Environmental and climate defenders are the people being on the forefront protecting wetlands, forests, rivers, oceans, skies and biodiversity hotspots against reckless governments and companies. They’re playing a crucial role in protecting those lands and increasing awareness of the vital role environment play. Many of the defenders comes from local communities and/or are being indigenous people who are suffering a disproportionate number of attacks.
On average 4 defenders per week are being killed since 2014. In 2019 212 people were murdered. Most murders happened in Colombia and Philippines, where peace negotiations with land reforms and “war on terrorism” are contributing factors. The Amazons in Latin America were the place where 90% of the killing in Brazil took place. This according to the organisation Global Witness.
This must stop and defenders needs to be safe. You can contribute by supporting organisations that support defenders. You can ask your bank and companies where do they get their products from and in what ways are they protecting human rights?