liability Directive.

Sustainable forestry in the UK
August 1995
Friends of the Earth's Paper to the Government Panel on Sustainable Development - Forests

Reports

Sustainability as a smokescreen
(PDF† 1.4MB) May 2008
An assessment of the expected effectiveness of applying sustainability criteria to agrofuel and animal feedstock production in the Mercosur region.

Executive Summary - Losing Ground: The human rights impacts of oil palm plantation expansion in Indonesia
(PDF† 153K) February 2008
This report by Friends of the Earth, Sawit Watch and LifeMosaic has revealed how Indonesian government policies and palm oil industry practices are harming the rights of local communities and indigenous peoples. This summary highlights the importance of these findings to policy makers in Europe and argues that in the face of such evidence, targets to increase agrofuel use in the UK and the rest of the EU are misguided, risking environmental damage and human rights abuses on an even bigger scale.

Can't see the forest for the TR€£$
(PDF† format 1450K) November 2005
This report looks at how trade talks to open up markets for timber and wood products could speed up destruction of the world's forests, devastating the livelihoods of millions of the poorest people in the world and undermining efforts to tackle climate change.

The oil for ape scandal: How palm oil is threatening the orang-utan
(PDF† 448K) Sept 2005
This summary report links the demand for palm oil to the impending extinction of the orang-utan, rainforest destruction and human rights abuses.

Greasy Palms - The social and ecological impacts of large-scale oil palm plantation developmen in Southeast Asia
(PDF - 767K) January 2005
This report looks into the social and environmental impacts of the palm oil industry in Southeast Asia.

Greasy palms - Palm Oil, The Environment and Big Business
(PDF - 832K) March 2004
Palm oil, the hidden ingredient in thousands of everyday products, is driving rainforest destruction. This report summarises the connection between palm oil, the environment and big business.

Greasy palms - European buyers of Indonesian palm oil
(PDF - 508K) March 2004
This report covers a research project undertaken for Friends of the Earth in 2003 into the palm oil industry in South East Asia, its links to the European market and the involvement of European companies in the palm oil trade.

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