Latest Publications

On Wednesday 8 and Thursday 9 June, the High Court will hear cases brought by Friends of the Earth, ClientEarth and the Good Law Project for judicial review of the government’s flagship climate policy, the Net Zero Strategy. All three NGOs allege that the government has breached the Climate Change Act 2008.

This briefing outlines why Friends of the Earth have brought the case and our aims: to get a Net Zero Strategy that contains a more credible and worked out plan that shows how we'll meet the carbon budgets set in law, greater transparency to improve scrutiny of the government’s plans, so it can be held accountable for any shortfall, and to strengthen the operation of the Climate Change Act.

Communities Secretary Michael Gove will soon decide whether to grant planning permission for a controversial new coal mine near Whitehaven to provide coking coal for the steel industry.

This briefing demonstrates how demand for Whitehaven coal in its target markets is likely to fall steeply in the next 15 years, risking leaving the mine as a stranded asset.

Whether you're a policy maker or a local group, use this briefing to show why a new coal mine in Cumbria is a bad idea.

In April 2022 Michael Gove has indicated he may approve the planning application for the Whitehaven coal mine. Friends of the Earth has joined 14 environmental NGOs and other organisations in signing a joint letter asking Michael Gove to refuse planning permission for the climate-wrecking development.

Cabo Delgado, the northernmost province of Mozambique, is suffering.

There are two offshore gas projects in Mozambique. Daniel Ribeiro, a Mozambican activist and member of Justiça Ambiental/Friends of the Earth Mozambique, offers a background to the long-standing struggle faced by the peoples and outlines the main demands of local communities affected by the gas industry.

A guide to using our KS3 climate resources.

A guide to using our KS3 climate resources.

The Environment Bill will be debated in the House of Commons in late October.

This Environment Bill could be a vital tool to tackle the climate and nature emergencies we face. However, in order to fulfil this role, the bill must set out a new approach to environmental protections that is underpinned by a robust governance framework. In September, the House of Lords voted in favour of changes to the bill to ensure such a framework.

Download our briefing which details the changes made in the House of Lords and why voting in favour of retaining them is needed.

In January 2021 the UK government decided not to intervene in the planning application for a new coal mine in Cumbria, the first new deep coal mine to be built in the UK in three decades.
The decision undermines the government’s credibility on the climate crisis – especially ahead of the crucial UN summit later this year, which the UK is hosting.
Friends of the Earth has joined dozens of other organisations in signing a joint letter asking PM Boris Johnson to withdraw support for the climate-wrecking project.

In December 2020 the Supreme Court overturned a judgment that a third runway at Heathrow was illegal on climate grounds. Download the briefing from Friends of the Earth.

The UK government wrote to us after thousands of you got in touch to ask them why they continue to fund fossil fuel projects abroad.

The UK government wrote to us after thousands of you got in touch to ask them why they continue to fund fossil fuel projects abroad. But we’ve written back to tell them why their response was completely inadequate.

Download our flyer to support your anti-idling campaigns where you live.

How to campaign for a School Street, with best practice examples and suggestions on how to get support from Friends of the Earth. (7 pages)

A summary of the transformative change government must drive, and ways people can take action to align the UK to the 1.5°C Paris climate agreement.

Council pension funds are failing to address the financial risk of climate change, with many still investing in fossil fuel companies. A resource for fossil fuel divestment campaigners.

Use our fun-filled Clean Air Schools Pack to educate pupils on air pollution, its health effects and what we can do to be apart of the solution.

A summary of key points in the government’s final Air Quality Plan for Nitrogen Dioxide (2017) – as well as a critique from Friends of the Earth. (10 pages)

How many wells? A report on the potential impacts of fracking on the English countryside: our green and pleasant gas field. (9 pages)

This report estimates the scale of onshore shale gas production that would be required to replace 50% and 100% of gas imported to the UK in the period of 2021-2035 inclusive. (17 pages)

10 things about the Committee on Climate Change report – analysis from Friends of the Earth. (1 page)