Hi! It’s konkaz (@konkazuk).
A couple of years ago, I read This Changes Everything by Naomi Klein, and it really shocked me. It made me realise that no matter how much money we earn or how much wealth we leave behind, our children won’t have a good future unless we solve the climate crisis. That realisation led me to start supporting the Green Party in January last year.
After that, I started reading lots of books and taking an online course to learn more about the climate crisis.
As I kept learning, I began to wonder if there was something more I could do beyond simply supporting a political party — something that would help me grow and become more active myself.
Then I discovered that there was a local branch of Friends of the Earth in Hackney where I live, so I decided to get involved.
So this time, I’d like to introduce Friends of the Earth.
What is Friends of the Earth?
Friends of the Earth (FoE) is one of the world’s largest grassroots environmental networks, working in more than 70 countries around the world. (There is even a branch in Japan.)
Since its founding in 1969, FoE has argued that environmental destruction does not happen by accident. It is the result of the political and economic choices we make as societies. For that reason, FoE does not see climate change as a purely technical problem that can be solved simply through individual efforts or small lifestyle changes.
By the way, the person in the photo below is Asad Rehman, who has been serving as the CEO of Friends of the Earth in the UK since the summer of 2025.
Rehman often emphasises that climate change cannot be separated from issues such as inequality, poverty and racism. This perspective is shaped by his own experiences growing up in a working-class community and facing racial discrimination.
He is therefore trying to reshape Friends of the Earth into more than just a “green organisation”, but rather a movement that challenges injustice through grassroots action.
At COP30 last year, he also argued that polluters must be held accountable for the damage they cause. His interventions in global negotiations suggest that FoE could develop into a movement that resonates with a far broader public.
What is the Planet over Profit campaign?
Soon after I signed up to get involved with Friends of the Earth, I received an email informing me that a monthly meeting would be held in my neighbourhood.
When I arrived, I found that they were already planning a film event scheduled to take place two months later as part of the Planet over Profit campaign.
The Planet over Profit campaign calls for…
a new UK law that would prevent British companies from profiting from human rights abuses and environmental destruction through their supply chains.
In other words, it is based on the idea that the planet and human rights should come before profit, and it aims to place stronger legal responsibilities on corporations.
The campaign seeks to introduce legal obligations that require companies to take responsibility for the following.
🔹Preventing human rights abuses
At the heart of the issue is how the products we use every day are actually made.
▪️Workers are paid wages so low that they cannot afford a basic standard of living.
▪️They are often prevented from forming trade unions and forced to work long hours under harsh conditions.
▪️Children are deprived of education and made to work on plantations or in factories.
These practices still take place out of sight, allowing multinational corporations to produce goods at very low cost.
Planet over Profit demands strong laws that hold companies accountable and make it a legal obligation for them to respect human rights at every stage of their operations — from sourcing raw materials to manufacturing and selling products.
🔹Transitioning to environmentally responsible business practices
Business strategies designed to cut costs and maximise profits are also causing severe environmental damage.
▪️Deforestation that destroys ecosystems
▪️Soil and water contamination caused by toxic chemicals
▪️Large-scale developments that come at the expense of local communities
This action aims to challenge a system that allows companies to profit from harm while shifting the real costs onto nature and vulnerable communities.
🔹Taking responsibility and responding when harm occurs
In most cases, local communities that suffer harm have no choice but to remain silent, as they do not know where to seek justice and lack the financial resources to take legal action against powerful multinational companies.
Planet over Profit is calling for…
▪️Companies to be required to explain and take responsibility for harm caused by their activities
▪️Laws that ensure companies cannot escape accountability for abuses committed overseas
▪️Mechanisms that allow victims to seek compensation and redress
In a society where profit comes first, environmental destruction, social inequality, and human suffering are conveniently ignored, allowing us consumers in wealthy countries to avoid facing these issues.
Friends of the Earth points out that this very mindset is what has caused climate collapse, biodiversity loss, and widening global inequality.
How does the campaign work?
So how does the campaign work to achieve its goals?
In events like the film screening I attended, people from all walks of life — including local residents, borough councillors, and representatives of local businesses — are invited to join.
At the event, an open letter explaining the ideas behind Planet over Profit is presented, and attendees are encouraged to sign it if they support its message.
After collecting as many signatures as possible, they are compiled as the “voice of the community” and submitted to the local MP.
In other words…
“In your constituency, this many people agree with this message and are calling for change. Please raise this issue in Parliament.”
The Planet over Profit campaign aims to bring these grassroots voices into the political arena.
If we ignore the realities we’ve talked about and let a few big companies get bigger, it will sooner or later impact all of us—even those of us who feel it’s someone else’s problem.
I hope we can create a world not just for achieving our personal goals, but also as fellow humans sharing the same planet, and keep doing what we can in our own corners of the world.
Until next time,
konkaz
*You can read this blog post in Japanese from the link below.
👉 環境団体 Friends of the Earth とは？「Planet over Profit」が示す気候変動への答え