Global Witness' billboard in New York's Times Square to commemorate murdered land and environmental defenders. Sierra Santana / Global Witness

North America

Hurricanes are battering the US coastline. Megadroughts have parched the south-west. The Arctic circle is burning. Yet North America’s role as a global leader in climate action hangs in the balance.

As a hub for business and finance, the US has the tools to defend people and planet on multiple fronts. The switch to clean energy has been on the rise, so we’re highlighting the need to keep transition minerals free from human rights abuses and environmental destruction. We’re raising the alarm about the risk of financial ties between American investors and deforestation. And with oil and gas still flowing across the US and Canada, and land and environmental defenders facing criminalisation and violence throughout the region, we're keeping up the pressure on North America's decision-makers to break away from polluters.