12 Nov 2025
Why is COP 30 a moment to take action on Palestine?
COP is a moment for allies to come together. It’s a moment for us to build our understanding about the shared root causes of the injustices in the world and for us to build a stronger, more cohesive movement. Many of the fossil fuel companies and governments who routinely block progress at COP are also complicit in the genocide in Gaza, including the UK. So, while they come together to advance their agenda, we do too. Read more about why Palestine is a COP 30 issue.
Solidarity with PENGON
PENGON work to protect the Palestinian environment in a context of extreme oppression. For decades, the Israeli occupation of Palestine has caused massive environmental destruction and Israeli military activity has killed 10 PENGON members during the genocide in Gaza. Some PENGON members have been attacked while being displaced. Listen to the words of PENGON during their visit to the UK this year.
One thing our friends in PENGON tell us regularly, is how important solidarity is to them. In their words:
‘hearing about the things groups are doing makes us feel powerful. It gives us the energy to move on and continue our fight. Even if the action seems little to you, to us it means a lot’.
When local action groups take solidarity action with Palestine, no matter how small, we share it with them.
How to take action
The UK government continues to send arms to Israel and provide diplomatic support. At the same time, we know the majority of the UK public wants this to stop. And although a ceasefire has been agreed at the time of writing, it’s fragile and uncertain.
The government is still feeling the pressure on Palestine, and we can do our bit to keep that pressure on from our communities, while sending a strong display of solidarity to PENGON. Here’s some ways you can take action during COP 30, from November 7-22:
- Attend or hold a vigil for Palestine in your area
- Find out if there’s an arms factory near you and see if there’s an action you can join outside it
- Hold an action outside your local Barclays branch calling on the bank to divest from fossil fuels and arms companies. Check out how Luton Friends of the Earth tied messages to a tree outside its local branch. And find out more on how Barclays fuels the occupation of Palestine.
- Hold a community meeting to discuss how the environment and Palestine interact
- Deliver our MP briefing to your local MP’s constituency office and ask them to call for a full arms embargo. We’d recommend doing this on a Friday, when your MP is most likely to be in their constituency.
- Hold a craft session to design banners or placards in solidarity with PENGON.
- Send PENGON a quick solidarity message.
Whatever you decide to do it’s a good idea to see if there’s a Palestine Solidarity Campaign group near you and get in touch with them. Invite them to your activity and see if you can start to build a relationship. And make sure you take photos and send them to us so we can share them with PENGON, as well as sharing them on your social media platforms.
Get in touch if you’re planning on taking action so we can support you. And join the Solidarity Action with Palestine group in the Friends of the Earth WhatsApp Community, so you can share your activity and ask for support.
Resources
- Friends of the Earth’s why are we taking action on Palestine article.
- Friends of the Earth’s protest guidance.
- This PENGON audio, webpage, and video, outlining the environmental impacts of the war.
- Canva link to download or edit We Stand with PENGON signs.
- Research on the environmental impact of the war by PENGON and Newcastle University.
- Friends of the Earth's How to talk about Palestine guide.