Record 227 Environmentalists, Land Defenders Murdered Worldwide In 2020 - Report

A record 227 land and environmental activists were murdered worldwide last year, with Colombia seeing the highest number of killings, 65, for the second year in a row, a report released on Monday by the human rights organization Global Witness sai

LONDON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th September, 2021) A record 227 land and environmental activists were murdered worldwide last year, with Colombia seeing the highest number of killings, 65, for the second year in a row, a report released on Monday by the human rights organization Global Witness said.

"In 2020, we recorded 227 lethal attacks - an average of more than four people a week - making it once again the most dangerous year on record for people defending their homes, land and livelihoods, and ecosystems vital for biodiversity and the climate," the UK-based group said.

According to the annual report, seven of the ten most dangerous countries for environmentalists are in Latin America, where 165 killings were recorded.

After Colombia, Mexico was the deadliest country, with thirty activists killed, followed by The Philippines (29), while Nicaragua showed the highest annual increase, with twelve murders up from five in 2019.

At least 30% of recorded attacks were reportedly linked to resource exploitation such as logging, the construction of hydroelectric dams and other infrastructure, mining and large-scale agribusiness.

"Defenders are at risk because they find themselves living on or near something that some corporation is demanding. That demand - the demand for the highest possible profit, the quickest possible timeline, the cheapest possible operation - seems to translate eventually into the understanding, somewhere, that the troublemaker must go," Global Witness quoted American environmentalist Bill McKibben as saying.

The report recommended the United Nations formally recognize the human right to a safe, healthy and sustainable environment and ensure that commitments and actions to be adopted at the climate summit � scheduled for the Scottish city of Glasgow in November for the fulfillment of the Paris Agreement � include human rights protections.

Global Witness also averred that the government's Primary duty is to guarantee that national policies protect land and environmental activists and urged business to do everything in their power to ensure that they are not causing, contributing to, or benefiting from these attacks.