Connecting Climate Minds, 2024
All environmental defenders face several consequences to their lives and psychological health due to the nature of their work and the threats associated with protecting the country’s natural environment. However, some specific groups of climate activists and environmental defenders – women, the youth, and Indigenous populations – experience more frequent intimidations, surveillance, violence, and life threats. Women in general disproportionately face the many consequences of climate change (e.g. economic problems, increased violence, etc.). Women environmental defenders are especially vulnerable to the dangers and threats emanating from the commercial and political drivers of environmental exploitation. Globally, women environmental defenders who bravely fight against powerful figures often become easy targets of surveillance, intimidation, gender-based and sexual violence, criminalization, targetting and assassinations, which have dire consequences for their psychological health. Women environmental defenders are considered a minority due to their small number and therefore often remain voiceless. In Asia, only a small percentage of environmental defenders are women because environmental defense is traditionally viewed as a “man’s job” due to its dangers. Environmental Justice Atlas documented at least 3,330 cases of violence against women environmental defenders globally and the Philippines is one of the violence hotspots.