Dec 19, 2021Ending the toxic friendships harming people and planetIn the run-up to COP26, we wanted to develop a digital campaign that highlighted the political capital held by industries that devastate the environment. Over 160 influential voices and 100 organisations from 15 different countries joined — this is how it happened. The undue influence of polluters on policy makers…Cop 265 min read
Mar 2, 2021New data shows deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon at 12 year highThe twelve months up to July 2020 were the worst in over a decade for deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. An estimated 11,000km2 of primary forest was cleared between August 2019 and July 2020 — not since 2008 has the rate of clearance been so high. …Amazon3 min read
Jun 15, 2020Emblematic yet Exceptional: a review of Nina Lakhani’s Who Killed Berta Cáceres?Review by Ben Leather “I want to live, there are many things I still want to do in this world. I take precautions, but in the end… When they want to kill me, they will do it.” As midnight approached on 2 March 2016, Berta Cáceres lay dying in her…Honduras4 min read
Mar 18, 2020Frack, consume, recycle: The ugly truth behind Big Oil’s push for plasticsEvery week, we are each ingesting a credit card’s worth of plastic, a recent study suggests. Plastic waste has invaded every corner of the planet — including our bodies. And here’s an ugly truth: We cannot recycle our way out of this problem. …Plastic4 min read
Mar 3, 2020Member-onlyFour years since Berta Cáceres’ assassination, Honduran defenders face greater danger than everIn many parts of the world, standing up for the environment is a deadly undertaking. Few places are more dangerous than Honduras. It was four years ago that Honduran activist Berta Cáceres was assassinated for protecting her ancestral land from the construction of a hydroelectric dam. Despite the international outcry that followed Berta’s murder, the Honduran government is consistently failing in its duty to protect…Environment4 min read
Sep 12, 2019Why the world should be watching TexasTexas is set to become the world’s largest oil and gas producer, putting the climate and our future at stake Houston is set to welcome ten presidential candidates today for another round of Democratic debates. …Environment4 min read
Sep 11, 2019Is the fossil fuel industry criminalising defenders to get its way?As momentum builds ahead of the Global Climate Strike next week, we could all find inspiration in the form of 75-year-old grandmother Gillian Kelly, a working-class woman from Lancashire. She’s part of a growing group of protestors who have been fighting for the last two years to stop fracking…Climate Change3 min read
Aug 13, 2019Why Global Witness is supporting the Global Climate StrikeOver the course of this year, an estimated 1.4 million students across 150 countries have taken part in a wave of youth climate marches. Life on earth is under immense pressure. The climate crisis threatens the ability of the planet to remain habitable for humanity. …Climate Change3 min read
Feb 12, 201910 films to inspire activists — recommended by Global WitnessFilms have the power to inspire action, shed light on hidden stories and even change the world for the better. As the awards season begins with the BAFTAs and Oscars this month, we asked Global Witness staff to nominate their favourite anti-corruption, human rights or environmental films. If you want to protect our planet… Virunga (2014) Virunga is…Environment6 min read
Jan 21, 2019Braving the storm? Trump’s presidency in a nutshellEarlier this week, Americans woke up to a shuttered Washington, D.C. A snowstorm had hit the region, effectively closing the government. But that paled in comparison to the fact that key executive agencies in the US have been closed for nearly a month due to a lapse in funding. With…Trump4 min read
