Press release

The 23rd meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 23) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will convene from 6 to 17 November in Bonn, Germany, under the presidency of the government of Fiji, the first time that a small island nation has served in this role. 

The Heinrich Böll Foundation congratulates its partner organisation, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), on winning the Nobel Peace Prize.

Human activity is forcing unprecedented change on our oceans and coasts. With only 2% of the oceans fully protected, these are some of the most poorly governed regions in the world. Pollution, overuse and climate change are causing loss of habitat and biodiversity. A global rethink and local action is needed, urgently.

Today the Heinrich Böll Foundation, the International Civil Society Centre, and numerous civil society organizations from around the world presented the Civic Charter. In a growing number of countries, civil society has increasingly less room to maneuver.

Air traffic must become climate neutral and more environmentally friendly. The question has been the subject of discussions since 2014 between Airbus Group and the Heinrich Böll Foundation. Now, they have summarised the outcome of this dialogue in the publication ‘Oben – Ihr Flugbegleiter’ (Aloft – An Inflight Review). The publication will be presented at the opening of the International Aerospace Exhibition (ILA) on 1st June 2016 in Berlin.

With Ahmad Abdallaht, head of the human rights organisation "Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedom", the Egyptian authorities have arrested another partner of the Heinrich Böll Foundation. "Egypt is a country under authoritarian control which has largely abandoned the principles of fundamental rule of law and human rights", said Barbara Unmüssig. "These principles are non-negotiable - and cannot be exchanged for large contracts for German industry."

The Heinrich Böll Foundation and Friends of the Earth International have published the first English edition of the Coal Atlas 2015 in Brussels. The Coal Atlas contains the latest facts and figures on the use of coal and its environmental and social consequences.

On October 13th a large coalition of environment, climate and indigenous peoples organizations has posted a letter to the board of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). The group demands that the EITI’s principles, standards and procedures have to take into account climate change impacts, and the consequences of necessary legal and policy reforms and associated risks to the fossil fuel industry.

Press-Statement: Over the last two days (21/22 September 2015), civil society actors and think tank experts from Poland, Ukraine, Russia and Germany have met to confer on the crisis of the European security order and on ways out of the current political-military conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

London-based independent international publisher Anthem Press presents the English edition of "Green Growth, Smart Growth. A New Approach to Economics, Innovation and the Environment" by Ralf Fücks with a foreword by Anthony Giddens.