Photo by Mohammed Ibrahim on Unsplash

Speech to CND Conference October 2024 by Denis Fernando (Friends of the Earth).

We have already witnessed the hottest year on record

Devastating weather events in 2024 are becoming more frequent across the globe, costing lives and livelihoods.

Climate breakdown and war will increasingly create an unstable world which will see refugees, migrants and impacted people vilified, which is why we are active in opposing the far right, standing up for refugees and rejecting the “stop the boats” narrative. Rising temperatures, heavier rainfall, more frequent and intense extreme weather are projected to cause $38tn in damages each year by mid-century.

Right now, a regional war in the middle east seems all the more real, in which we see the open discussion of targeting oil refineries on the table. This will mean carbon emissions as a result of conflict will increase very quickly if it happens.

The US was the highest military spender in 2023, with $916 billion dedicated to the military. They only pledged $17.5 billion to the COP28 loss and damage fund and only $90bn was spent on climate finance in 2021, far below the required amount to tackle the climate crisis.

NATO members states account for over 233 million metric tonnes of CO2 equivalent greenhouse gas emissions.

So, conflict has an interrelation with carbon emissions such as creating more emissions. We also faced with a future that is seeing funds increasingly invested in military which fuels conflict, when funding could be better spent on stopping runaway climate change. I know which I would prefer.

I want to talk about the link between conflict and social justice, as FOE is an environmental and social justice organisation.

According to international monitor of civil society Civicus, civil society is under attack amid deepening and intensifying conflict. One in six people are currently exposed to conflict. Conflict-related deaths are at their highest in decades, with civilian casualties up 62 per cent in 2023

According to Global Witness, at least 196 people were killed in 2023 for defending the environment bringing the total number of killings between 2012 and 2023 to 2,106.

Britain’s status according to Civicus was downgraded to obstructed in 2022 due to our own repressive laws. The UN Rapporteur on Environmental defenders said that the UK’s Public Order Act which restricts protest rights is draconian.

The Civicus report shows that where the far right advances across Europe, protest rights face increased restriction. The far right are often militarily patriotic, and climate deniers, whilst also targeting communities seeking refuge from war and extreme weather events. So, it is in all of our interest, especially those of us in the environmental movement, to understand that opposing the far right is our issue, and to ensure we stand up on this.

In Britain, we have seen the election of the Reform party, followed by the far-right eruptions on the streets this summer. As an anti-racist organisation Friends of the Earth took a stance on rejecting

racism, antisemitism, and Islamophobia, reaching out to our stakeholder colleagues who were potential targets of the far right. I’m proud that our allyship has been welcomed by those most impacted by the far right. I’m proud that one of our local groups has been central to a local campaign to reject the far right targeting an asylum seeker hotel. Which is why FOE is speaking at the Stand Up to Racism demo on 26 October opposing Tommy Robinson .

International solidarity is central to our work. FOE EWNI works with our international federation on solidarity – this is work that can save lives.

As an international federation we can respond rapidly to violations and mobilise internationalist support for threatened communities. We can support national groups to prevent violations, and fight against corporate and state interests that are complicit in such crimes.

Our sister campaign in Gaza called PENGON has lost 5 members in Israeli air strikes during the year-long assault on Gaza. It’s estimated over two thirds of PENGON staff homes have been destroyed and all PENGON offices in Gaza have been damaged. Many PENGON members have been displaced more than 3 times. All members in Gaza experience daily trauma.

We have called for a ceasefire, arms embargo, supported our local groups in lobbying David Lammy and around 20 of our staff, supporters and local group members joined the massive historic demonstration last weekend for Palestine on the climate justice bloc.

On top of the horrific human cost to the Palestinian people, the environmental cost in Gaza is unprecedented, exposing the community to rapidly growing soil, water and air pollution and risks of irreversible damage to its natural ecosystems.

Carbon emissions during the first two months of the war in Gaza were greater than the annual carbon footprint of more than 20 of the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations and since the invasion, 175 million tons of CO2 and other greenhouse gases have been released into the atmosphere.

Prior to the assault, PENGON supported farmers, implemented renewable energy projects, and documented environmental violations.

Our solidarity is particularly important. The UK is one of Israel’s strongest allies.

Another example is Mozambique

Corporations like Total, Eni and Exxon Mobil are prospecting for gas in Mozambique and there are reports that energy companies have paid the Mozambiquan government to deploy soldiers to protect their interests. Increased military presence has led to allegations of human rights abuses by the army, such as killing local people and extorting and blackmailing families for the financial compensation they received from Total. Mercenaries from across the world are also operating, many of whom are there illegally and some of whom have been accused of indiscriminate killings.

Violations included killings, beheadings, and entire communities fleeing the coastal region of Cabo Delgado. Armed groups have been terrorising civilians since 2017, leaving thousands dead and forcing almost 700,000 people to flee the violence. Some had to flee to a neighbouring province and many are in refugee centres.

The UK is funding gas projects with £1 billion. This means our public money is being invested into a project that’s ruining lives, fuelling violence, and driving climate breakdown even further.

The emissions from using this extracted gas parallels the total emissions from the aviation sector for all EU member states combined.

We support our sister group in Mozambique who have worked in and with communities directly affected by the gas industry. They have highlighted the human rights violations being carried out due to the gas projects.

Here, our legal team took court action against the UK Government in 2022. Our case was disallowed by the court as full consensus wasn’t reached by both judges. Subsequent appeals were not successful however, launching this case helped secure a UK government policy to stop new investment in international fossil fuels using public funds.

Friends of the Earth is also campaigning with the Corporate Justice Coalition for a new due diligence law to hold all companies to account for environmental harms and human rights abuses in their supply chains.

Finally, the UK Government’s international policy is facing in many different directions at the same time with an unshakeable commitment to NATO and nuclear deterrent, new trade agreements alongside leading a clean power alliance and wanting to modernise international development

It is vital we all speak up.