蜜芽传媒

There is an increasingly prevalent presumption that tackling climate change is a good thing. That鈥檚 not universal. Consider the Philippines, which has for the last eight years been the most dangerous country in Asia to be an environmental activist. Some 29 environmentalists and land defenders were killed there last year.

This is despite the fact that the Philippines is judged to be one of the countries worst affected by increasing extreme weather events - it suffered flooding from over 20 typhoons last year. So how easy is it to be an environmental activist there? Mitzi Jonelle Tan, a young Filipino climate justice activist, described her experience to Newsday from Glasgow where she's attending the climate conference, COP26.

鈥淭he Indigenous peoples, the farmers, the fisher communities - because they are threatening 鈥榖usiness as usual鈥� - those who profit from business as usual are threatening environmental defenders. It's absurd that in the middle of a planetary emergency the people who... are leading the way are being killed instead of being protected.鈥�

鈥淚 have had death threats. I have been called a terrorist by state forces in social media.鈥�

鈥淚n a national newspaper, the Lieutenant General of the Philippines army said young girls wearing short shorts calling for the protection of the environment are doing it to entice young men to become terrorists and join the rebels armies. Take a pause and think of the mental gymnastics that had to happen for him to get to that conclusion!鈥�

(Pic: Mitzi Jonelle Tan; Credit: Jon Bonifacio)

Show less