From the earliest days
of what we call “civilization,” people have been laying waste to their surroundings. Today, although some places have taken significant steps to change this, the trend continues. Much of the world’s economic output still relies on the continued degradation of the environment. In some places you don’t see it, but that’s not because it isn’t happening. It is because the destruction has been pushed elsewhere. At the same time, humanity is awakening. We are realizing that we can’t continue to destroy our collective home in pursuit of endless profit. The economy cannot grow forever. Technology is not the solution to everything. And more of the same will not lead to change.
This recognition of what is happening has led to worldwide resistance. Not everyone is willing to stand idly by as the environment we all depend upon continues to be ravaged. Some people are refusing to sacrifice their drinking water and ways of life for the sake of extracting gold from the ground. Others are protecting what remains of the Amazon from settlers and illegal logging. Not everyone is willing to give up their ancestral territory for the sake of a mega-dam built to feed inequitable growth in some far off city. There are people who are refusing to accept the premise that palm oil plantations are more valuable than tropical forests, while others disagree that more fossil fuel extraction is worth the damage to their communities and the environment.
These are some of the conflicts that environmental defenders--as individuals or as communities--are involved in around the world.
Edwin Chota
About Environmental Defenders
The defenders of the environment are those who are on the frontlines of the struggle to protect what is left of our planet.
They are brave.
They love their families.
They care about their communities.
They do not buy into the notion that “progress” should be pursued at all cost.
They recognize the beauty and importance of the world we live in.
They are our conscience.
Environmental defenders are not a group of like-minded individuals, their views and backgrounds are diverse. However, they do share one thing in common:
they are all exemplary humans. Although countries around the world frequently memorialize those who are exemplary, environmental defenders are often ignored and forgotten. Today, you are remembering them. You are listening to the echoes of their struggle and considering the significance of their sacrifice.
Our planet badly needs the strength of other defenders. Without them, business as usual will continue - far too unrestrained to provide us hope that future generations will inherit a healthier and more beautiful planet. For this reason their actions and examples are critical. They remind us of our humanity and our connection to all living things. They remind us that we’re all one. Their struggle was not, and is not, for nothing; it’s for everything. Their actions won’t be forgotten, they will be celebrated.