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Global Witness reports that 1,733 land and environmental defenders were killed between 2012 and 2021, with 200 deaths recorded in 2021 alone. The report highlights a disproportionate impact on indigenous peoples, who represent over 40% of fatal attacks despite being only 5% of the global population. Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia are identified as the most dangerous countries, where extractivism, land inequality, and corporate impunity drive violence. The document calls for the implementation of the Escazú Agreement and stricter mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence for companies, particularly within the European Union.

The report documents the killing of 124 land and environmental defenders in 2025, with Latin America remaining the most dangerous region. It highlights the role of organized crime, extractive industries, and state repression in these attacks, while advocating for 'collective protection' and the legal recognition of indigenous guards.

In 2024, Global Witness documented 146 land and environmental defenders murdered or disappeared globally, with 82% of cases occurring in Latin America. The report identifies mining as the deadliest industry and highlights the disproportionate targeting of Indigenous Peoples and small-scale farmers. It examines specific crises in Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, the Philippines, Guatemala, and Palestine, while critiquing the failures of state protection mechanisms and the rise of criminalization. The document calls for the ratification of the Escazú Agreement, the implementation of mandatory corporate due diligence, and the formal recognition of defenders' roles in climate solutions ahead of COP30.

In 2024, 146 land and environmental defenders were murdered or disappeared globally, with 82% of cases occurring in Latin America. Mining remains the most lethal sector, followed by logging and agribusiness. The report highlights systemic failures in state protection, high levels of impunity, and the criminalization of activists. It specifically examines the precarious situation of indigenous and peasant communities in Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, the Philippines, Honduras, Guatemala, and Chile, while also addressing the environmental destruction and land expropriation in occupied Palestinian territories. The document calls for the ratification of the Escazú Agreement, the implementation of the EU's Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, and the guaranteed safe participation of defenders in COP30.

Global Witness reports that 1,733 land and environmental defenders were killed between 2012 and 2021, with 200 deaths recorded in 2021 alone. The report identifies extreme land inequality, corruption, and the repression of civic space as primary drivers of violence, particularly affecting indigenous peoples in the Global South. It highlights critical situations in Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, and the Philippines, while advocating for the implementation of the Escazú Agreement and mandatory corporate due diligence in the EU to protect those on the front lines of the climate and biodiversity crises.

In 2024, 146 environmental and land defenders were killed or disappeared globally, with 82% of cases occurring in Latin America. The report identifies mining as the deadliest industry for defenders and highlights the role of organized crime and state actors in these attacks. It specifically examines the critical situations in Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, the Philippines, Honduras, and Guatemala, while detailing the systemic failures of state protection mechanisms and the criminalization of activism. The document calls for the ratification of the Escazú Agreement, the implementation of binding corporate due diligence laws, and the recognition of defenders' roles in climate solutions ahead of COP30.

Global Witness calls for the UK to amend the Financial Services and Markets Bill 2022 to introduce mandatory forest-risk commodity due diligence for financial actors and a statutory objective for regulators on nature and net zero. The briefing highlights that the UK financial sector is a major financier of global deforestation, with an estimated $16.6 billion provided to 20 agri-businesses implicated in deforestation between 2015-2020, and faces up to £200 billion in risk exposure in Brazilian beef and soy and Indonesian palm oil supply chains.

The briefing reveals that the US Federal Reserve, Bank of England, and European Central Bank have invested in bonds from agribusinesses like Cargill, ADM, and Bunge, which are linked to deforestation and land-grabbing in regions such as the Brazilian Cerrado and Indonesia. The document argues that such investments subsidize environmentally destructive companies and send a negative signal to private investors. It highlights a gap between central banks' public climate commitments and their actual portfolios, noting that deforestation is often missing from their risk assessments and 'stress tests'. Global Witness recommends that central banks divest from deforestation-linked bonds, implement zero-deforestation policies, and increase prudential supervision of the private financial sector's exposure to these risks.

The report argues that the gas industry is pushing hydrogen heating to avoid a 'death spiral' as consumers switch to electric heat pumps. It claims that converting gas grids to hydrogen could cost European users €240bn and that 'hydrogen ready' boilers are a greenwashing tactic to lock in fossil gas use. The document highlights that hydrogen combustion emits dangerous nitrogen oxides (NOx), contrary to industry marketing, and that heat pumps are significantly more cost-effective and efficient than hydrogen-based heating.

The document argues that as China tightened regulations on domestic heavy rare earth mining, production shifted to Myanmar, specifically Kachin Special Region 1. This illicit industry is controlled by armed militias and Chinese interests, leading to severe environmental degradation, human rights abuses, and labor violations. Because China controls the vast majority of global processing, these minerals enter the supply chains of major international companies producing electric vehicles and wind turbines. The report recommends that companies and governments implement strict due diligence and import restrictions to prevent the green transition from fueling harms in Myanmar.

Global Witness analysis indicates that industrial rubber plantations in West and Central Africa caused nearly 520km2 of deforestation between 2000 and 2020. The report highlights that the EU imports over 30% of rubber from six key African producers, yet rubber was excluded from proposed EU anti-deforestation laws following tyre industry lobbying. The study links this deforestation to three multinational companies—Olam, Halcyon Agri, and Socfin—which are financed by major European banks. Additionally, the report documents severe impacts on local and indigenous communities, including land loss, lack of water, and violent repression in countries like Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria.

Global Witness argues that the EU's proposed Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive risks becoming a 'box-ticking exercise' unless it is strengthened. The briefing recommends establishing a clear 'duty to prevent' harm, mandating ongoing and outcome-oriented due diligence, and ensuring meaningful stakeholder engagement, particularly for human rights and environmental defenders. It calls for the inclusion of mandatory climate due diligence aligned with the Paris Agreement, the removal of exemptions for financial institutions, and the reduction of legal barriers to justice for victims of corporate abuse.

Global Witness argues that the UK government's proposed options for regulating forest-risk commodities are insufficient to meet the scale of the challenge. The analysis estimates that even under the most optimistic government scenarios, the UK would still contribute between 90,000 and 125,000 hectares of deforestation risk by 2030. Global Witness proposes an alternative approach—regulating at least five to six key commodities within 12 months—which could reduce the deforestation footprint to between 48,774 and 66,745 hectares.

The report finds that Facebook's algorithm actively recommends climate disinformation to users who show an initial interest in climate-sceptic content, often leading them toward more extreme conspiracy theories. Despite the company's stated commitment to combat misinformation through its 'climate science centre' and flagging systems, the investigation found that a vast majority of recommended content for a sceptical user was disinformation, with only a small percentage of such posts carrying informational flags. The report argues that this environment polarises public opinion and hinders the implementation of climate mitigation policies, recommending that governments implement legislative oversight and algorithmic transparency, similar to the European Union's Digital Services Act.

The document identifies significant risks in the DRC's emerging lithium sector, including a lack of public environmental impact assessments, the involvement of politically exposed persons (PEPs) in mining concessions, and a lack of transparency regarding contracts and beneficial ownership. It highlights the role of companies like AVZ Minerals, Tantalex Resources, and Critical Resources, and argues that the energy transition must not be underpinned by predatory economic models or environmental harm. The report recommends that companies and the Congolese government adopt OECD due diligence standards and ensure full transparency of payments and ownership to prevent corruption and human rights abuses.

The US upstream oil and gas industry is projected to earn between $37 billion and $126 billion in additional profits in 2022 due to rising oil prices. The report argues that these gains are driven by global market integration and that companies may prioritize investor returns over increasing domestic production. It advocates for a windfall profits tax to return these gains to consumers.

The document characterizes "net-zero by 2050" pledges as a "dangerous greenwashing gimmick" that allows polluters to maintain a facade of climate action while protecting profits. It argues that net-zero is fundamentally different from "zero emissions" and relies on "unjust offsetting schemes," unproven technologies, and geoengineering. The authors contend that these schemes perpetuate environmental racism and injustice, particularly in BIPOC and low-wealth communities. The document demands that the United States, as a major historical polluter, achieve absolute greenhouse gas emissions reductions by 2030, keep fossil fuels in the ground, eliminate industrial wood biomass and factory farming, and provide international finance and technical assistance to developing countries.

The briefing examines how industry lobby groups, including Hydrogen Europe and Global Alliance Powerfuels, are attempting to weaken the EU's Renewable Energy Directive (RED II). Specifically, it highlights efforts to remove 'additionality' requirements and extend 'temporal correlation' timeframes, which would allow hydrogen to be labeled as 'renewable' even if produced using fossil-fuel electricity. The author warns that such standards would result in carbon-intensive hydrogen, undermine the EU's 'energy efficiency first' principle, and risk subsidizing climate-damaging fuels through EU recovery funds.

The briefing advocates for the EU to include specific, mandatory environmental protection requirements in its sustainable corporate governance directive. It argues that human rights frameworks alone are insufficient because environmental damage can occur without direct human harm. The authors propose that due diligence should cover the entire value chain, align with international agreements like the Paris Agreement, and include a non-exhaustive list of impacts such as biodiversity loss and greenhouse gas emissions. To ensure effectiveness, the document calls for a combination of administrative, criminal, and civil liability, including access to EU courts for victims of harms occurring outside the EU.

The report details a series of corruption scandals involving Eni, specifically the OPL 245 deal in Nigeria and the 'Siracusa System' in Italy, where the company is accused of bribing officials and tampering with witnesses. Simultaneously, it highlights Eni's extensive lobbying efforts in the EU to promote fossil gas as a 'bridge fuel,' arguing that such influence is incompatible with the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement. The document concludes by calling for a 'firewall' to end fossil fuel industry lobbying in EU policy-making, drawing parallels to the restrictions placed on the tobacco industry.