Climate crisis: 227 activists murdered as firms ignore impact of their activities, says new report
These land and environment defenders lost their lives protesting the encroachment of big companies on their land to establish businesses that disturb ecosystems vital for biodiversity such as logging, mines, agribusinesses, hydro electric plants and other infrastructure.
Matome Kapa, an attorney at the Centre for Environmental Rights, said the report revealed a phenomenon already prevalent in South Africa.“Activists, especially those in mining-affected communities, face threats, intimidation and violence as a result of them trying to speak up and protect their rights. They face threats from a variety of sources including the police and there’s often no consequences for perpetrators,” Kapa said.
“This is a crisis against humanity. We all depend on the natural world, and when we set about its systematic destruction, people get killed. It may sound simplistic, but it’s a fact worth considering – the process of climate breakdown is violent, and it manifests not just in violence against the natural world, but against people as well.”
What is absolutely clear is that businesses have profited from human rights abuses and environmental damage with relative impunity for far too longThe report found that more than one in 10 of the activists killed last year were women. It adds that while the recorded killings against women appeared lower, those who acted and spoke out might also face gender-specific threats, including sexual violence.
“Analysing the whole data set helps us understand the overlap between the causes of these attacks, what they represent, what’s at stake and the actions that governments and companies must take to prevent them.”
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