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Global Witness warns that a second Trump administration is likely to accelerate fossil fuel production, weaken protections for land and environmental defenders, and undermine global efforts to combat deforestation and climate disinformation. The organization highlights risks including the rollback of environmental regulations, the potential defunding of human rights initiatives, and a shift toward domestic mining on protected Native and Tribal lands. It also expresses concern over the 'anti-ESG' movement and the potential for social media platforms to spread disinformation under the guise of free speech.

Global Witness conducted a test using new social media accounts in Germany to assess algorithmic bias. The study found that TikTok and X disproportionately recommended right-leaning and pro-AfD content to users who expressed equal interest in four major parties. In contrast, Instagram primarily showed content from accounts the users had explicitly followed. The report also highlights instances where X amplified hate speech and TikTok promoted a political advertisement despite a platform-wide ban on such content.

In 2023, Global Witness documented 196 murders of land and environmental defenders, contributing to a total of 2,106 since 2012. Latin America remains the most dangerous region, accounting for 85% of 2023 cases, with Colombia recording the highest number of killings (79). The report highlights a systemic pattern of violence including forced disappearances in Mexico and judicial harassment in Asia. Mining is identified as the primary industrial driver of these killings. The document argues that indigenous peoples, who protect 80% of the world's remaining biodiversity, are disproportionately targeted. It calls for the implementation of the Escazú Agreement and greater inclusion of indigenous knowledge in global climate negotiations.

Global Witness analyzed 45 bot-like accounts on X, finding that many consistently spread climate disinformation and conspiracy theories. These accounts often frame climate action as a 'scam' or a tool for elite control, linking climate denial to other divisive political stances. The report highlights the difficulty of verifying account authenticity due to limited data transparency from social media platforms like X.

Global Witness criticises the UK's crackdown on climate activists, citing the four-year prison sentence of Daniel Shaw and the use of the Public Order Act 2023 and the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill 2022. The organisation highlights that over 7,000 climate protesters have been arrested since 2019 and argues that the fossil fuel industry has influenced the legislation used to muzzle defenders. It calls on the new Labour government to protect the right to peaceful protest.

Global Witness tested the ad review processes of TikTok, YouTube, and X by submitting 16 advertisements containing election disinformation targeted at Ireland. TikTok approved 100% of the disinformation ads, while YouTube approved 12.5% and X approved none. The report argues that TikTok's failure violates its own community guidelines and the EU's Digital Services Act, which requires platforms to mitigate systemic risks to elections. TikTok attributed the failure to 'human error on the part of one moderator'.

A joint investigation by Global Witness and the Internet Freedom Foundation found that YouTube and Koo failed to act on the majority of reported misogynistic hate speech in India and the US. YouTube removed none of the 79 reported videos, while Koo removed only six of 23 reported posts. The report argues that profit-driven business models and inadequate content moderation pose risks to women and election integrity in 2024.

Between 2018 and 2024, 341 land and environmental defenders were detained across 344 incidents in the Philippines, Indonesia, India, and Vietnam. The report details how legal systems are weaponised through trumped-up charges, anti-terrorism laws, and defamation statutes to protect corporate interests in agribusiness and mining. Key tactics include 'red-tagging' in the Philippines, the use of 'National Strategic Projects' in Indonesia, and the application of vague penal codes in Vietnam.

The report details a 'climate of fear' in Uganda and Tanzania, where TotalEnergies and state actors are accused of using intimidation, inadequate compensation, and criminalisation to silence opposition to the East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP). It documents the arrest of at least 47 defenders in Uganda and the forced exile of activists in Tanzania, arguing that such repression undermines the global energy transition.

Global Witness reports that the rush for lithium in Africa is characterized by corruption and ESG failures. In Zimbabwe, the Sandawana mine is linked to sanctioned elites and ZANU-PF allies, with reports of child labour and illegal exports. In Namibia, Xinfeng Investments is accused of bribery and using small-scale mining permits to avoid environmental assessments. In the DRC, the Manono project is stalled by ownership disputes and allegations that shell companies and politically connected individuals profited from the deposit while the state treasury received negligible funds.

Global Witness reports that Cargill has purchased soy from farms in Bolivia where over 20,000 hectares of forest were razed since 2017. The investigation highlights a systematic failure by Cargill to collect origin data for its soy supplies, undermining its 'deforestation-free' commitments. Furthermore, a leaked company map suggests Cargill may target areas that would put over three million hectares of forest at risk. The report also identifies several global banks, including Barclays, BNP Paribas, HSBC, and Santander, as providers of billions of dollars in financing to Cargill despite their own anti-deforestation pledges.

Global Witness advocates for the adoption of Amendment 91 to the Financial Services and Markets Bill, which would mandate due diligence for UK financial institutions to stop the funding of illegal deforestation. The document argues that voluntary frameworks like the TNFD are insufficient and that the UK financial sector currently poses a significant risk to global forests, with an estimated $16.6 billion provided to businesses implicated in deforestation between 2015-2020.

Global Witness contends that hydrogen heating is an inefficient and dangerous alternative to heat pumps, pushed by gas companies to avoid stranded assets. The briefing criticizes the UK Energy Bill for introducing a hydrogen levy on consumers and proposing forced participation in heating trials in locations like Redcar or Whitby, Ellesmere Port.

The report argues that sanctions by the US, EU, and UK have been 'scattershot' and lack strategic coordination, failing to target the junta's primary revenue sources and arms networks. While legal authorizations are broad, the authors find that 67% of sanctions are unilateral, and critical entities like the Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE) remain largely unsanctioned by the US and UK. The brief recommends a harmonized strategy to cut off foreign currency, disrupt aviation fuel supplies, and comprehensively sanction all junta leadership members.

Global Witness reports that at least 177 land and environmental defenders were murdered in 2022, with Latin America accounting for 88% of these cases. The report highlights the extreme danger faced by Indigenous peoples, who represented 36% of those killed, and identifies the Amazon as a critical hotspot where 22% of global killings occurred. It specifically examines the role of illegal gold mining in Brazil, Venezuela, and Peru, and the impact of the 'green transition' mineral boom in Southeast Asia. The document argues that impunity for these crimes is systemic and calls for stronger corporate accountability, specifically through the EU's Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive.

Global Witness asserts that the financial sector is failing to meet its voluntary deforestation pledges, noting that institutions without 'zero deforestation' policies invested $3.6 trillion in forest-risk companies last year. The author calls for financial leaders to support mandatory due diligence laws in the EU, UK, and US, and for Chinese banks to prioritize deforestation risks in their ESG guidance to prevent irreversible tipping points in forests like the Amazon.

In 2022, Global Witness documented at least 177 killings of land and environmental defenders, with 88% occurring in Latin America. Colombia, Brazil, and Mexico accounted for over 70% of these deaths. The report highlights a critical situation in the Amazon, where 22% of global killings occurred, often linked to illegal mining and agroindustry. It also details the 'criminalization' of activists as a non-lethal strategy to silence dissent. The document advocates for the EU's proposed Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive to hold companies accountable for human rights and environmental abuses in their global supply chains.

The report documents systemic human rights violations in Paraguay's soy-growing regions, linking these abuses to major US commodity traders (ADM, Cargill, and Bunge) and European meat processors (2 Sisters and Danish Crown). It argues that voluntary sustainability certifications, specifically 'mass balance' schemes, act as accounting tricks that allow tainted soy to enter European supply chains. The document calls for mandatory due diligence legislation in the EU and UK to replace ineffective voluntary initiatives.

Global Witness reports that the expansion of soy monocultures in Paraguay is driving illegal land grabs, forced evictions of indigenous and peasant communities, and toxic pesticide poisoning. The report traces these products through global traders like ADM, Cargill, and Bunge to major European meat producers 2 Sisters and Danish Crown, and numerous high-street retailers. It argues that voluntary sustainability certifications, such as 'mass balance', act as 'accounting tricks' that mask the origin of 'tainted' soy, and calls for mandatory human rights due diligence legislation in the EU and UK.

In 2025, Global Witness verified the killings of 124 land and environmental defenders, continuing a trend of lethal violence primarily concentrated in Latin America. The report identifies land disputes and extractive projects as primary drivers, with a significant increase in the role of organized crime and hitmen. It highlights the vulnerability of Indigenous peoples and small-scale farmers, who comprise 75% of the victims. The document argues against individual-focused security models, instead promoting 'collective protection'—community-led systems like Indigenous Guards—and calls for the ratification of the Escazú Agreement and the repeal of laws used to criminalize activism.