CONCLUSION: BUSINESS THAT COSTS THE EARTH Our report this year could not be clearer: at a time when we most need people to protect the planet against destructive, carbon-intensive industries, we are seeing the highest number of killings of land and environmental defenders since Global Witness started tracking these murders. Despite knowing how critical rainforests are for the climate, we are seeing an escalation of deforestation, and defenders who challenge logging continue to be ‘disappeared’. Despite growing awareness of how indigenous land is grabbed for commercial mining projects, banks still rubber-stamp operations without proof that the human rights of people living locally have been protected. Despite the perilous threats to marine life and freshwater, those defending our rivers and oceans are marginalised and silenced. In many countries, people’s rights to their land and natural resources are either unprotected, undocumented or not recognised, and environmental protections are poorly enforced. The situation in Colombia and the Philippines highlights this with terrible results. The reports shows that violence, intimidation and harassment towards land and environmental defenders happens when states fail to tackle the root causes of these infringements and companies fail to respect human rights in their global operations as required under prevailing international standards.168 States must ensure accountability, and companies and their investors must mitigate these risks and redress harm as they relate to their supply chains.
An aerial photograph shows where forests were cleared for a palm oil concession in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. Romeo Gacad/AFP via Getty Images
Furthermore, protecting the environment and human rights makes good business sense. There are strong indications that ethical investments are starting to outperform traditional funds.169 Protecting indigenous communities’ rights to land and resources can reduce risks to companies and investors – as our recent report Responsible Sourcing highlights. If businesses, including financial institutions, are serious about stopping climate breakdown and ending the senseless violence against those who stand on the frontline of the crisis, concerted efforts are needed. During the current COVID-19 crisis, some companies are extending their attacks on defenders, and governments are reducing protections. When you take this all together with the increased number of attacks on defenders during 2019, this a more worrying time than ever. The trends are clear, the statistics are global, the causes lie with irresponsible business practices and the governments that support them. Global Witness has been reporting on defender rights since 2012, in 2015 states came together to sign up to the Paris Agreement and around the world people are increasingly taking to the streets to demand urgent climate action. Yet the number of defenders killed and intimidated is rising. We must listen to them and put them front and centre of our climate response plans. Governments and industries must take immediate action to tackle the root causes of conflict, safeguard defender rights and ensure accountability across the supply chain.
DEFENDING TOMORROW The climate crisis and threats against land and environmental defenders
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