List of environmental killings explained

Environmental killings are murders, assassinations, or other unlawful killings which are linked to environmental issues such as illegal logging, mining, land grabbing, pollution etc. Victims have included not only environmental and land rights activists, but also members of indigenous communities and journalists who have reported on these issues.[1] [2] [3]

Statements

In 2003, the Environmental Justice Foundation reported that in at least 11 countries people had been murdered for opposing shrimp farming and its associated environmental impacts.[4]

According to Global Witness, the number of environmental killings worldwide reached 147 in 2012, and the total number of such murders between 2002 and 2013 exceeds 908. In only six of these cases were the killers tried, convicted and punished. The report blames this level of impunity, together with the lack of attention to the issue, for the rise in the numbers of deaths.

In March 2014, when the United Nations Independent Expert on human rights and the environment, John Knox, presented his first detailed report to the UN Human Rights Council on the human rights obligations relating to environmental protection he stated: “Environmental human rights defenders deserve no less protection than other human rights defenders.”[5] [6]

List of killings

Following is a list of the victims of environmental killings by date:

20th century

Date Activist name Country Cause
July 8, 1905 Birds protection[7] Wise International
July 31, 1977 Vital Michalonkilled by police in a demonstration against the fast breeder nuclear reactor at Malville
July 21, 1980 Wilson PinheiroBrazilPreservation of the Amazon rainforest
July 10, 1985 Fernando PereiraNew ZealandProtest against nuclear testing
April 6, 1987 Protection of Enawene Nawe people land
December 22, 1988 BrazilPreservation of the Amazon rainforest
February 6, 1995 Jeannette KawasHondurasProtests again palm plantations and dams
November 10, 1995 Ken Saro-WiwaNigerianonviolent campaign against environmental degradation caused by crude oil extraction
-|- 27 December 1985 || Dian Fossey || Rwanda || Mountain Gorilla conservationist|-|- 1 September 1990 || Seub Nakhasathien || Thailand || Suicide to signify the importance of the environment|-|}

21st century

In 21st century, more than 1000 environmental activists have been killed. Every year, more than 100 environmental activists are murdered throughout the world.[8] 116 environmental activists were assassinated in 2014.[9] More than two environmentalists were assassinated every week in 2014 and three every week in 2015.[10] [11] 185 environmental activists were assassinated in 2015.[12] More than 200 environmental activists were assassinated worldwide between 2016 and 2018.[13] In 2019 and 2020 the number was 212[14] [15] and 227[16] [17] respectively.

Date Activist name Country Cause
September 17, 2003 Conservationist and animal rights activism.
12 February 2005 Preservation of the Amazon rainforest
2010 Philippines
January 24, 2011 Philippines
May 24, 2011 Preservation of the Amazon rainforest
16 August 2011 RTI and environmental activism
26 April 2012
11 September 2012 Reports about illegal logging industry
13 March 2013 Reports about illegal logging industry
May 31, 2013 Protection leatherback turtle nests
25 August 2015 Raimundo Santos Rodrigues (and his wife) Environmental rights defender.[18] [19] [20]
11 November 2015 Lkhagvasumberel (Sumbee) Tumursukh Mongolia Snow leopard conservationist
13 October 2016[21] Luiz Alberto Araújo || Brazil || |-| 3 March 2016 || Berta Cáceres || Honduras || Protests against the construction of Agua Zarca Dam.|-| 2 November 2019 || Paulo Paolino Guajajara|| Brazil || Amazon Protector|-| January 2020 || Homero Gómez González || Mexico || Environmental activist, agricultural engineer, and politician. El Rosario Monarch Butterfly Preserve|-| October 2020 || Fikile Ntshangase || South Africa || Environmental activist involved in a legal dispute over the extension of an opencast mine operated by Tendele Coal near Hluhluwe–Imfolozi Park, the oldest nature reserve in Africa.|-| 18 January 2023 || Manuel Esteban Paez Terán|| United States || Environmental activist involved in Stop Cop City social movement to prevent construction of the Cop City by the Atlanta Police Foundation and the City of Atlanta.|-| 29 September 2023 || Quinto Inuma Alvarado || Peru || Tribal leader who opposed illegal logging in his community[22] |}

See also

References

Notes and References

  1. http://www.globalwitness.org/sites/default/files/library/Deadly%20Environment.pdf Global Witness. 2014. Deadly Environment. The dramatic rise of killings of environmental and land defenders 1.1.2012-31.12.2013. Global Witness, London.
  2. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/17/when-journalists-are-dying-to-expose-environmental-plunder/?_r=0 Revkin, A. When Journalists Are Dying to Expose Environmental Plunder. New York Times.17 September 2012
  3. http://www.rsf.org/IMG/rapport_en_md.pdf Reporters Without Borders. 2009. The Dangers for Journalists Who Report Environmental Issues. Paris. September 2009
  4. http://ejfoundation.org/sites/default/files/public/smash_and_grab.pdf EJF.2003. Smash & Grab: Conflict, Corruption and Human Rights Abuses in the Shrimp Farming Industry. Environmental Justice Foundation, London, UK
  5. http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=14348&LangID=E United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. 2014. UN expert urges States to take into account human rights obligations in their environmental policies. 11 March 2014.
  6. Web site: Environmental human rights defenders: emerging challenges and solutions - Universal Rights Group. Universal Rights Group. 2016-02-10. en-US.
  7. Then and Now
  8. Web site: Environmental activist murders set record as 2015 became deadliest year. TheGuardian.com. 20 June 2016.
  9. Web site: Map: 116 environmental activists were killed in just one year. 5 March 2016. Grist.org. 2016-09-25.
  10. Web site: Environmental Activists Killed in Record Numbers in 2014. David. Stout. Time.com. 2016-09-25.
  11. Web site: Killings of land and environmental defenders in 2015 Global Witness. Global Witness. 2017-04-01.
  12. News: Environmental activist murders set record as 2015 became deadliest year. Oliver. Holmes. South-east Asia. correspondent. 20 June 2016. The Guardian. 2016-09-25.
  13. News: Cambodian forest defenders killed after confronting illegal loggers. 2 February 2018. The Guardian. 31 January 2018.
  14. Web site: Defending Tomorrow. 2021-09-16. Global Witness. en.
  15. A Record Number of Environmental Activists Were Killed In 2019. 2021-09-16. Time. en.
  16. Web site: The industries causing the climate crisis and attacks against defenders. 2021-09-16. Global Witness. en.
  17. News: 2021-09-13. Record number of environmental activists murdered. en-GB. BBC News. 2021-09-16.
  18. Web site: Why are Brazil's environmentalists being murdered?. Washingtonpost.com. 2016-09-25.
  19. Web site: Killings of environmental activists jumped by 20 percent last year. News.mongabay.com. 2016-09-25.
  20. Web site: Case History: Raimundo dos Santos Rodrigues | Front Line Defenders . 2016-10-10 . dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160920141631/https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/node/917 . 2016-09-20 .
  21. News: Sandy. Matt. Murder of Brazil official marks new low in war on Amazon environmentalists. 24 January 2018. The Guardian. 24 October 2016.
  22. News: Davey . Ed . Pereda Zavaleta . David . 30 November 2023 . Peruvian rainforest defender from embattled Kichwa tribe shot dead in river attack . 18 August 2024 . Associated Press.