Environment

Colombia is at a crucial point as major projects led by Gustavo Petro’s government have hinged the country’s future on the promises of the energy transition. But this transition will not benefit people in Colombia by default. We hear from environmental defenders working across the coal corridor to protect their territories and ensure no one is left behind as mines close and renewable energy projects begin. 

Grassroots movements push for more inclusive climate governance as palm oil expansion threatens ancestral lands.

In Oaxaca, southern Mexico, communities are organizing to resist the large-scale private extraction of sand and gravel from the Río Grande, which is wiping...

Amid industrial pressure and legal rollbacks, a grassroots women's network fights for ancestral marine rights and cultural survival in Chile. ‘If they take the sea...

In March 2025, the rivers of Esmeraldas, an Ecuadorian province that for decades has suffered from the social and environmental impacts of the petrochemical industry, were heavily polluted by a 25,000-barrel crude oil spill. Afro-descendant communities, environmental defenders organized in solidarity networks, and local universities continue agitating the murky waters of a disaster the country would prefer had sunk into oblivion.

Bolivia’s Madidi National Park is considered to be the most biodiverse place on planet earth. The Uchupiamonas people, who call the park home, are in a constant battle against forces eager to exploit the protected area for its wildlife, hydroelectric potential, hardwoods, and gold. In the short film Voices for Madidi - Voces por el Madidi, we hear from environmental defenders on the frontlines. The director tells us more.

In the Bolivian highlands, the Indigenous community of Cala Cala is waging a battle to defend the headwaters of its river from mining. What...

For nearly four decades, residents of Arica, Chile, have lived with the toxic legacy of imported industrial waste. After repeated legal defeats and government...

Nearly 40 years ago, 20,000 tonnes of Swedish mining waste were dumped on the edge of Arica, Chile. Laced with arsenic, lead, and mercury,...

In northern Chile’s Atacama Desert, Alto Hospicio has become a dumping ground for the world’s fast fashion waste. Mountains of unsold clothes from Europe, Asia, and North America pile up, creating toxic conditions. A local youth collective, Desierto Vestido, is fighting to expose the crisis, demand accountability, and develop circular solutions.