Europe faces an escalating environmental crisis, yet those defending the planet often encounter significant risks and resistance. This article explores the critical role of environmental defenders and how the BeLIFE project seeks to empower them with tools, knowledge and resources to support their crucial work. Emma Pagliarusco of Youth and Environment Europe reports.
A Planet in Crisis
Our planet is sounding the alarm. Wildfires rage across continents, glaciers are shrinking to bare memories, and once-vibrant ecosystems are fading fast, leaving behind the scars of human impact.
Europe is no exception to this crisis, as environmental inaction accelerates biodiversity loss, deforestation, and ecosystem damage. Despite ambitious environmental goals set through initiatives like the European Green Deal and the Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, forests are shrinking under the pressure of agricultural and urban expansion, leaving species and ecosystems to struggle for survival.
A human face
This emergency is not just environmental but deeply human. In 2022 alone, Europe saw more than 60,000 heat-related deaths due to unprecedented temperatures. Without decisive action, the annual death toll from extreme heat could more than double by 2050, reaching up to 120,000 deaths annually across the region. In 2023, floods and storms in Europe claimed dozens of lives, with flooding alone affecting 1.6 million people and resulting in economic losses exceeding €13 billion. Only recently, heavy rains and floods in Valencia took the lives of over 200 people.
Despite this rapidly deteriorating situation, the response from European leaders falls short of what is needed. While policies addressing climate change and environmental protection exist – including ambitious targets for emissions reduction and renewable energy adoption – their implementation lags far behind the urgency of the situation, reducing European climate action to little more than a drop in the ocean when measured against the scale of the challenge.
When citizens sound the alarm
In light of this emergency and the insufficient response from governments, many citizens are taking matters into their own hands; making every effort to raise awareness, advocate for and propose solutions. But these efforts are not always welcomed by our leaders. Sometimes, the alarm these citizens sound is even muffled by governments who would prefer to maintain the status quo and kick the can down the road.
Indeed, despite the urgent need for climate action in Europe, these environmental defenders and climate activists are all too often considered adversaries rather than allies.
What is an environmental defender?
The 58th Meeting of the Parties to the Aarhus Convention defined environmental defenders as “any member of the public seeking access to information, public participation or access to justice in order to protect their right to live in an environment adequate to their health or well-being.”
Environmental defenders are therefore individuals and groups who stand up to protect the environment we all live in, and they come from all walks of life: indigenous leaders safeguarding ancestral lands, scientists researching the effects of pollution, activists lobbying for policy changes, lawyers fighting in courts to uphold environmental laws, and community members working to preserve local ecosystems. In essence, anyone who actively works to protect the environment against harmful actions—whether through advocacy, conservation, or legal action—can be considered an environmental defender.
Indigenous leaders safeguarding ancestral lands, scientists researching the effects of pollution, activists lobbying for policy changes, lawyers fighting in courts to uphold environmental laws, and community members working to preserve local ecosystems.“
In recent years, as threats to the planet have intensified, so too have the risks for those who defend it. Globally, environmental defenders are facing increasing harassment, legal persecution, and even violence—especially when standing up to powerful interests in industries like logging, mining, and agribusiness. As extensively reported by Global Witness, these defenders are often the first to feel the backlash when they challenge activities contributing to deforestation, pollution, and the destruction of biodiversity, which are accelerating climate change and causing the loss of countless species.
Since his mandate began in 2022, the UNECE Special Rapporteur on Environmental Defenders, Michel Forst, has documented an alarming trend of repression against these individuals. In his reports and a recent interview, Mr. Forst describes the many forms this repression takes— among which, physical intimidation, social isolation, and legal challenges.
What is even more worrying about this trend is that it does not just impact the defenders; it endangers the very cause they are fighting for by framing environmental protection as a radical or even dangerous activity.
To protect our environment, it is critical to address these injustices and protect the rights of those struggling for a sustainable future for all.
BeLIFE: Empowering environmental defenders
The BeLIFE project, launched by a coalition of environmental NGOs (European Environmental Bureau, Guta Law Association, Justice and Environment, Youth and Environment Europe), aims to equip individuals and organisations with the knowledge, tools, and legal support needed to actively ensure compliance with EU environmental and climate laws. At its core, BeLIFE is about empowering everyday people to access justice, demand transparency, and participate in environmental decision-making, transforming environmental democracy rights from principles into practice.
With BeLIFE, the goal is not just to encourage advocacy but to arm citizens with legal knowledge, resources, and a platform for real change, transforming environmental democracy into a living, breathing force. Because we all need to embrace the role of environmental defenders.
Calling all defenders!
BeLIFE knows that defending our planet and calling for more ambitious action often involves a certain level of risk. Many defenders in Europe—including many young climate activists—are exposed to legal and social barriers or even face threats for standing up to government inertia and industrial push-back.
BeLIFE is committed to understanding and addressing these challenges, building support systems that respond to the unique needs of these defenders.”
BeLIFE is committed to understanding and addressing these challenges, building support systems that respond to the unique needs of these defenders. It is for this reason that we have launched a consultation to collect information about the experiences of defenders directly from them. Find it here.
The BeLIFE project is not just supporting a movement; it is fortifying the “rules of the game”, ensuring that anyone, anywhere in Europe, has the power to step forward and protect our planet for generations to come.
