One person died every other day while protecting the planet last year, says Global Witness
The Amazon. Map from iStock The Amazon, the largest rainforest in the world, is ‘one of the world’s most dangerous places’ if you are an environmental activist or defender, according to a new report released by British advocacy group Global Witness on September 13, 2023.
Some 39 activists have been killed last year in the sprawling rainforest that is spread across most of the continent of South America. That is one in five of all killings worldwide (22 per cent), the report added.
Among the most high-profile murders was that of journalist Dom Phillips, who worked for British daily, The Guardian and indigenous expert Bruno Pereira.
Both were killed by gunmen while travelling through indigenous territory in the Brazilian Amazon last June. At least 296 environmental defenders have been killed in the Amazon since 2014, according to the report.
Eighty-eight per cent of the attacks on environmental defenders in 2022 took place in Latin America, which also comprises Mesoamerica in addition to the South American continent.
A total of 177 people were killed trying to defend the Earth in 2022. That is, one person was killed every other day, the report noted.
Of the 177 defenders killed last year, Colombia accounted for 60 deaths, more than a third of the global total. Thirty-four defenders were killed in Brazil, 31 in Mexico and 14 in Honduras. Eleven activists were killed in the Philippines in Asia.
Global Witness started documenting environmental defender deaths in 2012. Up to 1,910 defenders have been killed between 2012 and 2022, it estimates. Of this number (1,910), 382 have been killed in Colombia alone.
“The research also found yet again that Indigenous communities around the world face a disproportionate level of lethal attacks, as victims of more than a third (34%) of global killings last year whilst making up only around 5% of the world’s population,” the analysis added.
The findings come ahead of the 28th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to be held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates from November 30-December 12.
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