Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) is a global group made up of local environmental organizations in 73 countries. About half of these groups use the name "Friends of the Earth" in their own languages, while the rest have different names. The group was started in 1969 in San Francisco by David Brower, Donald Aitken, and Gary Soucie. This happened after Brower had a disagreement with the Sierra Club because the Sierra Club supported the use of nuclear energy. In 1971, FoEI became an international network after representatives from four countries—United States, Sweden, the UK, and France—met to join the group.

Today, FoEI has a secretariat, which is based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. This office helps the network and supports its major campaigns. A group of elected members from each country sets the rules and oversees the secretariat’s work. In 2016, Karin Nansen from Uruguay became the chair of the organization. Since 2021, Hemantha Withanage from Sri Lanka has served as chair of FoEI.

Campaign issues

Friends of the Earth International is a global organization with members in many countries around the world. It works to raise awareness about environmental, economic, and social issues, and connects these topics to political and human rights concerns.

According to its website, Friends of the Earth International currently focuses on several key areas: economic justice and opposing policies that favor large businesses over people; protecting forests and wildlife; supporting local control over food production; and addressing climate change and energy use. These priorities are decided during its meetings, which happen twice a year. The organization also works on other issues, such as reducing waste, stopping harmful mining practices, and opposing nuclear power. For example, Friends of the Earth International has supported efforts to shut down the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant in California. It also helps member groups in different regions, such as Friends of the Earth Europe, which has worked on issues related to meat production.

Friends of the Earth International says it has achieved several goals, including reducing billions of dollars in government support for companies that harm the environment, improving policies at the World Bank to protect the environment and human rights, and pushing governments to create stronger laws to address climate change. It has also helped stop over 150 harmful dam and water projects worldwide, and supported rules to protect ecosystems and prevent harm to wildlife. Critics say the organization sometimes focuses more on getting media attention, such as by releasing songs like "Love Song to the Earth," rather than working closely with local communities to solve problems. Others argue that its acceptance of funding from companies and groups related to oil and gas may affect its independence.

A recent campaign by Friends of the Earth International involved a legal case against the oil company Shell, led by Milieudefensie (Friends of the Earth Netherlands). In 2021, a court in the Netherlands ruled that Shell must reduce its carbon emissions by 45% by 2030 compared to 2019 levels. This was the first time a company was legally required to follow the goals of the Paris Agreement on climate change. However, this decision was later overturned in November 2024.

In January 2025, when UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced plans to address people who oppose major infrastructure projects like nuclear power plants, roads, and wind farms, Friends of the Earth criticized him. The organization said Starmer was unfairly blaming people who have "valid concerns about the effects of a project."

Structure of the network

Each member group in a country can choose to use the name "Friends of the Earth" or a similar name in their language, such as Friends of the Earth (US), Friends of the Earth (EWNI) in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, or Amigos de la Tierra in Spain and Argentina. About half of these groups use their own names, which may show they started independently before joining the network, like Pro Natura in Switzerland, the Korean Federation for Environmental Movement, Environmental Rights Action (FOE Nigeria), and WALHI (FOE Indonesia).

Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) has an office in Amsterdam and a leadership group called ExCom. ExCom members are chosen by all member groups during a meeting held every two years. This group hires the office staff and decides on major policies and activities during the same meeting.

While FoEI helps coordinate some activities, national groups can also run their own campaigns and work with other groups as they choose, as long as their actions do not conflict with international policies.

Publications

The Meat Atlas is a yearly report that explains the ways and effects of large-scale farming of animals. The report has 27 short essays and uses graphs to show facts about how meat is produced and eaten. The Meat Atlas is published together by Friends of the Earth and Heinrich Böll Foundation.

Notable supporters

• Rock musician George Harrison joined Friends of the Earth after attending their anti-nuclear protests in London in 1980. He gave credit to Friends of the Earth and other environmental groups in his 1989 greatest hits album, Best of Dark Horse.
• Jay Kay, the lead singer of the band Jamiroquai, gives some of the money earned from his album sales to Friends of the Earth and Oxfam, as well as other causes.
• Thom Yorke, the lead singer of Radiohead, has supported Friends of the Earth campaigns, including the Big Ask. This campaign helped the UK government introduce the Climate Change Bill in the Queen's Speech on November 15, 2006. This happened after reports said 200,000 people across the UK asked their elected officials to support the bill.
• Money from the sale of the 2015 single "Love Song to the Earth," performed by Paul McCartney, Jon Bon Jovi, Sheryl Crow, Fergie, Sean Paul, and Colbie Caillat, was given to Friends of the Earth in the United States and the United Nations Foundation.

Member organizations

• Friends of the Earth Japan
• Indonesian Forum for Environment, Indonesia
• Korean Federation for Environmental Movement
• Friends of the Earth Middle East
• Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center – Kasama sa Kalikasan
• Centre for Environmental Justice, Sri Lanka
• Sahabat Alam Malaysia

• Friends of the Earth Europe, Brussels
• Young Friends of the Earth Europe, Brussels
• Friends of the Earth – France
• Friends of the Earth Scotland
• Pro Natura (Switzerland)
• Amigos de la tierra, Spain
• Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland, Germany
• Friends of the Earth (EWNI), England, Wales and Northern Ireland
• Birmingham Friends of the Earth
• GLOBAL 2000 [ de ], Austria
• Friends of the Earth Malta
• Friends of the Earth Finland
• Friends of the Earth Hungary
• Priatelia Zeme Slovensko (Friends of the Earth Slovakia)

• Friends of the Earth (EWNI), England, Wales and Northern Ireland
• Manchester Friends of the Earth
• Green Action, Croatia
• Hnutí DUHA, Czech Republic
• Milieudefensie, Netherlands
• Norwegian Society for the Conservation of Nature, Norway
• Friends of the Earth (Malta)
• NOAH, started in 1969 in Denmark and became the national organization for Foe in 1988, Denmark.

• Friends of the Earth Canada
• Les AmiEs de la Terre de Québec [ fr ], Canada
• Friends of the Earth (US)

• Friends of the Earth Australia