Toward environmental justice: 4 achievements for AIDA in 2022
Photo: Shutterstock.Success stories are the result of processes that take time, perseverance and joint actions. Faced with the challenges of environmental degradation and the climate crisis, these precepts are more relevant than ever. They are a reminder that the defense of the environment is collective and long-term.
For AIDA, 2022 was a year of important achievements in our efforts to contribute to environmental and climate justice in Latin America.
These advances demonstrate the importance of collaboration and persistence. They are in turn precedents for litigation, advocacy and alliance-building in favor of the broader regional movement of which we are a part.
1. LA OROYA POLLUTION VICTIMS HEARD BY INTER-AMERICAN COURT
People affected by toxic contamination from a metal smelter in the Andean city of La Oroya, Peru, presented their case before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. More than 20 years after taking the case, AIDA succeeded in presenting their case before the international court and demonstrating the Peruvian government's responsibility in the violation of their rights. The eventual ruling is a historic opportunity to establish a key precedent upholding the right to a healthy environment in Latin America.
2. DIGITAL PLATFORM STRENGTHENS CLIMATE LITIGATION IN LATIN AMERICA
Climate litigation has the power to accelerate corporate and government accountability in the face of the climate crisis, and push actions to protect communities and ecosystems. To strengthen this growing movement, we created the Climate Litigation Platform for Latin America and the Caribbean, which currently displays more than 50 legal cases involving climate arguments. It is our contribution to facilitating the exchange of strategies and arguments among those who use the courts to defend the planet.
3. INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT CONTRIBUTES TO OCEAN RESILIENCE
AIDA was part of the efforts of organizations, governments, academia and the private sector to reach a binding agreement at the World Trade Organization to curb harmful fisheries subsidies, including those that encourage illegal, overfished and unregulated fishing on the high seas. This will help reduce threats to the ocean, a key ally in addressing the climate crisis due to its ability to absorb the planet's excess heat and carbon dioxide emissions.
4. REGIONAL ALLIANCE ELEVATES THE VOICE OF THE CLIMATE JUSTICE MOVEMENT
In response to the need to change the narrative about the climate crisis and strengthen the voice of the movement for a just energy transition in the region, Presentes was born, an alliance coordinated by AIDA that brings together organizations, communities and environmental advocates. We joined together to communicate more strategically and reach more people through the exchange of knowledge and experiences, pedagogy, the use of digital tools and internal capacity building
We invite you to learn more about these achievements and AIDA's work during the year in our
Mayela Sánchez García
Mayela Sánchez García is Mexican and AIDA's digital community specialist, working from Cholula, Mexico. She is a graduate in Journalism and Media Studies from the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey in Mexico. Mayela has significant experience as a journalist focused on social and human rights issues. She has worked in print and digital media, and has experience in podcast production.