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| Les Amis de la Terre | |
|---|---|
| Name | Les Amis de la Terre |
| Founded | 1970 |
| Headquarters | Paris, France |
| Area served | France; international |
| Focus | Environmentalism; advocacy; public policy |
Les Amis de la Terre is a French environmental advocacy organization founded in 1970 and active in environmental policy, public campaigns, and grassroots mobilization. It operates within a network of national and international environmental movement organizations and engages with institutions, media, and civil society to influence environmental policy, energy policy, and public health debates. The organization has been involved with major campaigns on nuclear power, pesticides regulation, climate change, and biodiversity protection.
Les Amis de la Terre emerged in the context of post-1960s environmental awakening alongside groups such as Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth International, and Sierra Club. Its early activism intersected with movements around the Club of Rome reports, the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, and the adoption of environmental laws like the Loi Littoral and other French regulatory measures. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s it campaigned on issues linked to French nuclear industry, the operations of Électricité de France, and the policies of successive administrations including those led by Valéry Giscard d'Estaing and François Mitterrand. In the 1990s and 2000s it engaged with multinational debates involving European Union institutions such as the European Commission and the European Parliament, responding to directives on water framework, REACH regulation, and common agricultural policy. Recent decades saw collaborations and tensions with actors like Green party (France), Médecins Sans Frontières, Amnesty International, and corporate entities including TotalEnergies and BNP Paribas.
The stated goals emphasize ecological transition, protection of biodiversity, phase-out of nuclear power in favor of renewable solar power and wind power, and stricter regulation of pesticides and chemical substances covered by REACH regulation. Objectives include influencing legislation at venues such as the Assemblée nationale (France), Senate of France, and the European Parliament, mobilizing citizens through alliances with groups like Attac, Confédération Paysanne, and Les Amis de la Terre International. The organization prioritizes campaigns on climate targets referenced in the Paris Agreement, pollution standards referenced by the World Health Organization, and energy scenarios discussed by institutions such as the International Energy Agency.
Les Amis de la Terre functions with a national office in Paris and regional groups across French departments, mirroring models used by Friends of the Earth International affiliates and networks like Greenpeace France. Its governance includes elected boards, general assemblies, and volunteer chapters similar to structures in Sierra Club and 350.org. Membership comprises activists, researchers, lawyers, and campaigners who coordinate with professional staff, legal advisors often familiar with precedents from Conseil d'État (France) litigation and advocacy before bodies like the European Court of Justice. Partnerships have involved academic institutions such as Sorbonne University and research centers like CNRS.
Notable campaigns targeted issues associated with corporations and institutions such as Areva, EDF, Monsanto, Bayer, Nestlé, Danone, BP, Shell, and financial actors like Société Générale and AXA. Activities have included public demonstrations in places like Place de la République (Paris), legal challenges referencing cases at the Conseil Constitutionnel (France), petitions aimed at the European Commission, and reports distributed to bodies such as the United Nations Environment Programme and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Campaign strands have engaged with topics like agroecology promoted by Vandana Shiva-aligned movements, toxic chemical bans similar to actions supported by Greenpeace, and fossil fuel divestment campaigns adopted by networks including 350.org and Divest-Invest.
Les Amis de la Terre is affiliated with Friends of the Earth International and coordinates with global partners including Greenpeace International, WWF, Oxfam, Transparency International, and Human Rights Watch on intersecting issues. It participates in coalitions that have engaged institutions such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and transnational advocacy platforms like Global Witness and ClientEarth. Regional cooperation has involved organizations such as Amigos de la Tierra branches in Spain and Latin America, and campaigns linked to networks like European Environmental Bureau and Friends of the Earth Europe.
Funding sources have included membership dues, donations from private individuals, foundation grants from entities like Open Society Foundations-style philanthropies, and project grants from philanthropic institutions similar to Fondation de France. Financial oversight echoes practices used by NGOs such as WWF and Amnesty International with budgets overseen by elected treasurers and audited accounts submitted to authorities like URSSAF and French tax authorities. Governance disputes have occasionally referenced regulatory frameworks involving the Commission des comptes de campagne and transparency standards promoted by Transparency International.
Les Amis de la Terre has faced criticism and controversies similar to those confronting other environmental NGOs, including allegations of confrontations with industrial stakeholders like TotalEnergies and Areva, disputes with political parties such as Les Républicains and La République En Marche!, and public debates over tactics referenced in media outlets like Le Monde, Libération, and Le Figaro. Legal challenges have occasionally involved courts including the Conseil d'État (France) and commercial litigants drawing on precedents from cases involving Greenpeace. Debates over funding transparency and influence mirror controversies raised in relation to organizations such as WWF and Friends of the Earth International.
Category:Environmental organizations based in France