A safe and healthy environment is a human right! But companies and governments still often get away lightly when they destroy the environment. In Honduras, for example, a mining operation is polluting an important source of drinking water; in the Philippines, activists who are fighting the destruction of the environment are being threatened. Meanwhile, rising temperatures reduce hunting grounds in the Arctic, and forest fires have had a devastating impact in Portugal. One ray of hope: In Nigeria, Shell was recently convicted because of oil spills caused by the company.

In the European Parliament, we passed a report this week that addresses the issue of climate and human rights. I was shadow rapporteur for the resolution. Our demands, among others: We must

• better protect environmental and human rights defenders
• hold governments and companies accountable
• promote the recognition of ecocide as a crime
• strengthen the possibility of climate lawsuits