The battle to protect the environment and ecosystem for some is fought in large halls filled with government representatives of the world while for others it is on the ground where they take their stand. In a cruelly ironic twist for the people fighting to safeguard and conserve the last few patches of fragile ecosystems, the fight can turn dangerous at any time with some even losing their lives in the process.
The Global Witness reports have estimated that around a land and environmental defender have been killed every two days in the last decade with more than 1,700 reported deaths, the numbers present a baseline of estimation as many killings go unreported, especially in rural areas. Mexico has been classified as the most dangerous country for land and environmental defenders with 54 activists being killed in 2021.
Brazil and India have both seen a rise in cases of lethal attacks against environmental activists, from 20 to 26, and from 4 to 14 respectively.
In 2021 alone, the lives of 200 land and environmental defenders were lost to the violence that accompanies environmental activism, nonetheless, thousands of activists continue to defend the environment despite threats to their lives. The threats of climate change have affects all the regions of the world but these threats are more serious in some regions and indigenous people continue to be the most vulnerable group.
In the report released on 29 September titled “Decade of Defiance,” Global witness, a non-governmental organization covers the deaths of land and environmental defenders, the key areas that face the most violence, and an appeal to governments all over the world to protect the activists and strengthen the laws concerning their safety.
Status of land and environmental defenders in Mexico
In Mexico, 54 activists were murdered in 2021, compared to 33 in Colombia and 26 in Brazil. With 30 more confirmed deaths, the number of activist murders in Mexico has climbed, and 40% of those killed were indigenous, including at least eight Yaqui people.
The Yaquis of Mexico are an indigenous community fighting for their land and water resources, while they are the legal owners of at least half the water in the Yaqui river basin, much of the water from the river has been diverted towards the development of Hermosillo, the state capital of Sonora, Mexico, since 2010.
The Yaqui are still mourning the killing of water defense activist Tómas Rojo reported AP News, allegedly killed by a local drug gang who wanted to collect the money earned by the Yaqui people at informal highway tolls.
The land and water resources of the Yaqui people are threatened by not only the government but also the drug cartels and lithium mines. Reports of cartels using drug addiction to incapacitate the youth of the Yaqui tribe have also surfaced.
The killing of Tómas Rojo is one of the many environmental activists’ death that continue to bring sorrow to the people close to them.
According to the Global Witness report over the decade, Brazil has emerged as the
“most murderous country” with 342 lethal attacks documented since 2012, the majority of people killed were indigenous or Afro-descendant, with the Brazilian Amazon being the main hotspot for killings.
Colombia and the Philippines follow closely behind Brazil in the number of deaths reported, 322 in Colombia and 270 in the Philippines, over the last decade.
Indigenous people’s role in Amazon
Indigenous peoples play an important role as guardians of the Amazon forest, in preventing the emissions that come from deforestation and forest degradation, and in helping curb the climate crisis. In Brazil, the government is accused of being in cahoots with the criminals as it continues to green light illegal resource extraction projects
With 200 land and environmental defenders losing their lives in 2021 due to violence against environmental activists, and the steady rise in the number of such deaths it is the duty of the respective governments to ensure the safety of activists and implement stricter environmental protection laws.
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