Governments must protect environmental journalists, RSF says on Earth Day

They risk their lives to protect the environment

According to RSF figures, almost 200 journalists have been victims of threats and physical violence, including murder, over the past decade for working on stories related to the environment. Asia and Latin America are the two most dangerous regions for environmental journalists. Twenty-four have been murdered there in the past decade in connection with their reporting – seven in Latin America and 17 in Asia.

Nearly half of the journalists killed in India in the past decade – 13 out of 28 – worked on environmental stories that often also involved corruption and organized crime, especially the so-called ‘sand mafia’, which illegally digs up millions of tonnes of it . precious resource for the construction industry.

The last journalist killed for reporting an environmental story was also in Asia. It was Cresenciano Bunduquin, a Filipino radio journalist, known to his listeners as “Cris”. He was shot as he left his home on May 31, 2023, after reporting in one of his last radio programs that the operating license of an old tanker responsible for a recent oil spill had been forged.

Across the Pacific, in South America, journalists cover the crucial challenges of deforestation in the United States Amazon are also constantly exposed to threats and intimidation that prevent them from working freely. The magnitude of the problem was emphasized in 2022 due to the double murder of Stupid Philipsa British reporter specializing in environmental issues, and Bruno Araújo Pereiraa Brazilian who defended the indigenous communities of the Amazon.