Latin America signs its first environmental pact, pioneer in protecting activists

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – On Thursday, Earth day, Latin America celebrated the entry into force of the Escazú Agreement, the first environmental pact in the region, ratified by 12 countries, and also a pioneering agreement in the world for being the first to protect environmental activists.

The region is rich in natural resources and at the same time is the scene of major environmental crimes. It is the most dangerous region in the world for environmental activists and is threatened by uncontrolled urbanization, overexploitation of livestock and increasing illegal mining.

It was in this context that the agreement, promoted by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), was drafted and in January secured the two signatures that were needed to make it official, those of Mexico and Argentina, in addition to those of 10 other countries in the region.

For the executive secretary of the institution, Alicia Bárcena, this agreement is “extremely important for the region” and was born as “a pact with a society that is asking for a new form of economic and social organization.”

The idea emerged from the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro (2012), but the agreement did not materialize until March 4th, 2018, when the commitment was signed in the Costa Rican city of Escazú, which gave it its name.

Three years later, the treaty will enter into force with proposals to guarantee access to information, citizen and court involvement in environmental matters and with a pioneering agenda to protect land activists.

OVER 100 ACTIVISTS KILLED

The agreement comes 5 years after the death of Berta Cáceres, a Honduran indigenous woman murdered after confronting a controversial hydroelectric project and a face that became visible during the treaty negotiations. Also at the same time, 4 Peruvians were killed while fighting against illegal loggers.

According to the NGO Global Witness, Latin America is the deadliest region for environmental activists. According to its records, the region accounted for 148 of the 212 murders of activists committed in the world in 2019.

Colombia leads the list, with 66 homicides, and except for the Philippines, which ranks second, the next places are taken by Brazil, Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and Venezuela.

In Mexico, despite the willingness of the current government to sign the Escazú Treaty, “there have been no major advances in the protection of environmentalists,” denounced María Colín, spokesperson for Greenpeace in the country.

“During López Obrador’s current term in office, many cuts were made that left many activists in a vulnerable situation,” she said.

For Graciela Martínez, in charge of campaigns for environmentalists at the regional office of Amnesty International (AI), this treaty represents a “historic step”, but “it still has a long way to go” and “to achieve the adhesion of some very dangerous countries for environmentalists such as Honduras, Guatemala and Colombia,” she pointed out.

In addition to Argentina and Mexico, the pact was also ratified by Antigua and Barbuda, Bolivia, Ecuador, Guyana, Nicaragua, Panama, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia and Uruguay.

RESISTANT COUNTRIES

Brazil leads the ranking of nations that lost the most primary forests during 2020, according to a recent report by Global Forest Watch, and Peru and Colombia are in fifth and sixth place, respectively.

Notwithstanding, none of these three countries has yet signed the Escazú Agreement, which was initially signed by 24 countries and ratified by only 12.

“We believe that there is a business lobby, which worries us, that is thinking that this agreement is going to prevent them from going ahead with their activities, and they should not see it that way,” added Bárcena.

Chile and Peru, two countries that have not escaped the depredation of raw materials and the loss of natural wealth, especially in mining, an industry that is heavily criticized and at the same time one of the main pillars of their economies, also backed out.

According to a report released in 2020 by the World Resources Institute, metal mining is the most lethal activity in environmental terms and a major “threat” to ecosystems and communities.

In the Amazon basin, this activity discharges toxic chemicals into more than 30 rivers, occupies more than 20% of indigenous territories, and “endangers critical ecosystems by increasing deforestation.”

In Chile, extractive mining is adding to a serious water crisis and various human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Greenpeace are urging the government, which refused to join the agreement at the end of last year despite having been one of its promoters, to change its position.

Carlos de Miguel, an official of ECLAC’s Sustainable Development and Human Settlements Division, stated that “the entry into force of the Escazú Agreement is only the beginning” and it is expected that other countries will gradually join.

Source: Infobae