Earth Alarm - Writing letters for the environment

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Earth Alarm #121, December 2009

For years, Shell has been promising to stop flaring gas in Nigeria. But year after year, Shell continues to break this promise. And it looks like that’s going to happen again this year. Gas flaring is a huge problem for people in the Niger Delta. It is also a significant source of greenhouse gases. Therefore, now that the climate is high on the political agenda, call on Shell to finally stop flaring this gas.

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Earth Alarm #120, September 2009

Help the Penan in Malaysia in their protest against logging

The Penan indigenous people in the Malaysia have been setting up blockades near their villages to protect the forests from advancing loggers. You can help the Penan by calling on the Malaysian embassy to support the Penan’s demands to respect their rights and stop the large-scale logging on their homelands.

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Earth Alarm #118, June 2009
Peter Voser, seize your opportunity!

Friends of the Earth Netherlands calls on the new CEO Peter Voser, who takes over in July, to break through the present impasse and to take responsibility for the problems which Shell is causing all over the world. Milieudefensie also wants Voser to take steps to reduce conflicts in the Niger Delta, such as to stop flaring gas immediately and to clean up all oil leaks.

You can help by sending a letter to Peter Voser. You can send a letter online or you can download the example letter and send it signed to the address indicated on the letter. Thank you!

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Earth Alarm #117, May 2009
Ahold: stop greenwashing soy

Expanding soy plantations threaten South American forests. The 'Roundtable'on soy does not solve these issues. Demand that retail multinational Ahold works on real solutions instead of greenwashing soy. Its supermarkets should quit selling meat reared on this destructive soy feed.

Earth Alarm #114, June 2008
Biofuels: Show Brussels the way!

Biofuels policy is largely determined in Brussels. The coming weeks are crucial, so let your voice be heard! Ask European parliament member Dorette Corbey to say 'No' to a requirement that damages peoples, environment and the climate.

Earth Alarm Indonesia #113, February 2008
Stop misuse of farmland for agrofuels!

Stimulating the use of agrofuels, also known as biofuels, without sufficiently guaranteeing sustainability will not solve the climate problem: using today's agrofuels does little to reduce CO2. Moreover, large-scale plantations, such as for palm oil, lead to deforestation, social problems and water shortages. Nonetheless, Dutch and European leaders still have their hopes set on adding agrofuels to petrol and diesel fuels. Call on Minister Cramer and Minister Van der Hoeven to scrap mandatory fuel blending!

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Worldwide deforestation is continuing at a rapid pace. The results are extinction of plant and animal species and increased poverty for people who are dependent on the forests. Illegal logging is one of the principal causes of deforestation. A great deal of that illegally harvested wood enters Europe. For years the European Union has been discussing how to combat trade in this illegal wood. Now the moment has finally arrived for action.

The Netherlands is a large-scale importer of Brazilian soy from areas where illegal deforestation, slavery and violent land expropriation take place. Most of this soy is used tofeed pigs and chickens on Dutch factory farms. With the support of 106,970 people, Milieudefensie [Friends of the Earth Netherlands] and Jongeren Milieu Actief [JMA: Milieudefensie’s independent organisation for youth] have brought a citizen’s initiative on the future of livestock farming.

In early June, the 14th conference of the 'Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora' (CITES) will be held in The Hague. CITES is a convention which regulates international trade in endangered species. The African elephant and the gorilla are thus among the species on the CITES list. In this way CITES protects plants and animals from extinction. There are now opportunities within CITES to impact on international trade in destructively and illegally logged wood. Ministers from all participating countries will be discussing this subject. Milieudefensie calls upon them to place more tree species on the CITES list and to significantly increase the enforcement of CITES.

Earth Alarm #109 from Nigeria

On 1 February 2007 Shell announced its annual profits for 2006, and again breaking a record: 25.4 billion dollars. Milieudefensie [Friends of the Earth Netherlands] believes that Shell should invest its profits in cleaning up the mess that the company’s projects cause throughout the world.

Shell is one of the largest oil producers in the world. For years the company’s activities in various countries have caused many environmental and social problems. From Brazil to the Philippines, from Nigeria to Ireland: in each of these places coalitions of environmental organisations, indigenous peoples and the local population have joined together to fight environmental pollution ranging from oil leaks, gas flaring and poor air quality. In recent years an international coalition has been set up with the purpose of ensuring that Shell acts responsibly and cleans up its environmental pollution.

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Earth Alarm supports people and organizations throughout the world in their efforts to protect the environment. Letters from Earth Alarm writers strengthen the actions of local peoples and organizations.
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