ecology problems presentation

Human Impacts on the Environment

Humans impact the physical environment in many ways: overpopulation, pollution, burning fossil fuels, and deforestation. Changes like these have triggered climate change, soil erosion, poor air quality, and undrinkable water. These negative impacts can affect human behavior and can prompt mass migrations or battles over clean water.

Help your students understand the impact humans have on the physical environment with these classroom resources.

Earth Science, Geology, Geography, Physical Geography

Got any suggestions?

We want to hear from you! Send us a message and help improve Slidesgo

Top searches

Trending searches

5 templates

suicide prevention

9 templates

hispanic heritage month

21 templates

16 templates

49 templates

mid autumn festival

18 templates

Environment Presentation templates

Create very inspiring presentations thanks to our free google slides themes and powerpoint templates. you will be able to talk about the environment with a captivating slide deck..

• Calendar & Weather
• Infographics
• Marketing Plan
• Project Proposal
• Social Media
• Thesis Defense
• Black & White
• Craft & Notebook
• Floral & Plants
• Illustration
• Interactive & Animated
• Professional
• Instagram Post
• Instagram Stories

It seems that you like this template!

Register for free and start downloading now

Environmental consulting.

Some consulting agencies offer their services to ensure companies commit to the regulations to take care of the environment. Use this new free template, whose bright colors and eco-related resources improve so much the message of your sales pitch.

Elementary Awareness-raising Activities on Environmental Education Day

On Environmental Education Day, let's discover the ECO-nomics of saving the planet! Earth education can take several forms, and there are plenty of activities to engage in. Indulge in an environmental treasure hunt, going around town looking for clues relating to climate change. Learn how to compost or create a...

Climate Change in South Korea Thesis

You are an environmentalist at heart and have worked very hard on your thesis on climate change in South Korea. Now that the time has come to defend it, we want to help you with this doodle style template with which you will successfully pass this requirement of your academic...

What To Do For World Nature Conservation Day

July 28th is approaching, which means that World Nature Conservation Day is just around the corner, and what can we do? We need to save the planet and the environment for future generations! You can start by downloading this template, which is 0% polluting and, moreover, will allow you to...

Environmental Activist CV

First of all, thank you. Thank you for fighting for the most important thing we all have: our planet. Thank you for standing against big corporations that try to deforest our planet, who contaminate the waters and pollute the air. Thank you for helping animals who are in danger of...

Premium template

Unlock this template and gain unlimited access

World Environment Day

We know that taking care of the environment is of a paramount importance, and it is the perfect time of the year to encourage awareness and action for the protection of nature. Let’s teach our kids about the necessity of preserving nature with this cool template!

Environmental Health Sciences - Master of Public Health

How does our health depend on the health of the environment we live in? What communal commitments need to be made in order for our environment to flourish? All these questions are going to be answered during the Master course in Public Health, and this Google Slides and PowerPoint template...

Soil Pollution Prevention Project Proposal

We're so focused on air pollution that sometimes we forget to look at the ground. Soil pollution is a very important issue that needs to be addressed, as it affects the vegetables and the fruit that we grow! Share your own proposal on prevention of soil pollution! To do that,...

Sustainability and Environment Newsletter

Download the "Sustainability and Environment Newsletter" presentation for PowerPoint or Google Slides. Attention all marketers! Are you looking for a way to make your newsletters more creative and eye-catching for your target audience? This amazing template is perfect for creating the perfect newsletter that will capture your audience's attention from...

Saving Our Planet

Download the Saving Our Planet presentation for PowerPoint or Google Slides and start impressing your audience with a creative and original design. Slidesgo templates like this one here offer the possibility to convey a concept, idea or topic in a clear, concise and visual way, by using different graphic resources....

Environment Pollution Diseases

Pollution in cities is commonplace. However, it causes numerous diseases and increases the likelihood of many others. That is why it is important to raise awareness of our role in protecting the environment. To talk about this medical issue and how it affects our health, today we bring you this...

Environmental Engineering Thesis

After studying so hard and working on a dissertation, now it's time to defend it! The topic of this new editable template is environmental engineering, a discipline that aims to improve the quality of the environment, so its color palette revolves around green and yellow. The backgrounds contain natural landscapes...

Sustainable Consumption Initiatives

Download the "Sustainable Consumption Initiatives" presentation for PowerPoint or Google Slides and start impressing your audience with a creative and original design. Slidesgo templates like this one here offer the possibility to convey a concept, idea or topic in a clear, concise and visual way, by using different graphic resources....

Create your presentation Create personalized presentation content

Writing tone, number of slides, sustainable estuary management.

Download the "Sustainable Estuary Management" presentation for PowerPoint or Google Slides and start impressing your audience with a creative and original design. Slidesgo templates like this one here offer the possibility to convey a concept, idea or topic in a clear, concise and visual way, by using different graphic resources....

Cares for the Environment Social Media Strategy

Download the "Cares for the Environment Social Media Strategy" presentation for PowerPoint or Google Slides. How do you use social media platforms to achieve your business goals? If you need a thorough and professional tool to plan and keep track of your social media strategy, this fully customizable template is...

Taking Care of Mother Earth

Download the Taking Care of Mother Earth presentation for PowerPoint or Google Slides and start impressing your audience with a creative and original design. Slidesgo templates like this one here offer the possibility to convey a concept, idea or topic in a clear, concise and visual way, by using different...

World Environment Appreciation

Download the World Environment Appreciation presentation for PowerPoint or Google Slides and start impressing your audience with a creative and original design. Slidesgo templates like this one here offer the possibility to convey a concept, idea or topic in a clear, concise and visual way, by using different graphic resources....

Environmental Protection Newsletter

Remind your newsletter readers that protecting the environment is key — every day! With this Google Slides and PowerPoint template, you can send out tips for incorporating sustainability into our daily actions, how to spot Greenwashing and why exactly all of this is important, and you can do so with...

• Page 1 of 31

Register for free and start editing online

Newly Launched - AI Presentation Maker

AI PPT Maker

Powerpoint Templates

Icon Bundle

Kpi Dashboard

Professional

Business Plans

Swot Analysis

Gantt Chart

Business Proposal

Marketing Plan

Project Management

Business Case

Business Model

Cyber Security

Business PPT

Digital Marketing

Digital Transformation

Human Resources

Product Management

Artificial Intelligence

Company Profile

Acknowledgement PPT

PPT Presentation

Reports Brochures

One Page Pitch

Interview PPT

All Categories

Top 10 Environmental Issues PowerPoint Presentation Templates in 2024

Our editable and customizable PowerPoint presentation on Environmental Issues is a comprehensive tool designed to raise awareness and educate audiences on pressing environmental challenges facing our planet. With a range of visually appealing slides, including graphs, charts, and infographics, this presentation covers topics such as climate change, pollution, deforestation, and wildlife conservation. Users can easily tailor the content to suit their specific needs, whether it be for academic purposes, corporate presentations, or community outreach initiatives. This versatile resource can be utilized by educators, environmentalists, policymakers, and businesses to effectively communicate the urgency of addressing environmental issues and inspire action towards sustainable solutions. Overall, this PowerPoint presentation serves as a powerful medium to engage and inform audiences about the critical importance of preserving our environment for future generations.

Management Communication Issues powerpoint presentation and google slides ICP

This PowerPoint presentation provides an overview of common management communication issues and how to address them. It covers topics such as how to effectively communicate with employees, how to ensure messages are heard and understood, and how to use communication to foster a positive work environment. It also provides tips on how to handle difficult conversations, how to create a culture of open communication, and how to use communication to build trust and respect. This presentation is ideal for managers and business leaders who want to improve their communication skills and create a more productive and successful work environment.

Transform your presentation into visual masterpiece with our customizable Icon PowerPoint template, available in editable PPTx and customizable PNG formats. This deck is 100 percent editable, allowing you to effortlessly tailor it to convey your message effectively. It offers full ownership of the images, ensuring you can use them as you see fit, making it a user-friendly choice for delivering your impactful presentation.

• Metadata Governance
• Metadata Standards
• Metadata Quality
• metadata analysis
• Metadata Repositories
• Metadata Security

Illustration of 3d man loving the earth environment issues ppt graphics icons powerpoint

We are proud to present our illustration of 3d man loving the earth environment issues ppt graphics icons powerpoint. This PPT slide shows 3D illustration of red hearts linked together to earth. It relates to the concept of loving the earth. It helps to churn the mixture to the right degree and pound home your views and expectations in a spectacularly grand and virtuoso fluid performance.

Keep going from idea to idea. Our Illustration Of 3D Man Loving The Earth Environment Issues Ppt Graphics Icons Powerpoint provide continuity.

• conservation
• eco friendly
• environment
• environmental
• global warming
• illustration

Environmental issues business investigation

Increase audience engagement and knowledge by dispensing information using Environmental Issues Business Investigation. This template helps you present information on seven stages. You can also present information on Environmental Issues using this PPT design. This layout is completely editable so personaize it now to meet your audiences expectations.

Our Environmental Issues Business Investigation are topically designed to provide an attractive backdrop to any subject. Use them to look like a presentation pro.

• Environmental Issues

Environmental issues business development growth illustrating pollution representing

Engage buyer personas and boost brand awareness by pitching yourself using this prefabricated set. This Environmental Issues Business Development Growth Illustrating Pollution Representing is a great tool to connect with your audience as it contains high-quality content and graphics. This helps in conveying your thoughts in a well-structured manner. It also helps you attain a competitive advantage because of its unique design and aesthetics. In addition to this, you can use this PPT design to portray information and educate your audience on various topics. With twelve slides, this is a great design to use for your upcoming presentations. Not only is it cost-effective but also easily pliable depending on your needs and requirements. As such color, font, or any other design component can be altered. It is also available for immediate download in different formats such as PNG, JPG, etc. So, without any further ado, download it now.

Our Environmental Issues Business Development Growth Illustrating Pollution Representing are topically designed to provide an attractive backdrop to any subject. Use them to look like a presentation pro.

• development
• Illustrating

Business development and growth causing environmental issues

Introducing our Business Development And Growth Causing Environmental Issues set of slides. The topics discussed in these slides are Business Development And Growth Causing Environmental Issues. This is an immediately available PowerPoint presentation that can be conveniently customized. Download it and convince your audience.

Our Business Development And Growth Causing Environmental Issues are topically designed to provide an attractive backdrop to any subject. Use them to look like a presentation pro.

• Business Development And Growth Causing Environmental Issues

Environmental issue chart illustrating environmental issue contribution towards global pollution

This graph or chart is linked to excel, and changes automatically based on data. Just left click on it and select Edit Data. Presenting our well-structured Environmental Issue Chart Illustrating Environmental Issue Contribution Towards Global Pollution. The topics discussed in this slide are Environmental Issue Chart, Illustrating Environmental Issue, Contribution Towards Global Pollution. This is an instantly available PowerPoint presentation that can be edited conveniently. Download it right away and captivate your audience.

This graph or chart is linked to excel, and changes automatically based on data. Just left click on it and select Edit Data.

• Environmental Issue Chart
• Illustrating Environmental Issue
• Contribution Towards Global Pollution

Environmental issues and general business affairs ppt design

Presenting this set of slides with name - Environmental Issues And General Business Affairs Ppt Design. This is a one stage process. The stages in this process are Environmental, Nature, Protection, Strategy, Business.

Extend your expertise to other areas with our Environmental Issues And General Business Affairs Ppt Design. They help develop all round competency.

Environmental issues presentation backgrounds

Presenting this set of slides with name - Environmental Issues Presentation Backgrounds. This is a four stage process. The stages in this process are Business, Location, Geography, Planning, Icons, Strategy.

Avert half measures with our Environmental Issues Presentation Backgrounds. They ensure every action is complete.

Environmental issues powerpoint images

Presenting this set of slides with name - Environmental Issues Powerpoint Images. This is a nine stage process. The stages in this process are Globe, Marketing, Strategy, Planning, Location.

Communicate with your group through our Environmental Issues Powerpoint Images. They will facilitate their understanding of your views.

Environmental issues powerpoint slide images

Presenting this set of slides with name - Environmental Issues Powerpoint Slide Images. This is a seven stage process. The stages in this process are Business, Marketing, Environmental, Icons, Strategy.

Build the day with our Environmental Issues Powerpoint Slide Images. Exciting ideas will dawn on you.

• My presentations

Auth with social network:

Download presentation

We think you have liked this presentation. If you wish to download it, please recommend it to your friends in any social system. Share buttons are a little bit lower. Thank you!

Presentation is loading. Please wait.

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS OF THE WORLD

Published by Cody McDaniel Modified over 8 years ago

Similar presentations

Presentation on theme: "ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS OF THE WORLD"— Presentation transcript:

1 Part A An Introduction to Environmental Science

Humans in the Biosphere

Global Issues Unit Lesson 3. Objectives Consider the impact of people on physical systems and vice versa. Examine causes and effects of major environmental.

B-6.6: Explain how human activities (including population growth, technology, and consumption of resources) affect the physical and chemical cycles and.

Human Impact on Ecosystems

Roger A Rosenblatt February 12, 2004 Environmental Health and the Health Professional Ecological Change and Human Health.

Objective: Understand Causes, Effects and Solutions of Global Warming

Sustainability and Natural Capital. "In every deliberation, we must consider the impact on the seventh generation... ‘What about the seventh generation?

CHAPTER 6 HUMANS IN THE BIOSPHERE

4.3 Water, Air, and Land Resources

How do we influence the environment?

HUMANS IN THE BIOSPHERE. A Changing Landscape  Growing populations depend on the limited natural resources of earth for survival.  Humans rely on ecological.

Human Impacts on the Environment

Threats To the Environment. Threats to the Environment Many human activities threaten the environment, causing pollution that leads to environmental problems.

Environmental Problems Patten & Valdner Global History II Mepham High School Patten & Valdner Global History II Mepham High School.

© The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2002 All Rights Reserved. McGraw-Hill/ Irwin 10-1 Business and Society POST, LAWRENCE, WEBER Ecology, Sustainable Development,

What is going on in the cartoon? This is an example of Deforestation. As the human population grows, so does the demand for Earth’s resources.

Action Plan Resources. Intersections of geoscience and sustainability.

About project

© 2024 SlidePlayer.com Inc. All rights reserved.

A collection of TED Talks (and more) on the topic of Ecology.

Video playlists about Ecology

Why climate change is a human rights issue

Talks about ecology.

The luminous mystery of fireflies

Let your garden grow wild

How poop turns into forests

Why does this flower smell like a dead body?

The story that shapes your relationship with nature

The fantastically weird world of photosynthetic sea slugs

The fascinating physics of insect pee

What can animals teach us about sex and gender?

Why entrepreneurship flourishes in the countryside

A year in the life of one of Earth's weirdest animals

The sharks that hunt in forests

Earth's original inhabitants -- and their role in combating climate change

How you can help save the monarch butterfly -- and the planet

Vultures: The acid-puking, plague-busting heroes of the ecosystem

What a nun can teach a scientist about ecology

What birdspotting can teach us about conservation

Exclusive articles about ecology, humans have changed the planet. here’s how we design for that now, a day in the life of baby coral, books worth reading, as recommended by bill gates, susan cain and more….

ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS

Aug 07, 2014

180 likes | 444 Views

ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS. Our Planet Earth is the home for all forms of life – human beings, animals, birds and plants. But now human beings are killing our planet. The country air, once clean and fresh, now is polluted by power stations and factories and by fumes of cars. .

Share Presentation

• environmental problems
• world forests

Presentation Transcript

Our Planet Earth is the home for all forms of life – human beings, animals, birds and plants.

But now human beings are killing our planet.

The country air, once clean and fresh, now is polluted by power stations and factories and by fumes of cars.

All over the world forests are disappearing. People cut down trees because they need wood, paper and new places for farms and houses.

There is much litter on banks of lakes and rivers. In some rivers you can see a thick foam caused by chemical waste. Many rivers are now empty of fish.

These are some serious environmental problems. Scientist’s predictions about our planet’s future are alarming. If we want to live in a healthy world we must solve these problems.

We can plant trees. • We should throw away litter in special places. • We should take care of animals and plants. • We must stop destroying forests. • Our plants and factories should reduce pollution. And remember: the Earth is our home. If we don’t care about it, it will die.

• More by User

Environmental Problems/Solutions

Environmental Problems/Solutions. By: Mr. Hunter. You’ve just been to Wal-Mart. Rather than throw away your bag, you decide to reuse it. Brainstorm a list of ways to reuse the bag. . Environmental Problems. Pollution Resource Depletion Human Population Growth Habitat Destruction.

1.51k views • 17 slides

Global Environmental Problems

Global Environmental Problems. David P. Chynoweth University of Florida. Outline Of Problems (1). Atmosphere green house gases (climate change) acid rain ozone (uv light penetration). Outline Of Problems (2). Ecosphere habitat loss freshwater supply bioinvasion

1.87k views • 70 slides

Environmental Systems and Problems

Environmental Systems and Problems. An Introduction. Environmental problems. Typical environmental problems: Air, water, soil pollution Noise and radiation Climate change, ozone hole Loss of habitat Extinction of species, loss of biodiversity Depletion of natural resources

816 views • 45 slides

Grouping Environmental Problems

Grouping Environmental Problems. Three Main Categories Resource Depletion Pollution Loss of Biodiversity . Resource Depletion . Natural Resources : Any natural material used by humans Classified as renewable or nonrenewable Renewable: replaced quickly by natural processes

278 views • 7 slides

Environmental Problems

Environmental Problems. And how to fix them… Chapter 55. Deforestation – where and why?. In the past – deciduous forests have been impacted Today, it is more a problem in the tropics Subsistence agriculture – a family produces just enough food to feed itself

247 views • 7 slides

Communicating Wicked Environmental Problems

Communicating Wicked Environmental Problems. Inter-university Distributed Course Spring 2014. Learning Objectives. Improve understanding of wicked environmental problems and the necessity of communication and participatory approaches to solve them

301 views • 9 slides

Environmental problems…

Environmental problems…. Dispersion of Toxic Substances. Water Pollution & Water Resources. Ozone Layer Depletion. Waste . Air Pollution. Climate Change . Urban Environmental Problems. Loss of Biodiversity . Marine Environment & Coastal Zones. Resource Depletion .

729 views • 15 slides

Environmental Problems. The Four Main Threats. overpopulation resource depletion (particularly deforestation ) pollution air pollution water pollution loss of biodiversity. Overpopulation.

1.52k views • 21 slides

Human Environmental Problems

Human Environmental Problems. Geogrphy 252 Prof. Dudei Carol Elsen Andersen Library 1 October 2009. Andersen Library Keys to Effective Searching. Search Tips Search Connectors Use And, Or to connect concepts in a search Truncation Use truncation to find a variety of word endings

230 views • 7 slides

Global Environmental Problems. International Environmental Politics. Environmental policy is about what government does and does not do to address environmental problems Environmental politics is the clash of values & interests that occurs in the course of formulating and implementing policy

1.52k views • 16 slides

Ecology & Environmental Problems

Ecology & Environmental Problems. Dr. Ron Chesser Genes, Society, and Environment. The Remainder of the Semester. Extra Point Projects – Due 23 April Exam on 27 April Remaining Lecture Topics Genes, Society & Environment Human Genome Project Planning for a Sustainable Future (Chapter 30)

318 views • 17 slides

Environmental problems

Environmental problems. Treat the Earth well. It wasn’t given to you by our parents. It was loaned to you by our children. Kenyan proverb. Watch the video about environmental problems. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPSjjcPIAcQ&feature=watch_response. Discuss in pairs.

1.07k views • 16 slides

Ecology & Environmental Problems. Dr. Ron Chesser Genes, Society, and Environment. The Remainder of the Semester. Extra Point Projects – Due 23 April Exam on 27 April – 13, 14, 15, 30 Remaining Lecture Topics Genes, Society & Environment Human Genome Project

200 views • 9 slides

Environmental Engineering: Finding Problems

Environmental Engineering: Finding Problems. Michael Bobker Director, CIUS Building Performance Lab 9-17-09. This evening’s Objective: Think about how issues become projects Consider nature of innovation Look at engineering and engineering projects in broad historical terms.

350 views • 20 slides

Environmental problems. Grażyna Bystrzejewska-Piotrowska and Mariusz Jeruzalski, Renata Nowacka, Agata Drożdż Warsaw Uniwersity, Isotopic Laboratory, Poland. ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS. I The problems of bioremediation by plants and fungi of contaminated soils by radionuclides.

669 views • 27 slides

Environmental Problems of Peru

Environmental Problems of Peru. Michael Valqui Amazon Programme Director World Wildlife Fund. Priority environmental problems in Peru How does WWF try to tackle them What can you do. What are some enviromental problems you know of?.

921 views • 60 slides

Environmental Topics

Epa environmental topics.

EPA's environmental topics guides you to the most popular pages in your topic of interest.

Find EPA Articles and News Releases related to popular topics.

Search the  A-Z Topic Index  for specific terms.

• عربى  
• Kreyòl ayisyen

• Criteria (NAAQS) Air Pollutants
• Particulate Matter (PM)
• Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions

Chemicals, Pesticides, and Toxics

• Chemicals under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)
• Formaldehyde
• Managing Chemical Risks
• Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)

Chemicals, Pesticides, and Toxics Topics

Environmental Information by Location

• Cleanups in My Community
• Environmental Justice in Your Community
• Radon Zones: Maps and Supporting Documents by State
• Toxic Chemical Releases

More Location-Specific Info

Greener Living

• Energy and the Environment
• Greener Products and Services
• Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
• Sustainability 

Greener Living Topics

• Children's Health Protection  
• Coronavirus (COVID-19)
• Endocrine Disruption
• Human Health Risk Assessment
• Pesticides and Food: Healthy, Sensible Food Practices

Health Topics

Land, Waste, and Cleanup

• Household Hazardous Waste (HHW)
• Learn About Hazardous Waste

Land, Waste, and Cleanup Topics

• Citizen Science for Environmental Protection
• Climate Change Indicators
• Environmental Measurements and Modeling
• EPA Science Models and Research Tools (SMaRT) Search
• Research at EPA
• Research Grants

More Science Topics

• Drinking Water Basics
• Lakes and Rivers
• Local Water Quality Reports
• National Aquatic Resource Surveys 
• Wastewater Treatment

Water Topics

More Environmental Topics

• Climate Change
• Children's Health
• Environmental Justice
• ​ Pesticides

EPA Articles and News Releases

Recent EPA Perspectives Articles:

Why Stories Matter

Years spent observing various cultures threaded through multiple languages gave me my biggest gift; I can absorb a person’s voice into my pen and onto their paper.

• Date: July 24, 2024
• By: Sukayna Al-Aaraji

EPA's Research Efforts to Protect Public and Environmental Health from Wildland Fire Smoke

Stay informed, stay prepared, and we can mitigate the effects and challenges of wildland fire smoke together.

• Date: July 22, 2024
• By: Jason Sacks, Sarah Coefield

Activating the Building Blocks of Sustainability

One thing I’ve learned through my work with local communities is that they love celebrating what makes them unique. I love learning what they are most proud of and helping them turn their greatest assets into actions that matter for their community.

• Date: July 1, 2024
• By: Chip Gurkin

Recent EPA News Releases:

EPA Tips to Prepare for Hurricane Francine

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reminds residents of Louisiana to take steps now to be ready before, during, and after Hurricane Francine.

• Release Date: September 11, 2024

In Coordination with EPA, Aloha Petroleum Completes Improvements to Oil Facility in Maui

Work under EPA settlement will protect Kahului Harbor and the Kanaha Pond Wildlife Sanctuary

EPA News Release: In Coordination with EPA, Aloha Petroleum Completes Improvements to Oil Facility in Maui

City of Chattanooga and Trust for Public Land selected for prestigious $20 million EPA Community Change Grant to extend Alton Park Connector

EPA News Release: City of Chattanooga and Trust for Public Land selected for prestigious $20 million EPA Community Change Grant to extend Alton Park Connector

EPA Approves South Coast AQMD’s Groundbreaking Rule to Reduce Southern California Air Pollution Associated with Warehouses

EPA News Release: EPA Approves South Coast AQMD’s Groundbreaking Rule to Reduce Southern California Air Pollution Associated with Warehouses

Justice & Health

‘appalling figures’: at least three environmental defenders killed per week in 2023, in its annual report, global witness affirms how dangerous it is to defend nature. more than 2,100 defenders have been murdered since 2012..

Share this article

Should Companies Get Paid When Governments Phase Out Fossil Fuels? They Already Are

United Nations Official Says State Repression of Environmental Defenders Threatens Democracy and Human Rights

Eduardo Mendúa, Ecuadorian Who Fought Oil Extraction on Indigenous Land, Is Shot to Death

Eduardo Mendúa, a member of the Indigenous A’i Cofán peoples, resisted the expansion of oil operations in Ecuador’s Cofán territory. On February 26, 2023, Mendúa, 40, was in his garden when two hooded men shot him 12 times at point-blank range. 

Mendúa is one of 196 environmental defenders murdered last year, according to a report released Monday by the U.K.-based advocacy group Global Witness. 

That means, on average, at least three people were killed every week in 2023 for speaking out against land grabbers, pollution and extractive industries.

More defenders were murdered in Colombia than in any other place: 79 people, the highest number in a calendar year for any country since Global Witness started tracking these deaths in 2012. 

Explore the latest news about what’s at stake for the climate during this election season.

Honduras, with 18 defenders killed, had the largest number in per capita terms. Mexico and Brazil, along with Colombia and Honduras, accounted for 70 percent of the murders in 2023. The Philippines, with 17, had the largest share in Asia.

Those tallies are largely considered undercounts due to the remote locations where attacks usually occur, fear of reprisals and government suppression of information about the killings. The report only covers 22 countries, likely leaving defender killings in large swaths of the world unacknowledged. 

“Families may never find justice or closure, nor feel safe enough to speak out,” the report said. “The truth is obscured by a system of complicity: compromised civic spaces, rampant corruption, and dysfunctional legal systems.”

Indigenous people made up a disproportionate share of the victims. Despite being only 6 percent of the global population, they comprised about 43 percent of defenders killed in 2023. That is, in part, because of companies’ and governments’ rampant disregard for their rights and because Indigenous communities own or occupy land that is home to roughly 80 percent of Earth’s biodiversity and often sits atop vast amounts of minerals, metals and fossil fuels sought by extractive industries. 

“At the heart of this violence,” the report said about the targeting of Indigenous people, “is the increasing rush for land, which results in land grabbing … often without consent, for extraction and production purposes.”

Impunity is widespread and acts as an incentive for more violence. Most attacks go uninvestigated and unpunished. In Eduardo Mendúa’s case, only the accomplice who had driven the get-away canoe of the assassins was arrested—he is serving a 13-year sentence . The two gunmen remain at large and are alleged to have crossed Ecuador’s northern border into Colombia. 

Albeiro Mendúa, a friend and colleague of Eduardo’s, said friends and family have demanded Ecuador’s law enforcement officials work with their counterparts in Colombia and international agencies to pursue the men. Meanwhile, conflict and division over the oil operations Eduardo Mendúa opposed has continued, with the state oil company advancing its expansion plans, Albeiro Mendúa said. 

Eduardo Mendúa’s widow, Fabiola Ortiz, said in a statement provided to Inside Climate News that the family’s six children miss their father and that his death has left a hole in their lives that will never be filled. She wants the alleged fugitives to be caught and to serve a sentence for the crime. 

The Global Witness report, issued annually, is a grim reminder of how dangerous it is to defend nature: Since the organization began tracking the deaths in 2012, more than 2,100 defenders have been murdered. 

“These are appalling figures,” said Laura Furones, a senior adviser to Global Witness’ Land and Environmental Defenders Campaign and lead author of the report.

‘ Not Learning’

Overall, the mining industry has been the sector linked most often to defender killings, according to Global Witness. The report said 25 defenders were killed in 2023 after opposing mining operations. 

Given the continued high demand for traditionally mined materials like gold, coal and iron, and the growing demand for minerals and metals used in low-carbon technologies like batteries, that portends a dark future.  

“What we’re seeing from the [mining] industry is that it is not learning, and it is replicating a model of social conflict and attacks,” Furones said. 

The report calls on businesses and their financiers—some of whom are U.S.-based companies and banks—to support the enactment of mandatory due diligence laws that require companies to identify, prevent and remedy human rights abuses throughout the lifecycle of their projects. 

Transnational companies have remained stubbornly opposed to mandatory legal requirements, but have welcomed the more than 3,000 international treaties that give those same companies binding special rights and protections. 

Crime, Corruption and Big Industry

Holding perpetrators and their beneficiaries accountable for the violence is a key step toward protecting defenders.

But rights activists say it is challenging to link deaths to particular companies or armed groups because, increasingly, legal and illegal groups—from miners to loggers, agribusiness and drug traffickers—have overlapping interests and the support of powerful elites . 

Those groups form explicit or implicit alliances: Loggers clear land, making way for cattle pasture and mining, the profits of which fuel criminal groups, which in some cases pay politicians for protection. 

In Brazil, some mining and agribusiness companies have worked with right-wing politicians known as “ruralistas” to try to legally open Indigenous land to those industries. 

Though the ruralista caucus continues to hold a majority in Brazil’s Congress, recorded attacks in Brazil dropped from 34 in 2022 to 25 last year, which researchers attribute to the policies of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who took office in January 2023. Among other things, those policies restored some funding to Indigenous and environmental protection agencies.  

Left to Fend for Themselves

While Brazil’s numbers fell this year, Colombia’s rose. The nation has the largest share of defenders killed, 461, since Global Witness started tracking it in 2012.

Part of what has made Colombia such a dangerous place for defenders is over a half century of armed conflict, from which the nation is only recently emerging. In 2016, the government signed a peace accord with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known by its Spanish acronym of FARC, but the disintegration of the FARC has given rise to a proliferation of smaller criminal groups.

This story is funded by readers like you.

Our nonprofit newsroom provides award-winning climate coverage free of charge and advertising. We rely on donations from readers like you to keep going. Please donate now to support our work.

Activists say Colombia’s high number of defender killings is a stark warning for a region where violent crime has exploded in recent years.  

Communities living throughout Colombia’s rural areas have been caught in the middle of complex environmental conflicts involving extractive companies and organized criminal groups. 

Vanessa Torres, deputy director of the Colombian nonprofit Asociación Ambiente y Sociedad, said communities are put in impossible situations where they often must pay armed groups for protection but don’t have the money to do so. That pushes some people to work for mining, logging and other industries they oppose. Communities, lacking other economic opportunities, then sometimes become divided over support for extractive industries.

Large and small companies take advantage of that dynamic, Torres said. 

Caught between industry and criminal groups, some Colombian communities have created their own guard forces. The guards, members of the community, patrol territories and disseminate information to locals about their legal rights to land, consultation and access to information, like companies’ environmental studies. 

“The guards need the support of the state, but right now they receive no recognition and no funding,” Torres said. 

“If we don’t protect the defenders—the Indigenous, Afro descendant and farming communities—our fight against environmental problems is in trouble.” 

Hopes that would change rose with the 2022 election of leftist President Gustavo Petro, who promised to adopt measures protecting defenders. In August , Colombia ratified the Escazú agreement, making it one of at least 16 countries to adopt the treaty’s legal protections that include requirements for governments to prevent and punish attacks on environmental defenders. 

In October, Colombia will host this year’s Convention on Biological Diversity conference of the parties, the theme of which is “Peace with Nature.” An aim of the conference, according to the Global Witness report, is to spotlight the voices of people protecting ecosystems—work that benefits people around the world. 

“For us in Colombia, it’s very important to promote this message,” Torres said of the conference theme. “If we don’t protect the defenders—the Indigenous, Afro descendant and farming communities—our fight against environmental problems is in trouble.” 

Harassment, Smear Campaigns and Disappearances

Murder is not the only tactic used to silence and intimidate defenders. The report said land defenders are also targeted by businesses, governments and criminal groups with harassment, criminalization and smear campaigns that brand them as “against development” or, in some cases, as communists. 

Criminalization, the report said, “is now the most common tactic used to silence defenders globally.” That happens when governments or businesses weaponize defamation, terrorism and other laws against defenders. 

The shift toward criminalization has dovetailed with an overall trend of democratic backsliding around the world—some countries have eroded, or limited, citizens’ civil and political rights.

In the United States, more than 20 state governments have adopted a model law pushed by the activist industry group American Legislative Exchange Council that restricts protests near fossil fuel projects. 

In Southeast Asia, forced disappearances and abductions have been growing. Last year, Jhed Tamano, 22, and Jonila Castro, 23, were abducted by armed men after visiting with fishing communities affected by development projects in Manila Bay. The Filipino women told Global Witness that they were blindfolded, had their hands tied and mouths taped.

Tamano and Castro were held for 12 days, questioned about their advocacy work and threatened with sexual assault. After the women were released, they were charged with defamation for “embarrassing” the Philippine armed forces, who had allegedly been involved in the abduction. The women face up to six months in prison. 

Some members of Congress think the United States can and must do more because American companies are among those operating in regions where there are conflicts. 

“The findings of this report outline the dangers and deadly impacts of corporate greed and corruption on communities and biodiversity, and the frontline role environmental defenders play in safeguarding human rights, land, and natural resources around the world,” said Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.). “We have seen defenders targeted and killed for their commitment to a cleaner, healthier environment for all. It’s vital that Congress work with environmental defenders to hold accountable bad actors and protect those that are being persecuted for standing up for what’s right.” 

Perhaps most chilling about the report is the dearth of information about defenders across the African continent, Russia, Iran and China, among other repressive places. The report listed two defender deaths in Africa this year, one in the Democratic Republic of Congo and one in Ghana. Since 2012, Global Witness has counted 116 defenders murdered in Africa, most of whom were DRC park rangers. 

The uncounted, the report said, “will remain unnamed, their sacrifices unacknowledged, their stories of defiance untold.”

About This Story

Perhaps you noticed: This story, like all the news we publish, is free to read. That’s because Inside Climate News is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. We do not charge a subscription fee, lock our news behind a paywall, or clutter our website with ads. We make our news on climate and the environment freely available to you and anyone who wants it.

That’s not all. We also share our news for free with scores of other media organizations around the country. Many of them can’t afford to do environmental journalism of their own. We’ve built bureaus from coast to coast to report local stories, collaborate with local newsrooms and co-publish articles so that this vital work is shared as widely as possible.

Two of us launched ICN in 2007. Six years later we earned a Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting, and now we run the oldest and largest dedicated climate newsroom in the nation. We tell the story in all its complexity. We hold polluters accountable. We expose environmental injustice. We debunk misinformation. We scrutinize solutions and inspire action.

Donations from readers like you fund every aspect of what we do. If you don’t already, will you support our ongoing work, our reporting on the biggest crisis facing our planet, and help us reach even more readers in more places?

Please take a moment to make a tax-deductible donation. Every one of them makes a difference.

David Sassoon Founder and Publisher

Vernon Loeb Executive Editor

Katie Surma

Reporter, pittsburgh.

• @Katie_Surma
• [email protected]

Newsletters

We deliver climate news to your inbox like nobody else. Every day or once a week, our original stories and digest of the web's top headlines deliver the full story, for free.

• Inside Clean Energy
• Today's Climate
• Breaking News
• I agree to the terms of service and privacy policy .

By Katie Surma, Nicholas Kusnetz

By Keerti Gopal, Bob Berwyn

By Katie Surma

Most popular.

Hope for North America’s Most Endangered Bird

By amy green.

10 Tough Climate Questions for the Presidential Debate

By marianne lavelle, kiley bense, liza gross.

As Tornado Alley Shifts East, Bracing for Impact in Unexpected Places

By kiley bense, a power plant expansion tied to bitcoin mining faces backlash from conservative texans.

In a city with just over 10,000 people, a noisy Bitcoin mine keeps residents up at night. Now, the power plant that fuels it wants to expand, but the neighbors are worried about the impact on their health.

By Keaton Peters

California Slashed Harmful Vehicle Emissions, but People of Color and Overburdened Communities Continue to Breathe the Worst Air

Fine particulate matter air pollutants, known as pm2.5, have led to disproportionately high deaths among black americans.

Keep Environmental Journalism Alive

ICN provides award-winning climate coverage free of charge and advertising. We rely on donations from readers like you to keep going.