Palestinian environmental defender Abeer Butmeh calls for “global energy embargo against Israel” at COP29

Photo: Abeer Butmeh at COP29, November 14, 2024. The coordinator of the Palestinian Environmental NGOs Network (PENGON)-Friends of the Earth Palestine, Abeer Butmeh, is calling for a fuel embargo on Israel given “Israeli operations” violate the “right to a healthy environment”. She has previously noted that the Palestinian Environmental NGOs Read more…

As the UN COP29 climate conference concludes, Peace Brigades International turns its attention to COP30 in Brazil

Image: Logo of COP30 in Brazil. The United Nations Conference of Parties (COP) 29 climate conference is scheduled later today (November 22) in Baku, Azerbaijan. On September 10, 2024, Global Witness highlighted: “At least 1,500 defenders have been killed since the adoption of the Paris Agreement on 12 December 2015” Read more…

As the “usual suspects” dominate COP29, is there hope COP30 can help protect environmental defenders?

Photo from Governo do Pará, Brasil. More than 65,000 people are now attending the United Nations Conference of Parties (COP) 29 Climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan that began last Monday November 11 and that is scheduled to conclude this coming Friday November 22. Will COP29 serve to enhance the protection Read more…

As COP29 approaches in Baku, at least 1,500 land and environmental defenders have been killed since COP21

Photo from The Guardian by Sergei Grits/AP. On September 10, 2024, Global Witness highlighted: “At least 1,500 defenders have been killed since the adoption of the Paris Agreement on 12 December 2015” at the conclusion of the COP21 climate conference. In October 2019, just prior to the COP25 conference in Read more…

Mountain Valley Pipeline, financed by Canadian banks and co-owned by a Canadian company, sues water protectors

Photo: Ojibwe water protector Tara Houska, locked to machinery at a Mountain Valley Pipeline worksite, October 16, 2023. In response to a tweet that says: “For Indigenous People’s Day [a holiday in the United States observed this year on October 14] how about we drop all charges on Indigenous Land Read more…

PBI-Canada to host webinar on COP16, COP29, the Binding Treaty and the language needed to protect environmental defenders

Photo: Yannick Wild, Berenice Celeita, Javier Garate. Join us on Thursday October 24 at 12 pm (Colombia) / 1 pm (Ottawa) / 7 pm (Geneva) for a webinar that will link the protection needs of environmental defenders and the upcoming United Nations COP16 Biodiversity, COP29 Climate and Binding Treaty talks. Read more…

Convictions of Just Stop Oil activists and Wet’suwet’en land defenders suggest “an international pattern to criminalize”

The BBC reports: “Five [Just Stop Oil] environmental activists who organized protests that brought part of the M25 [motorway] to a standstill over four days [in November 2022] have been jailed. …[Roger] Hallam was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment while the other defendants each received four-year jail terms.” Michel Forst, Read more…

Will COP16 in Colombia strengthen Target 22 and spark text at COP30 in Brazil to protect environmental defenders?

The United Nations COP16 Biodiversity conference will take place this coming October 21 to November 1 in Cali, Colombia. Shortly afterwards, the UN COP29 Climate conference will take place November 11-22 in Baku, Azerbaijan. A year after that, COP30 will take place November 10-21, 2025, in Belém, Brazil. Global Witness Read more…

Crown seeks 60-90 day jail sentence for Likhts’amisyu Clan Wing Chief Dsta’hyl for defending Wet’suwet’en territory

Photo: Dsta’hyl on Likhts’amisyu territory. Photo by Mark West/Briarpatch Magazine. The Terrace Standard reports: “The crown is seeking a 60-90 day jail sentence for Dsta’hyl’s interference in the [TC Energy Coastal GasLink fracked gas] pipeline’s construction. Dsta’hyl’s defence said they will ask for a non-custodial sentence.” Amanda Follett Hosgood of Read more…

PBI-Canada hosts webinar on Gitxsan and Gitanyow resistance to colonial mega-projects

On Tuesday March 5, Peace Brigades International-Canada convened a webinar hosted by Board member Seb Bonet, who is based on Lekwungen and WSÁNEĆ territories, that featured Kai Nagata, Tara Marsden, Kolin Sutherland-Wilson and Maryam Adrangi speaking about Gitxsan and Gitanyow resistance to colonial mega-projects. Kai Nagata Kai Nagata, the communications Read more…