Empower environmental defenders in Mexico

Climate change and the destruction of the environment due to the advancement of megaprojects does not rest; neither do people in grass roots communities who are working hard every day to preserve their territory and natural heritage.

Thanks to your contribution, at the Mexican Center for Environmental Law (CEMDA) we continue working to make their efforts visible and strengthening their capacities as environmental defenders.

Last summer we gave a series of workshops in the state of Veracruz to indigenous and rural communities with whom we shared legal tools so that they can present lawsuits and make requests for information to the authority in the cases of projects that violate their human rights and their way of living.

In these workshops, we talked about human rights that are protected by the Mexican Constitution, such as the right to a healthy environment, the right to clean and sufficient water and the right to receive proper information and to be consulted, seeking to obtain their consent in regards to projects that are planned to be developed in their territories.

We shared with the workshops´ participants guides and training materials so that they can self-prepare and present complaints against acts of pollution or destruction against their biocultural heritage.

Now that the world’s Climate Change Summit (COP26) is over, in which not big accomplishments were made, it is more important than ever to act locally in order to achieve global benefits.

Every person on the planet must be a defender of the environment and be aware of what is happening around them in order to stop the destruction of ecosystems. Empowering people in local communities is the best way to stop violations of the law and the destruction of our natural heritage.

Links:

• Visit Cemda's Website
• Guide to Tools & Mechanisms for Access to Environmental Justice