At COP27 Indigenous Land Defenders from Mexico, Guatemala Warn "Green Capitalism" Creates Violence

We continue our coverage of the U.N. climate conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, by asking what Indigenous leaders at the frontlines of the climate crisis are calling for from world leaders. We speak to Andrea Ixchíu, a land defender from Guatemala, and Rosa Marina Flores Cruz, an Afro-Indigenous activist from Mexico, who are both part of the Futuros Indígenas collective. They discuss how their countries' megaprojects and big business are devastating Indigenous communities. "Green capitalism is affecting our communities. It's displacing people. It's creating violence," says Ixchíu. Amid the murder and persecution of climate activists across Latin America, "defend[ing] the land is one of the most difficult and dangerous activities that we can do," says Cruz.

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