Across the globe, climate and environmental protests are increasingly being criminalised and suppressed. While countries like the UK and Australia have drawn attention for these crackdowns, our new report—co-authored with colleagues from the University of Bristol—is the first to document this as a growing global trend.
This repression is evident in both the global north and south, spanning democratic and authoritarian regimes, though it manifests in different ways. We distinguish between environmental protests, which target specific destructive projects like mining, pipelines, or deforestation, and climate protests, which call for broader policy change, such as reducing global emissions.
Environmental protests are widespread, while climate protests tend to occur in cities, particularly in the global north. Standing up for climate justice is getting harder worldwide.
Read More: Global Crackdown on Climate and Environmental Protests Intensifies
Four Tactics Used to Suppress Activism
The rising criminalisation and repression of climate and environmental activism is unfolding through four primary mechanisms, each contributing to a broader global crackdown.
The Introduction of Anti-Protest Legislation
Governments are increasingly enacting laws that expand police powers, create new protest-related offences, lengthen sentences, and shield law enforcement from accountability. Among the 14 countries we studied, 22 such legislative measures have been introduced since 2019. These laws effectively discourage public dissent and create legal tools to disband or deter protest.
The Use of Courts to Criminalise Protest
Legal systems are being weaponised against activists through the application of laws originally intended to combat terrorism or organised crime.
In Germany, for instance, members of the direct-action group Letzte Generation (Last Generation) were charged in 2024 under a statute typically reserved for mafia organisations—marking the first time it had been used against a non-violent group. \
In the Philippines, anti-terror laws have been deployed against environmental defenders, effectively exiling them from their home regions.Beyond these extreme charges, other judicial tactics include lowering prosecutorial thresholds, banning climate change arguments in courtrooms, and issuing corporate injunctions to silence or restrict protest.
These changes subtly shift legal outcomes to favour conviction and disempower activism.
Escalating Policing and Surveillance
The policing of climate and environmental activists has grown increasingly aggressive and multifaceted. Tactics range from stop-and-search procedures and mass surveillance to arrests, violence, infiltration, and intimidation.
These actions are carried out not only by state actors—such as national police forces and the military—but also by private entities, including security firms, corporations, and even organised crime networks.In Germany, for example, regional police collaborated with a major energy company and its private fire brigade to evict coal mine protesters.
Similarly, in Peru, private security forces have played a prominent role in cracking down on anti-mining activists.
Violence, Killings, and Disappearances
The most extreme form of repression comes in the form of violence, disappearances, and assassinations of environmental defenders. This grim trend often follows threats and harassment by both state and non-state actors.
Drawing on data from Global Witness, our report highlights the increasing prevalence of such violence in countries including Brazil, the Philippines, Peru, and India.
In Brazil, most killings are attributed to organised crime groups; in Peru, the police themselves are often responsible. These acts represent the lethal end of the repression spectrum—where activism becomes not just risky, but deadly.
A Surge in Protests – and Repression
To better understand the global landscape of climate and environmental protest—and its repression—we analysed data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED). This dataset revealed a sharp rise in climate protests beginning in 2018–2019, a surge that has shown no signs of waning.
In the 81 countries with over 1,000 recorded protests between 2012 and 2023, climate-related protests accounted for an average of 4% of all protest events.A closer look at the 14 countries featured in our study shows that while climate protests spiked rapidly, environmental protests have increased more gradually over the same period.
In examining the risks faced by activists, we analysed keywords associated with protest repression within the data. On average, 3% of climate and environmental protests are met with police violence, and 6.3% involve arrests. However, these figures conceal striking regional disparities.
For instance, countries like Australia and the UK exhibit high levels of arrest—20% and 17% of protests respectively—largely due to the presence of groups such as Extinction Rebellion, which often engage in civil disobedience, and policing strategies inclined toward detention. Canada reports the highest arrest rate globally, with 27% of relevant protests resulting in arrests.
Conversely, police violence is more pronounced in countries such as Peru (6.5%) and Uganda (4.4%), with France standing out in Europe for having both elevated police violence (3.2%) and arrest rates (also 3.2%).What emerges is a global pattern of repression that differs in form but shares common intent.
Repression is widespread, increasing, and carried out by a mix of state and corporate actors.Crucially, this escalation occurs in a context where governments are failing to take sufficient action on climate change. By criminalising activists, states shift the narrative—treating those who sound the alarm as threats rather than truth-tellers.
This strategy depoliticises climate activism and masks a troubling reality: these protesters are fundamentally right about the climate crisis and the lack of meaningful governmental response.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Why are climate and environmental protests facing increasing repression?
Governments and corporations are responding to growing climate activism with restrictive measures to maintain the status quo. These include new laws, arrests, surveillance, and even violence, aimed at silencing dissent and deterring public pressure for climate action.
Is this repression happening globally or only in certain countries?
It’s a global phenomenon. Our research across 14 countries—including democracies like the UK, Germany, and Australia, as well as states in the Global South—shows that repression is intensifying worldwide, though the methods vary by region.
How common is police violence or arrest at climate protests?
According to our analysis, about 3% of such protests face police violence, and 6.3% result in arrests. However, some countries, like Canada (27%), Australia (20%), and the UK (17%), have much higher arrest rates.
What’s the difference between climate and environmental protests?
Climate protests usually call for broader policy change, like reducing carbon emissions. Environmental protests, on the other hand, focus on specific local issues—such as opposing deforestation, mining, or pipeline construction.
Why are anti-terrorism laws being used against peaceful activists?
Some governments are stretching legal definitions to classify non-violent protest groups as threats. In Germany, for example, members of Letzte Generation were charged with forming a “criminal organisation”—a law typically used against mafia groups.
Who carries out the repression—only the police?
No. While state police and armed forces are primary actors, repression is also carried out by private security companies, corporate actors, and in some cases, organised crime groups, especially in regions like Latin America and Southeast Asia.
Conclusion
The global crackdown on climate and environmental activism reflects a troubling contradiction: while the climate crisis intensifies, those demanding urgent action are increasingly silenced. From anti-protest laws and criminal charges to police violence and even killings, the tools of repression are expanding and evolving across borders.
