A new study reveals that around the world, people are murdered and attacked for defending the Earth. Even in America, activists are being silenced. More than three environmental activists were killed around the world each week last year, according to a new human rights report.
A recent report from the UK-based NGO Global Witness paints a sad picture of a harsh reality surrounding what happens to many who fight to preserve our world.
The majority of the murders were indigenous or rural campaigners who were trying to protect the land in their communities from mining, hydrocarbon development, damming, and agribusiness in the developing world.
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A total of 164 murders were reported, with more than half taking place in Latin America. But the group cautioned that:
…the actual total was likely much higher, because cases are often not documented and rarely investigated. Reliable evidence is hard to find or verify.
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The Philippines had the highest number of deaths with 30 victims, followed by Colombia with 24, India with 23, and Brazil with 20.
The sharpest rise was recorded in Guatemala, with16 deaths in 2018, roughly five times more than in the previous year. The group said that was due to an increase in investment in the Central American country in agricultural plantations, mining, and energy projects.
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Globally, the deadliest sector was mining, which accounted for 43 fatalities. Meanwhile, there was a dramatic acceleration in the number of deaths related to water resources, which rose from four in 2017 to 17 last year.
Global Witness linked 40 of the killings to state security forces. A similar number was directly attributed to private actors including, hitmen, criminal gangs, and landowners.
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In addition to killings, violent attacks, and death threats, the group also warned of the growing trend toward criminalizing peaceful protesters seeking to defend community lands and wildernesses from industrial exploitation.
Global Witness said governments and deep-pocketed companies are misusing laws, including anti-terrorism laws, as “instruments of oppression against those who threaten their power and interests.” In a statement, the group noted:
This makes [violent] attacks on [environmental] defenders seem legitimate, increasing the likelihood.
The statistics from 2018 were actually an improvement on the 2017 number, the organization said, when the death toll hit 201.
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Nevertheless, Global Witness predicts that the number will spike again. One of the reasons, the group said, is due to the policies of Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro, stating:
The country’s new far-right leader is determined to open up more of the Amazon, including indigenous reserves, to cattle ranching, agriculture, mining and hydroelectric dams, potentially sparking a wave of new conflicts in the world’s largest tropical rainforest.
The group also predicted more strife in the United States with the possibliity of native lands being opened up to drilling for oil and gas, even as some U.S. states are introducing new laws to crack down on protests.
The report from Global Witness reads:
So far, governments have largely failed to listen or react, while big businesses are generally holding to the model that created the problem in the first place.
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Alice Harrison, a Global Witness senior campaigner added:
Vicious attacks against land and environmental defenders are still happening, despite growing momentum behind environmental movements the world over. As we hurtle towards climate breakdown, it has never been more important to stand with those who are trying to defend their land and our planet against the reckless destruction being meted out by the rich and powerful.
Garowing awareness of environmental issues must now be translated into concrete actions to protect the planet and the people who defend it.
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