Deadly Environment
Deadly Environment
About
This report looks at known killings of people
defending environmental and land rights. It identifies a clear rise in
such deaths from 2002 and 2013 as competition for natural resources
intensifies. In the most comprehensive global analysis of the problem on
record, we have found that at least 908 people have died in this time.
Disputes over industrial logging, mining and land rights are the key
drivers, and Latin America and Asia-Pacific particularly hard hit.
Deadly Environment also highlights a
severe shortage of information or monitoring of this problem, meaning
the total is likely to be higher than the report documents. This lack of
attention is feeding endemic levels of impunity, with just over one per
cent of the perpetrators known to have been convicted.
Overall, the report shows how it has never
been more important to protect the environment, and it has never been
more deadly. It calls on national governments and the international
community to act urgently to protect the environment and the citizens
who defend it.
Global Witness campaigns to end the
unfair and unsustainable exploitation of natural resources, so that all
can thrive within the planet’s boundaries. We address the root causes of
the exploitation that destroys lives and threatens life-supporting
ecosystems.
*A time lag on reporting means killings for 2013 are likely to be higher than we have been able to show here.
A new report by Global Witness
finds the murders of environmental and land rights activists worldwide
has tripled over the past decade as competition for natural resources
intensifies. In the most comprehensive global analysis of the problem on
record, the report finds that at least 908 people have been killed
since 2002.
If you missed the Democracy Now! interview with Global Witness campaigner Oliver Courtney last week, you can watch it here: http://owl.li/w34O1 - private
