As the threat of climate change increases, so does violence towards those fighting against it.
Protesters in Colombia. Humano Salvaje. CC-BY-SA 4.0.
Every year, Global Witness, an international NGO that investigates environmental and human rights abuses, publishes a report documenting the number of environmental and land defenders killed around the world. Their last iteration, published in September 2024, found that Colombia is the deadliest country for environmental activism. 79 of the 196 documented murders occurred there, and those numbers are likely an undercount. This is not a new development but represents a trend of violence in the region. Colombia also topped the ranks in 2022, and has accounted for the majority of killings since Global Witness began reporting in 2012.
The UN defines environmental defenders as “individuals and groups who, in their personal or professional capacity and in a peaceful manner, strive to protect and promote human rights relating to the environment, including water, air, land, flora and fauna.” These are individuals and organizations who stand up to environmentally destructive industries and projects like mining, logging, large agribusiness and dam construction. Importantly, Global Witness’ report found that the individuals killed are disproportionately Indigenous and of African descent. Murders of these groups account for half of all environmental defender deaths in Colombia.
The majority of killings occurred in the southwest of the country, in remote areas where the state exercises very little control. In this region, coca growing and drug trafficking are rampant, and Indigenous and Afro-descendant defenders are on their own in protecting their lands. Violence is a result of a complicated confluence of factors that have afflicted Central America since the Cold War era. The seven countries that make up Central America account for 12% of the world’s biodiversity, making it a target for extractive industries from overseas. Large, multinational corporations collaborate with local elites who view industry as necessary for development and economic growth. Indigenous communities and lands are ignored and steamrolled as a result.
Central America has served as “a key transit point in drug trafficking routes from South America to markets in the United States and Europe” since the mid-2000s, according to Global Witness. As the government enacts stricter enforcement on drugs, it forces traffickers into more remote regions, putting defenders at risk. Javier Garate, a policy advisor for Global Witness, said in an interview with Sierra Magazine that although the coca business is driving a lot of these attacks, it is all connected: “...there's a lot of illegal gold mining, and these illegal mines are controlled by the groups, especially paramilitary groups. [...] to access those lands, they inflict violence in the communities.” The gangs who control the coca crops “also have the money to buy the machinery needed to mine for gold, and to pay off the local authorities, the police, and the army. The money they make on cocaine and marijuana, they invest in illegal gold mining and then sell the gold legally.”
GET INVOLVED:
Stronger legislation at both the national and international level is necessary to protect Indigenous communities under attack. You can support organizations like Amnesty International and UNHCR who are calling for reform. You can also donate to or volunteer with organizations like the Organización Nacional Indígena de Colombia who work to protect Indigenous rights and advocate for their needs.
Kleigh Carroll
Kleigh is a student at UC Berkeley studying Geography and Journalism. She hopes to integrate her skills in these fields in pursuit of a career in journalism. She is passionate about being outside, exploring, and writing in all of its forms.