164 activists killed in conflict over resources last year
July 30, 2019
More than 160 people were killed for trying to protect the environment in 2018, says NGO Global Witness. While the Philippines tops the list with 30 deaths, the number of killed activists nearly quintupled in Guatemala.
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One hundred and sixty-four people lost their lives worldwide last year as a result of conflicts in the agricultural industry, timber industry and mining sector, according to a study conducted by the NGO Global Witness released on Tuesday.
The study found that much of the persecution of environmental activists is being driven by demand for the land and raw materials needed for consumer products, including food, mobile phones and jewelry.
Global Witness blamed investors, including development banks, for fueling the violence by financing abusive projects.
"It's not good enough for foreign multinationals that are connected to these land grabs to profess ignorance," the report said. "They have a responsibility to proactively ensure that the land they are profiting from has been leased legally, with the consent of the communities who have lived on it for generations."
'Threat to everyone'
The Philippines tops the list with 30 deaths, while in Guatemala the number of killed activists increased more than fourfold in 2018. In India, too, the number of registered deaths rose sharply.
A look at some of the world's scarcest resources
July 29 marks Earth Overshoot Day, the day on which we've used up our entire annual natural resource allotment. DW looks at some of the world's scarcest resources that are running out faster and faster each year.
Image: AFP/S. Qayyum
Water – The source of life
In some parts of the world access to freshwater is taken for granted, but it's actually a luxury. Freshwater only makes up 2.5% of the world's total volume, and more than half of that is ice. Agriculture uses 70% of what's actually usable. By 2050, two-thirds of the world's population is expected to suffer from water scarcity, which will affect all aspects of people's lives.
Image: picture-alliance/Zumapress
Land – The new gold
Competition for land is growing across the globe. As the world's population continues to grow, the available land doesn't and is increasingly degrading. Extreme weather events due to climate change add to the equation. Countries with a large population or scarce land areas for agriculture, such as China and Saudi Arabia, are already seeking land in Africa. Land is seen as the new gold.
Image: Imago/Blickwinkel
Fossil fuels – Speak of the devil
And speaking of oil, fossil fuels should surely have a place at the table of the world's scarce resources if anything because they can't be replenished. Continuing today's rate of consumption will eventually lead to their depletion. This could prove a huge challenge for countries, like Iraq and Libya, which have traditionally had large oil and natural gas reserves.
Image: picture-alliance/dpaH. Oeyvind
Coal – Time to break up
The same goes for coal. Even if countries like Germany are reluctant to move away from this polluting source of energy, the reserves are emptying. In Poland, lignite (or brown coal) reserves from operating mines are expected to run out by 2030. Hard coal might last a little longer, but not much, experts say. Therefore, the country might be forced to break up with coal soon – even if it hurts.
Image: picture alliance/PAP/A. Grygiel
Sand everywhere and nowhere
If we think of a desert, sand seems infinite, but its natural production is actually a rather slow process. Sand is a renewable resource, but it's being used at such a fast rate for things like construction that nature doesn't have time to reproduce it. In developing regions like East Africa, where the population is expected to double by roughly 2050, sand could become a scarce resource.
Image: picture-alliance/ZB/P. Förster
Running out of species
Careless behavior with regard to all living beings on this planet is pushing several species to the brink of extinction. Animals are widely seen as resource for humans, and as such pangolins, rhinos, vaquitas or seahorses could be included in the list of scarce natural resources. If they continue to be exploited resources unsustainably, human life will be at risk.
Image: picture-alliance/Zuma/I. Damanik
The scarcest resource of all? Time
It seems like everything is falling apart and as if nothing more can be done to prevent a bleak future. Yet, one thing that's still available is time, a scarce but extremely valuable resource. Some say the climate emergency could still be reversed if action is taken over the next 12 years. And for once, we are allowed to exploit a resource to the fullest. There is no time to lose.
Image: AFP/S. Qayyum
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"This violence is a human rights crisis but it is also a threat to everyone who depends on a stable climate," said Vicky Tauli-Corpuz, the UN's special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples.
The overall number of recorded deaths in 2018 dropped from the year before, but that doesn't mean there was a decline in violence, according to Global Witness. The NGO cited increasing censorship and restrictions on freedom of the press. Many killings, therefore, are not reported.
For instance, the number of unreported cases in African countries is presumably significantly higher, said Alice Harrison, senior campaigner at Global Witness. "It is a brutal irony that, while judicial systems routinely allow the killers of defenders to walk free, they are also being used to brand the activists themselves as terrorists, spies or dangerous criminals," she added.
Activists are not just being criminalized in countries where the rule of law is weak, but also in advanced democracies, according to the NGO. Three anti-fracking protesters were sentenced to prison in the UK last year. The case "has stirred fears that the law is being used to shut down legitimate environmental activism," according to Global Witness.
