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U.S. Firms Continue to Fund Network of Destruction in the Amazon

Financial giants BlackRock, JPMorgan Chase, Vanguard, among those that invested more than US $18 billion in nine companies tied to conflicts on Indigenous lands

As the Amazon rainforest smolders from another disastrous burning season and its Indigenous communities face spiking violence and land invasions incited by a racist president, we must stand in solidarity with Brazil's grassroots resistance. Amazon Watch's and APIB's innovative reporting does just this by helping the country's National Indigenous Movement to shine a spotlight on the pivotal role of global finance in shaping the future of Brazil's human rights and environmental landscape.

Complicity in Destruction III

How Global Corporations Enable Violations of Indigenous Peoples' Rights in The Brazilian Amazon

This new report, published by the Association of Brazil’s Indigenous Peoples in partnership with Amazon Watch, reveals how a network of leading international financial institutions is linked to conflicts on Indigenous lands, illegal deforestation, land grabbing, the weakening of environmental protections, and the production and export of conflict commodities.

Amazon Fires Mapping: Exposing the Destruction with Data

Bolsonaro and his henchmen would have us believe that "the Amazon doesn't catch fire," "the Amazon isn't burning," or even that "Africa is burning much more than Brazil." Yet these flimsy arguments cannot withstand the accurate documentation of how this year's heartbreaking burning season has laid waste to Brazilian ecosystems while incinerating the country's once-touted environmental credentials along with the credibility of its so-called leaders.

Overflight Uncovers Environmental Destruction of Munduruku Indigenous Territory in the Brazilian State of Pará

In the Tapajós River basin, Amazônia Real's team, with support from Amazon Watch, spotted predatory deforestation, fires, and mining activity

On September 17, Amazônia Real, in partnership with Amazon Watch, witnessed this attack on the rainforest, Indigenous peoples, smallholder farmers, and biodiversity from up above during a flyover. From the sky, smoke from the fires obscures the environmental destruction on the ground – a combination of extensive deforested areas, pasture farms, and vast illegal mining sites. These activities cause a ripple-effect of ecological damage, from the pollution of rivers, worsening health conditions, to an increase in social conflicts.

Indigenous Peoples of the Ecuadorian Amazon Denounce Rights Violations and Government Inaction During COVID-19 Pandemic Before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights

Quito, Ecuador – The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated Indigenous peoples across the Ecuadorian Amazon, where numbers of cases and deaths continue to rise. It has further exacerbated the threats from oil and mining activity, illegal logging, and food insecurity, and exposed the government's discrimination and abandonment of indigenous peoples.

The Amazon's Frontline Defenders Are Under Siege. Where Are Their Reinforcements?

Like in the United States, President Bolsonaro of Brazil's incendiary language discredits and all but sanctions persecution of select minority groups. In his address to the UN Assembly last month, Bolsonaro implicated "Brazilians of indigenous ancestry" for the Amazon's raging fires and deforestation. The previous year, he singled out Chief Raoni, memorably maligning him from the UN floor.

Can Our Culture Survive Climate Change?

Our lives are inextricable from the natural world. The creatures of the rainforest protect us, and in turn we protect them. We are the only buffers protecting our thinning forests. Our battle is not just for the future. It's for the present.

A Hopeful Message from the Future from Gael García Bernal and Emma Thompson

Our planet is on fire and we cannot breathe. From the criminal arson ravaging the Amazon rainforest for profit to the wildfires raging on the West Coast of the United States due to escalating climate chaos, our planet and communities are under attack. These are not isolated incidents. They are symptoms of broken systems that perpetuate the destruction of the environment, place profit over people, and enable systemic racism. We must unite our calls and movements to protect the Amazon, defend Indigenous rights, and demand racial and climate justice.