Why 2017 Was the Deadliest Year for Environmental Activists
Agribusiness, which is any business that earns revenue from agriculture, had the most deaths associated with it, with a reported 46 activists killed in disputes over large-scale agriculture projects.
ELAINA ZACHOS: ‘According to the international environmental organization Global Witness, 2017 saw a total of 207 killings of environmental activists, or defenders. That’s more than 2016, making 2017 the deadliest year on record. Agribusiness, which is any business that earns revenue from agriculture, had the most deaths associated with it, with a reported 46 activists killed in disputes over large-scale agriculture projects. Agribusiness was followed by the oil and mining industry, which has historically been the most dangerous field for activists, with 40 killings. Poaching and logging were tied for third with 23 reported deaths each…
Nearly 60 percent of the murders took place in Latin America. Brazil was the deadliest country overall, with 57 killings. The Philippines saw 48 deaths — the largest number seen in an Asian country — and Mexico’s defender death rate increased fivefold, from three killings in 2016 to 15 in 2017… Global Witness used data sets from national and international sources, such as annual reports and other public information. The organization only included verifiable deaths in the report, fact-checking information like the names of defenders and their causes of death’. SOURCE…
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