Environmentally, Resistance and Solidarity: The Politics of Friends of the Earth International

摘要

The authors deserve praise for this rich account of Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) that makes some interesting comparisons with Greenpeace International (GPI) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). FoEI is constituted by 74 national groups that are autonomous and operate as an international confederation. The volume is based upon rigorous empirical research and concludes that FoEI is an organisation in which constituencies are constructed, rather than an entity in which fixed interests are aggregated. The research explores the relationships within FoEI to establish whom the organisation is accountable to and whom it represents. FoE groups in the North are described as under the influence of post-materialism and post-industrialism, which in practice amounts to acquiescence with the political status quo or retreat from the political into technical scientific discourse. This contrasts with the post-colonial concerns of the South. We are introduced to meetings containing 'fierce arguments, near walkouts and some tears' (p. 81) and the resignation of Accion Ecologica/ FoE Ecuador from FoEI in 2002 on the grounds that 'Southern agendas were rendered invisible'. However, there is evidence to suggest North and South can work towards a mutual agenda through acts of solidarity, which are described in terms of material exchanges and emotional bonds. In conclusion, the authors use the FoEI case study to explore the potential opportunities and limitations of a post-territorial politics.