Friends of the Earth is a strong supporter of sustainable technologies such as solar power, wind farms, and energy efficient devices. However, we believe technology development should serve community needs—not simply corporate and military interests—and should pay heed to the precautionary principle. We believe public scrutiny of the environmental and social impacts of new technologies it essential and support community involvement in technology assessment and public policy development. In early 2005 FoE Australia established the Nanotechnology Project in response to the rapid development of the nanotechnology industry with little or no critical debate or regulatory oversight. In 2014 we expanded the scope of the project to include other emerging technologies. These include synthetic biology and geoengineering, which both operate in a similar regulatory vacuum, and pose grave potential threats to human health and the environment.
Our vision
• Friends of the Earth believe technology development needs to better serve community needs – not simply corporate and military interests.
• We actively encourage, where culturally appropriate, a vegan diet.
• Friends of the Earth opposes geoengineering because of the potentially catastrophic consequences of experimenting with the climate system that sustains life on Earth.
• Friends of the Earth is calling for a moratorium on the commercial use of nanomaterials until the risks associated with the use of nanotechnology are properly assessed and its safety established.
• Friends of the Earth is calling for a moratorium on the release and commercial use of synthetic organisms, cells, or genomes until the risks associated with the use of this technology are properly assessed and its safety established.
Food & Technology News
Friends of the Earth believe all people have the right to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods and that technological advances need to be proven safe before they are deployed. Confused about nanoparticles in baby formula? We are not surprised. There have been a number of recent articles in the media slamming the recent independent testing Friends of the Earth… Read more. Illegal and potentially toxic nanoparticles found in baby formula. Independent testing commissioned by Friends of the Earth has found nanoparticles in popular Australian infant formula products that are both illegal in Australia and… Read more. Dr Michael Antoniou is visiting Australia. In late March, Dr Michael Antoniou, Reader in Molecular Genetics at King’s College London School of Life Sciences will be visiting Melbourne, Canberra and… Read more.