Record 212 environmental activists murdered in 2019

At least 212 environmental campaigners worldwide were murdered in 2019, making last year the deadliest on record for frontline activists battling the destruction of Nature, watchdog group Global Witness reported yesterday. Colombia and the Philippines combined accounted for just over half of the confirmed deaths -- 64 and 43, respectively -- followed by Brazil, Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala. About 40 percent of victims were indigenous people, and over two-thirds died in Latin America. One in ten were women. Of the 141 murders last year that could be linked a specific economic sectors, more than a third involved campaigners protesting mining operations, some legal most not.  Thirty-four killings related to agribusiness were overwhelmingly in Asia, especially the Philippines. 

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