Record number of environmentalists killed in 2019

In 2019, a record 212 environmentalists were killed, according to the annual report of the British human rights organization Global Witness. Since the Paris climate convention in 2015, an average of four environmentalists have been murdered every week.

Most of the victims were in Colombia (64) and the Philippines (48). In Europe, the organization had the least casualties: two Romanian foresters were murdered because they opposed the logging in the country.

Most of the murders went unpunished, emphasizes Global Witness. In addition, the Organization estimates that the actual number of murdered environmentalists is probably higher, as not all murders are documented as such.

The report shows that many of the people who oppose mining have been particularly affected. There were also victims among environmentalists who opposed agriculture, logging and environmental abuse by criminal groups.