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240 documents from Global Witness
Global Hating
A Global Witness investigation based on a survey of 468 climate scientists reveals that online abuse is common, particularly for those with high academic output and media visibility. The report highlights that women are disproportionately targeted with sexual violence and personal attacks. This harassment leads to mental health issues, productivity loss, and a 'chilling effect' where scientists become less likely to engage in public discourse. The document identifies Twitter and Facebook as primary venues for abuse and calls for reforms to social media business models and content moderation to protect scientists and ensure the flow of critical climate information.
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Document type: Report
Europe's Venezuelan oil imports could give leverage against US aggression
Global Witness reports that European countries, specifically the Netherlands and the UK, imported at least $565 million worth of diesel in 2025 from Valero's St. Charles refinery in Louisiana, which processes significant volumes of Venezuelan oil. The document asserts that this trade supports US 'imperialist' actions in Venezuela and urges the EU and UK to implement a ban on US-controlled Venezuelan oil and refined products until democratic reforms and transparency are established in Venezuela.
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Document type: Statement
US gas can’t certify away its climate and environmental justice problems
The report examines the rise of "responsibly sourced gas" certification, specifically focusing on the certifier MiQ and its clients ExxonMobil and EQT. It contends that these certifications focus narrowly on methane emissions to create a "responsible" image for companies with poor environmental justice records, while the goal of certifying the entire global gas market by 2030 necessitates an increase in production that is incompatible with limiting global warming to 1.5°C.
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Document type: Research paper
Renewable energy at what cost? A closer look at DRC’s nascent lithium sector
An investigation into the Democratic Republic of Congo's nascent lithium industry reveals significant risks related to governance, transparency, and environmental impact. The report highlights that mining concessions near Manono are controlled by a small group of individuals with close ties to government officials and former President Kabila. It warns that without urgent due diligence and adherence to international standards, the green energy transition could repeat the mistakes of fossil fuel extraction by undermining local communities and the environment.
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Document type: Executive summary
Open letter to the Responsible Jewellery Council
A coalition of NGOs and trade unions acknowledges improvements in the Responsible Jewellery Council's (RJC) 2019 Code of Practices, specifically the adoption of OECD Due Diligence Guidance and the Minamata Convention. However, the letter argues that significant gaps remain regarding indigenous rights, human rights instruments, and environmental standards. The authors express concern over a phase-in period that could delay full compliance until 2024 and call for greater transparency in the auditing and certification process.
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Document type: Statement
A vital step towards getting the EU off fossil gas
Global Witness argues that the updated EU Gas Market Package is a step toward phasing out fossil gas, specifically due to a requirement for local grid operators to create energy plans aligned with EU climate targets. However, the document warns that the fossil fuel lobby successfully influenced the law to maintain control over hydrogen networks, which could prolong gas use and increase household energy costs.
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Document type: Statement
Vietnam's Unjust Energy Transition
The document highlights the imprisonment of environmental defenders Nguy Thi Khanh and Dang Dinh Bach in Vietnam on tax evasion charges, which Global Witness describes as an attempt to silence those calling for transparency in the energy transition. It argues that suppressing civil society threatens climate progress and urges G7 countries and the UN Human Rights Council to pressure Vietnam to release these defenders, particularly as the country considers a 'Just Energy Transition Partnership' (JET-P) involving billions of dollars in funding.
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Document type: Statement
Open letter to Meta, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube concerning the upcoming Brazilian election
A group of international digital rights organisations and researchers have called on major social media platforms to act against disinformation and violence surrounding the 2022 Brazilian election. The letter supports a report by over 110 Brazilian civil society organisations which outlines 38 policy recommendations. These recommendations focus on protecting marginalized groups, combating climate-related disinformation, ensuring transparent ad libraries, and safeguarding the electoral process from attempts to discredit it.
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Document type: Statement
Toxic Takeaways
The report documents a pattern of forced evictions, illegal chemical fumigations, and the criminalization of land defenders in eastern Paraguay, driven by the expansion of industrial soy production. It identifies US traders ADM, Cargill, and Bunge as primary conduits, linking these abuses to European meat processors 2 Sisters and Danish Crown. The document argues that voluntary sustainability initiatives and 'mass balance' certification schemes are insufficient to prevent the import of 'tainted' soy into the EU and UK, and calls for mandatory human rights due diligence legislation.
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Document type: Executive summary
COP16: Aligning Biodiversity with Human Rights and Climate Action
Global Witness calls for CBD COP16 to transition the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) into actionable plans. The organization advocates for the protection and participation of land and environmental defenders, the implementation of mandatory regulations to end harmful financial flows driving deforestation, and the establishment of responsible mining standards and 'no-go zones' in biodiversity hotspots to ensure the energy transition does not undermine nature.
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Document type: Statement
Exposing the connections between Wintershall’s Siberian gas fields and Russia’s military supply chain
A joint investigation by Global Witness and Radio Free Europe (RFE) identifies a supply chain connecting Wintershall Dea's gas condensate production in Western Siberia to the Salavat refinery, which in turn supplies diesel to companies with Russian military contracts. While the report notes it is not possible to determine if a specific barrel of diesel contains Wintershall's condensate, it highlights that the refinery's output reaches suppliers for the Federal Guard Service (FSO) and other military units. The report criticizes Wintershall for its continued shareholding in these ventures and its pursuit of German government compensation despite these connections.
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Document type: Report
In aid of who?
Global Witness reveals that the Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG), largely funded by UK aid, committed $749.8 million to fossil fuel projects between 2002 and 2018. The report highlights the use of highly polluting heavy fuel oil (HFO) in West Africa and the continued funding of gas plants in Togo and Cote D'Ivoire in 2019. It further criticizes PIDG's investments in diesel-powered telecommunications towers and high-carbon industrial projects, while noting that 43% of its renewable energy spending went to biomass and hydropower. The document calls for an immediate end to all UK overseas fossil fuel investments across all government departments and agencies.
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Document type: Statement
Critical minerals: the one issue COP has forgotten about
Global Witness is calling for COP30 to address the climate and human rights impacts of the 'transition minerals' boom. The organization argues that the extraction of copper, cobalt, lithium, and rare earths is currently causing deforestation and destroying carbon sinks, which undermines net-zero goals. They propose that the UNFCCC formally endorse the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Expert Advisory Group (HLEAG) to develop binding international guidelines for responsible sourcing, protect vital carbon-storage ecosystems as 'no-go zones', and ensure the Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) of Indigenous peoples.
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Document type: Statement
Before the Flood: How an "illegal" dam project could destroy forests and biodiversity in one of Congo's oldest national parks
The Sombwe Dam project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo threatens Upemba National Park, potentially violating national conservation law and risking the loss of rare species and critical forests. The project, intended to power the copper and cobalt mining belt, could release 1.3 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent by the end of the century due to forest submergence. Global Witness calls for the suspension of work by PowerChina and demands that international financiers and the DRC government seek alternative sites to avoid devastating biodiversity and climate impacts.
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Document type: Report
Our verdict on COP26: A compromise with catastrophe
Global Witness critiques COP26 as a failure that lacked urgency and accountability, noting that the summit allowed fossil fuel lobbyists significant access while excluding many affected communities. The organization highlights the inadequacy of voluntary pledges on deforestation and the failure to secure comprehensive agreements on phasing out oil, gas, and fossil fuel subsidies, concluding that the commitments made are insufficient to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees.
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Document type: Statement
Pricey food, precious forests: The invasion of Ukraine, global food security and deforestation
The document warns that the global food price surge, driven by climate events and the invasion of Ukraine, is being used by industry actors and politicians to push for the deregulation of forests to increase agricultural production. It argues that deforestation actually undermines food security by disrupting weather cycles and increasing climate shocks, citing examples of crop losses in Brazil and Canada. The author urges the UK, EU, and forest-rich nations to maintain and strengthen due diligence requirements to prevent businesses from profiting from deforestation.
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Document type: Statement
To save the Amazon, Brazil needs China’s commitment
The statement asserts that China's influence as Brazil's largest trading partner is critical for saving the Amazon. It highlights that 52% of Brazil's exported beef and 7% of its exported soybeans go to China, making Chinese demand a primary driver of deforestation. The author calls for China to eliminate deforestation from its supply chains, stop financial institutions from funding deforestation-risk commodities, and establish a joint China-Brazil task force to coordinate climate and biodiversity efforts to meet the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forest and Land Use goal of ending deforestation by 2030.
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Document type: Statement
Burger today, rainforest gone tomorrow
The author describes the environmental destruction caused by cattle grazing in the Brazilian Amazon and calls for the US Senate to pass the FOREST Act to block beef from illegally deforested land. The text highlights a US Senate Committee on Finance hearing that examined the cattle supply chains of JBS, the world's largest meat supplier, and the company's lack of accountability for deforestation. The author emphasizes that while the Brazilian government under President Lula has introduced a deforestation action plan, international pressure and legislation are necessary to hold beef companies and their global financiers accountable.
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Document type: Statement
Slash and sell
The report alleges that Brookfield Asset Management oversaw the deforestation of approximately 9,000 hectares of the Brazilian Cerrado between 2012 and 2021 across eight farms, subsequently selling these assets in a 'slash and sell' strategy. It further details a case where a Brookfield-controlled firm was fined R$800,000 for slave labour offences at Fazenda Colorado and an attempt to evict the Kayabí Indigenous community from ancestral lands in the Amazon via the company Agropecuaria Vale do Ximari. The document highlights a contradiction between these actions and the public roles of Brookfield Chair Mark Carney, a co-founder of the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ), and the firm's ESG policies. It argues that voluntary initiatives like GFANZ are insufficient and calls for mandatory government legislation on environmental and human rights due diligence for the financial sector.
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Document type: Report
Biden’s Executive Order on Forests can help stop Wall Street from financing deforestation
The document calls for the US to move beyond funding conservation and instead regulate the financial sector to stop the flow of capital to companies driving deforestation. It highlights that US financial institutions provided $58 billion to agribusiness firms linked to tropical deforestation in the five years following the Paris Agreement, with JPMorgan identified as the largest single financier. The author advocates for the adoption of the FOREST Act to clean up supply chains and the Fossil Free Finance Act to mandate the elimination of financing for activities contributing to deforestation by 2050.
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Document type: Statement