Ahead of #COP30 in Brazil, this potent reporting from Sarah Sax, MESc shines a light on the importance of centering Indigneous People’s and Local Communities in climate solutions. Deforestation in Brazil, and in many other ecosystems in which Global Greengrants Fund supports land, water, and life defenders, must be stopped, but with holistic solutions. Follow along here over the coming weeks for dispatches from COP30, and beyond! Read more about A Holistic Approach to Funding Women Environmental Defenders here ➡️ https://lnkd.in/g96Si9nw
Investigative journalist and researcher working on climate change through an accountability and justice lens
When I went to the Brazilian Amazon last year to investigate land invasions, I quickly realized that deforestation wasn’t just an environmental issue — it was at the center of most of the human harm and conflict I saw. Most deforestation in the Amazon is illegal — and it’s violent. Outsiders would come in, cut the largest trees, burn what was left, and then claim the cleared land as their own. The people losing that land weren’t big landowners. They were small farmers, fishers, and forest communities who had lived there often for generations. When they reported illegal clearing, the response from authorities was largely silence. Instead, they were threatened by the very people doing the deforestation — sometimes so violently that many were forced to flee. But these conflicts weren’t happening in random places. They were unfolding inside areas that were supposed to protect both people and the forest — Brazil’s “community conservation areas.” These territories were designed so that families could live from the forest without destroying it. That realization changed everything for me. Most of the environmental defenders killed in Brazil aren’t just fighting deforestation — they’re often defending exactly these areas, and with it, the idea that conservation and community belong together. It's part of a longer legacy: Chico Mendes, Sister Dorothy Stang, José Cláudio, and Maria do Espírito Santo da Silva — all gave their lives not just for the forest, but for these exact same kinds of places. They understood that they are the true the key to stopping deforestation — not only because they protect trees, but because they offer an alternative to destruction: a way of living from the forest without cutting it down. 🌎 OUT NOW: “Chainsaws, Smoke, and Silence” — my new investigation with Climate Rights International shows how that vision is now under serious threat. In Pará, where Brazil will host COP30, many of the very areas meant to safeguard both people and forests are being overrun by illegal loggers, miners, and land grabbers. Government neglect, delays in issuing land documents, and impunity have turned what was once a model for sustainable development into the frontline of deforestation and violence. Communities that were supposed to be part of the solution are being left exposed — and in some cases, silenced. Yet these areas could still be Brazil’s strongest climate solution. They already produce large amounts of forest products like cacao, açaí, and Brazil nuts. But without secure land rights, supportive policies, and real protection for defenders, that future is slipping away. The report features: 📍 Four emblematic cases 🎙️ 50+ interviews with residents, experts, and officials 📈 Exclusive deforestation data and field research Read it here --> https://lnkd.in/ebbgTWiF #Amazon #ClimateAction #Deforestation #HumanRights #CommunityConservation #SocioBioeconomy #COP30 📸Dado Galdieri