British police arrest environmental activists at a rate over three times the global norm, according to studies, which positions the UK as a world leader in the legal crackdown on climate action. The report emphasises how while other countries progressively target dissent rather than tackling the underlying causes of the environmental crises, the United Kingdom and Australia lead in suppressing climate and environmental protests.
Why Do Arrest Rates in Australia and the UK So Expensive?
The research claims that Australia boasts the highest arrest rate for environmental and climate activists, with one in five demonstrations resulting in arrests. The UK comes second, with about 17% of protests turning in arrests. This sharply contrasts the worldwide average arrest rate of 6.7%, which exposes an alarming trend in government reaction to mounting climate activity.
Emphasising the growing worldwide repression of dissent, the UN special rapporteur for environmental defenders denounced the way governments treat peaceful environmental protests: “In many countries, the state response to peaceful environmental protest is increasingly to repress rather than to enable and protect those seeking to speak up for the environment.”
How does the global scene of environmental protests and climate change look?
The study examined data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data database, emphasising nations with more than 1,000 protest incidents between 2012 and 2023. To better grasp the worldwide scene of climate activism and reactions to it, the study limited its focus to 14 nations, reflecting all six inhabited continents.
According to the results, climate demonstrations and environmental demonstrations aiming at damaging projects, including mining, dams, and buildings, have increased. Still, the statistics reveal an exceptionally high increase in climate demonstrations, particularly towards the end of the 2010s. This time frame overlapped the emergence of youth-led movements such as the Sunrise Movement in the US, Extinction Rebellion in the UK, and Friday for Future—these demonstrations with more general political demands frequently question governments’ lack of action on climate change.
“There is an increasing criminalisation and repression of climate and environmental protest,” said the political economist from the University of Bristol who oversaw the study. “These kinds of demonstrations have grown more common, climate demonstrations quite sharply, and the reaction to this has been a crackdown that has to be seen in the wider political sense of a breakdown in climate action.”
Why do rates of arrest vary so greatly among nations?
The study found that geography dramatically influences the arrest rates for environmental and climate demonstrations. Although the UK and Australia lead the list with high arrest rates, other nations, such as Norway (15.1%), also show somewhat significant degrees of repression. Countries like Brazil (0.6%), Peru (2%), and Uganda (2.2%), on the other hand, have far lower arrest rates; yet, the study also observed that these countries frequently show significant levels of police violence directed towards protestors.
The study also revealed the concerning pattern of environmental defenders under attack and murder. Figures from the NGO Global Witness show that almost 2,000 environmental defenders died worldwide throughout the research period, emphasising the fatal results of defending the environment in many different countries.
How have fresh laws helped to criminalise protest?
One important discovery of the study was the part played by new and enlarged legislation criminalising environmental activism and climate change in several nations. New laws, including the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2021 and the Public Order Act 2022, have given police broad authority to quell demonstrations using powers to arrest people before they start. These regulations have changed the dynamic between activists and the state from protection for free expression to repression.
The report noted that these new rules in the UK and other countries—including the US and Australia—have imposed tougher fines for nonviolent demonstrations and small-scale civil disobedience. These actions follow a more significant trend whereby governments are criminalising protests by reusing already in-use legal systems. The research noted, “One really alarming trend has been this use of organised crime legislation.” “In no way can you say that these are organised criminals.” The rising use of such legislation creates an environment where peaceful protest is treated as a criminal activity, adding to the growing concern over the erosion of fundamental democratic rights in response to climate activism.
What Has to Be Done to Support Environmental Defenders?
The results of this study remind us sharply of the mounting persecution of environmental demonstrations and climate change worldwide. The study emphasises the critical necessity of more robust protections for individuals fighting for the preservation of the earth as environmental defenders still face growing hazards from both arrest and assault.
The study advocates a change in government responses to climate movement activity. States must prioritize serious climate action and listen to voices calling for a quick change instead of concentrating on penalising individuals opposing environmental damage. Environmental defenders need help and protection as the problems of pollution, biodiversity, and climate become more severe—not criminalised.
These results force the world to consider how best to protect the rights of environmental activists and defenders so that their voices are not silenced in the face of growing global problems.
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