"Renewables and Reprisals: Defenders at risk in the green energy transition in Brazil, Honduras, Mozambique, and the Philippines." April, 2025

A new report by the research organization Swedwatch highlights critical human rights risks associated with the global transition to renewable energy. The report reveals that human rights and environmental defenders face serious threats and reprisals in countries where renewable energy projects are being rapidly developed.
More than half of the world’s total prospective wind farm capacity, and more than two thirds of the prospective solar farm capacity, is estimated to take place in countries with obstructed, repressed or closed civic space...

"We cannot build a green future on the backs of those who are silenced or displaced. The renewable energy transition must not come at the cost of human rights. Defenders are not obstacles - they are essential allies in ensuring that this is just, equitable, and sustainable" says Alice Blondel, Director Swedwatch....

The report presents four case studies from Mozambique, Honduras, Brazil, and the Philippines, where defenders and affected community members describe restrictions and reprisals of defenders linked to renewable energy projects...

The report underscores the urgent need for stronger protections for defenders, transparent consultation processes, and corporate accountability...

Human rights abuses linked to the renewable energy sector have been increasingly documented, including by the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC). For instance, in 2016, research identified 115 allegations of human rights abuse involving renewable companies since 2005 – with 94 of them occurring after 2010.9 Further investigations found that between January 2015 and October 2022, there were 360 attacks on human rights defenders who had raised concerns about harms associated with hydropower, solar, and wind projects.10 However, findings should be considered indicative as the full extent of the impacts of renewable energy projects on defenders remains relatively under-documented – particularly in the rapidly expanding wind and solar power sectors.

Swedwatch reached out to the companies and investors mentioned in the report, offering them an opportunity to comment on the findings. Eight of eleven companies and investors provided responses, which are summarized in the report, with full statements available on Swedwatch’s website: https://swedwatch.org/themes/report-human-rights-defenders-at-risk-in-the-renewable-energy-transition/