The Clean Air Task Force and Friends of the Earth filed today a lawsuit to the EPA's Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) in the U.S. Court of Appeals and petitioned the EPA to reconsider its assumption regarding land conversion. The EPA's finalized regulations for the RFS released in March 2010 do not meet standards set in Congress 2007 expansion of the RFS biofuels mandate. The 2007 RFS included requirements that biofuels reduce net greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional gasoline and diesel. Safeguards to protect natural ecosystems from biofuel crop production were also included.

Friends of the Earth Energy Policy Campaigner Kate McMahon had the following comment: "The EPA must look at the impact that the biofuels mandate is having on global warming today and not use rosy projections about what the state of biofuel production will be in 2022. Using these projections ensures that for the next several years greenhouse gas emissions will only get worse, rather than better. The EPA also needs to take into consideration current research about existing land conversion for biofuels crop production and provide the congressionally mandated safeguards for natural ecosystems."

Commenting on the failure of rich country governments to secure a strong and fair UN agreement to tackle climate change in Copenhagen, Nnimmo Bassey, Chair of Friends of the Earth International, said: "Copenhagen has been an abject failure. Justice has not been done. By delaying action, rich countries have condemned millions of the world's poorest people to hunger, suffering and loss of life as climate change accelerates. The blame for this disastrous outcome is squarely on the developed nations. "We are disgusted by the failure of rich countries to commit to the emissions reductions they know are needed, especially the US, which is the world's largest historical emitter of greenhouse gases. In contrast African nations, China and others in the developing world deserve praise for their progressive positions and constructive approach. Major developing countries cannot be blamed for the failure of rich industrialised countries."

A confidential United Nations paper leaked on December 17 predicts that average temperatures rise will far exceed the 2 degree threshold set by the UN even if current international pledges are fully implemented. This is effectively a death sentence for many in some of the world's most vulnerable countries, including small island states, who had demanded a limit of 1.5 degrees.

Friends of the Earth President Erich Pica had the following statement in response to the G20 communiqué on climate change: "We commend the G20 for its agreement to end government subsidies for fossil fuels, but feel that industrialized country leaders missed an opportunity to make real commitments to fund international climate finance. While this is an important step forward in weaning the globe off of dirty fossil fuels, the lack of financial commitments jeopardizes an international agreement on global warming. "For decades, American politicians have invested merely rhetoric into sustainable, renewable energy, while pouring billions of dollars of hard cash into dirty fossil fuels. It is important that the G20 actions eliminate all subsidies for fossil fuels. For the U.S. this requires not only implementing President Obama's February budget outline, but also ending fossil fuel subsidies given through the U.S. Export Import Bank, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the U.S. contributions to the World Bank and other international financial institutions. These subsidies add up to billions of American taxpayer dollars every year going to fuel climate change through projects overseas.