Netherlands
Milieudefensie / Friends of the Earth Netherlands
contact milieudefensie:
Postbus 19199
Amsterdam 1000 GD
The Netherlands
phone:+31 20 550 7300
fax: +31 20 550 7310
e-mail: info@milieudefensie.nl
Friends of the Earth Netherlands (Milieudefensie) is a national organization with 80 local groups. Founded in 1971, it has around 90,000 members and contributors. JongerenMilieuAktief (JMA), the independent youth department, has several thousand partners.
The Netherlands is a densely populated and built up country, which largely defines the scope of Milieudefensie's campaigns such as the campaign for the legal protection of green and less populated countryside, because quietness, space and fresh air have become scarce. The sky over the Netherlands is among the most polluted in the world; Milieudefensie is campaigning against the construction of yet more roads, for cleaner cars and better public transport, and against increasingly busy and polluting air traffic.
Intensive agriculture is notorious for its pollution and animal unfriendly production methods. It makes heavy demands on the environment in other parts of the world; parts of the Amazon forest are destroyed to produce cattle feed for the Netherlands. Milieudefensie is calling for a switch to ecologically sound and animal-friendly agriculture. Milieudefensie will make history by presenting this popular initiative to the Dutch Parliament in 2007, and forcing a parliamentary dicussion of the issue.
The Netherlands should take the lead in the battle against climate change as it is a rich country with about 50% of its land at or below sea level. Milieudefensie is actively persuading large banks to make more climate friendly investments.
But Milieudefensie's remit does not stop at the border; it has a long history of campaigning for the conservation of tropical and virgin forests. It has been successful in actions against Dutch companies that do not protect the environment in other countries, for example when Shell caused serious oil pollution in Nigeria a few years ago. One of its campaigns is concerned with the adverse effects of the liberalization of the world market and is aiming at international legislation for multinationals.
Measures that have no public support hardly stand a chance. Milieudefensie's members are involved in the decision making process, and campaigns are undertaken where there is popular support.
