About four decades ago, as day broke on the morning following Chico Mendes’ assassination, demands for justice were already on the desks of government officials around Brazil. The environmental movement’s response reached them before the news, and our demands were simple: Do something. Defend environmental defenders. Refuse to accept these deaths as inevitable.
Now, with the climate crisis escalating and its impacts becoming increasingly severe, underscored by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights’ landmark advisory opinion highlighting states’ legal obligations to protect current and future generations from climate change, the urgency of these demands and the critical role of digital tools in amplifying them have never been clearer.
Chico Mendes was not the first environmental defender murdered for his work. Nor was he the last. But the news of his killing was likely the first to be turned into an international story — and rallying cry — in real time. It reflected the beginning of a new era for the environmental movement, and the world beyond.
About the author
Atila Roque
Atila Roque leads the Ford Foundation’s Rio de Janeiro office and oversees all grantmaking in Brazil. He previously directed Amnesty International Brazil and INESC, focusing on human rights, inequality, and racial justice. His career includes leadership roles at ActionAid International USA and IBASE, along with board service for various human rights and environmental organizations.
