Photo: Tian CartierClimate change is the result of the way we consume, produce, distribute, consume and throw away worldwide. Based on our many years of research experience, we know what challenges we face. What seems clean and green to us may be based on a grim reality elsewhere in the world.
read more lessFollowing SOMO’s publication Wood pellet damage (2021), the Dutch State Secretary of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy at the time, Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius, ordered the Dutch Emissions Authority (NEA) to investigate the report’s findings. The results…
The European Union’s proposed batteries regulation should require importers and manufacturers to source the bauxite, copper, and iron used in batteries responsibly, a coalition of 16 organizations said today. The coalition includes Amnesty International, Earthworks,…
Despite the fact that the fastly growing e-commerce sector has a big and increasing impact on global warming, six leading delivery companies to date have failed to formulate goals that are sufficiently ambitious. In “Parcel…
SOMO and 140 other organisations support a just and rapid transition away from fossil fuels and towards a renewable energy system. However, we are concerned about the impacts of extracting minerals, such as lithium, cobalt,…
On 7 October, the interest group Energie-Nederland, which represents Dutch energy companies, published a critical report which they had commissioned forestry consultancy Indufor to carry out. The report disputes the conclusions of SOMO’s report “Wood…
The production of wood pellets for biomass used in Dutch coal-fired power plants is causing serious damage to forests and biodiversity in Estonia. This does not comply with Dutch sustainability criteria on biomass. The full…
Mining and energy companies must stop extracting and burning coal if disastrous climate change is to be avoided. But what will this transition mean for communities and workers that depend on coal mining for their…
As the growing popularity of electric vehicles sparks an increased demand for battery-related minerals, new research by ActionAid and SOMO exposes the harmful impact of manganese mining on communities in South Africa. Publication / June…
The energy transition is leading to an unprecedented global surge in mining, an industry notorious for human rights violations and environmental destruction. Holding companies and investors accountable for abuses is challenging, particularly if they are…
The Dutch National Contact Point for the OECD Guidelines today announced they would accept a complaint against Pluspetrol, a multinational oil firm headquartered in an Amsterdam mailbox. The decision gives Indigenous communities in the oil…
