Resistance, by Patrick Alley, co-founder, Global Witness.

As the world teeters on the edge of climate catastrophe, land and environmental defenders are on the very front of the line in the fight to protect our planet. Defenders, often from Indigenous and traditional communities, feel the worst impacts of the climate crisis while being the ones who have caused the least environmental damage. They have the most at stake in the climate transition, yet face villainization, intimidation, and lethal violence. A decade of Global Witness analysis found that a defender has been killed every two days on average since 2012.

It is well past time to stop the madness. The banks and corporations responsible for financing this destruction of life and land must be reined in. The era of corporate impunity cannot be allowed to continue if we want to ensure a livable and equitable future. The work of defenders is essential in making this future possible.

Defenders are the on-the-ground resistance to stop new mining and fossil fuel projects that bring nothing but destruction. Defenders protect against biodiversity loss – happening now a thousand times faster than the natural rate of extinction. Defenders preserve clean and natural waterways and food systems. Defenders stand up against the predatory capitalist structure that has put us all on the pathway towards climate disaster.

The extraordinary contributions of defenders towards climate protection are all the more critical when weighed against the tepid, watered-down, voluntary commitments made by world governments and international corporations.

We must ensure the voices of defenders are heard and their rights protected. For the past decade, Global Witness has documented the killings of defenders across the world. Through our campaign, we helped bring the risks land and environmental defenders face into the public consciousness. For the first time ever, the UN General Secretary referenced land and environmental defenders in his opening remarks at COP27. In that same venue, the Prime Minister of Norway specifically cited our work and held a minute of silence for defenders who had been killed. Our reports receive extensive media coverage and support the advocacy work of organisations around the world.

At Global Witness we know that communities thrive and climate policies are more effective when decisions are made by those with the most at stake and when those most responsible are held to account. That can’t happen when defenders are shut out of the room and face abuse and even death when they speak out. That is why we are committed to magnifying the voices of defenders within all spaces in which we operate, facilitating connections between defenders and policymakers in the EU, UK

and US.

Believing that governments must act now to protect defenders, we have worked strategically and tirelessly with our partners to secure the introduction of the EU Corporate Sustainable Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) – an unprecedented measure that would require all companies operating within the EU to identify, prevent, mitigate and account for their environmental and human rights impacts within their global value chains. However, on December 1, EU Member States proposed a toothless version of the Directive. This is not the end of the legislative process, and Global Witness will continue to push back against industry interests, advocating instead for the planet and its people. Public pressure is critical to secure legal and enforceable obligations for some of the most destructive companies in the world. That’s where we need your help.

You can support the work of Global Witness in exposing the financial systems that endanger defenders and the future of our planet by making a donation here. Also The Big Give campaign will last until December 6; any donations made before that time will be doubled by generous pledgers.