Decade of defiance

Global Witness reports that 200 land and environmental defenders were murdered in 2021, contributing to a ten-year total of 1,733 killings. The report identifies land inequality, corruption, and shrinking civic space as primary drivers of this violence, with Indigenous peoples disproportionately targeted. Analysis focuses on high-risk regions including Latin America, where over three-quarters of 2021 attacks occurred, and specific countries like Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, and the Philippines. The document advocates for the implementation of the Escazú Agreement and the strengthening of the EU's Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive to end corporate impunity.

• Between 2012 and 2021, Global Witness documented the deaths of 1,733 land and environmental defenders, averaging one killing approximately every two days.
• In 2021, 200 defenders were murdered, with Mexico recording the highest number of killings at 54, an increase from 30 in the previous year.
• Indigenous peoples are disproportionately targeted; in 2021, they accounted for over 40% of all fatal attacks despite representing only 5% of the global population.
• Latin America is the most dangerous region for defenders, accounting for over three-quarters of the attacks recorded in 2021, with 78% of attacks in Brazil, Peru, and Venezuela occurring in the Amazon.
• The Philippines is identified as the worst place in Asia for defenders, with 270 killings between 2012 and 2021; over 80% of these are linked to protests against company operations, particularly in mining and agribusiness.
• Brazil is the most murderous country overall since 2012, with 342 lethal attacks, the majority of which occurred in the Amazon rainforest.
• The report identifies several systemic drivers of violence: extreme land inequality (notably in Brazil and Colombia), corruption, shrinking civic space under authoritarian regimes, and a culture of corporate impunity.
• The voluntary carbon market (VCM) is described as a 'Carbon Heist', where forestry and renewable energy projects in the Global South lead to land-grabs and human rights abuses against Indigenous and local communities.
• The Escazú Agreement, which entered into force on 22 April 2021, is the first legally binding instrument to include provisions for the protection of environmental defenders, though key countries like Brazil and Colombia have not yet ratified it.
• In Canada, the construction of the US$6 billion Coastal GasLink pipeline in Wet’suwet’en territory is highlighted as a case of human rights violations and failure to obtain free, prior and informed consent.

APA

Shiva, V., & Davis, M. (n.d.). Decade of defiance. Global Witness. https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/land-and-environmental-defenders/decade-of-defiance/

Chicago

Shiva, Vandana, and Mike Davis. Decade of defiance. Global Witness, n.d. https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/land-and-environmental-defenders/decade-of-defiance/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Shiva |first1=Vandana |last2=Davis |first2=Mike |title=Decade of defiance |publisher=Global Witness |url=https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/land-and-environmental-defenders/decade-of-defiance/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{shivanddecade, author = {Shiva, Vandana and Davis, Mike}, title = {{Decade of defiance}}, institution = {Global Witness}, url = {https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/land-and-environmental-defenders/decade-of-defiance/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }