Toxic Platforms, Broken Planet: Global Survey Reveals Digital Harassment of Climate Defenders
We often associate climate activism with headline-making names like Greta Thunberg or Captain Paul Watson. Their bold, unapologetic advocacy for the planet draws massive support — but also intense backlash. What’s far less visible, however, are the countless land and environmental defenders around the world who risk their safety every day to protect forests, rivers, oceans, and communities — often without recognition, protection, or platform.
Now, for the first time, we have data to show just how dangerous that invisibility can be.
A groundbreaking new survey commissioned by Global Witness reveals that the vast majority of these frontline defenders face rampant online abuse — and that it doesn’t stop at the screen. The threats, harassment, and smear campaigns not only take an emotional and psychological toll, but frequently spill over into offline harm.
This is not just a tech problem. It’s a human rights emergency.
Who Is Global Witness?
Founded in 1993, Global Witness is an international NGO that exposes the links between climate destruction, corruption, and human rights abuse. Their investigations have helped bring environmental crimes to justice and build international pressure to protect land defenders. Their mission is to shift power from climate-wrecking industries to the people fighting to protect land, life, and future generations.
This survey, conducted in partnership with polling company Survation, marks a major step forward in documenting the digital threats that many defenders have long warned about — and which tech platforms have largely ignored.
A Global Snapshot of Abuse
The survey reached over 200 land and environmental defenders across six continents — many of whom operate in high-risk environments with very limited support. Despite the diversity of backgrounds, geographies, and causes, a disturbing trend emerged:
92% of respondents said they had experienced some form of online abuse or harassment because of their environmental or climate advocacy.
The result is a widespread chilling effect on activism. Nearly two-thirds (63%) said they had feared for their personal safety as a result of this abuse, while 45% reported losing productivity in their work.
More disturbingly, three in four defenders (75%) who reported experiencing offline harms said that online abuse directly or partly contributed to the danger they faced in real life.
This makes it clear: digital harassment is not just unpleasant noise. It is a frontline threat.
The Most Toxic Platforms
When asked where the abuse happened, one company’s name came up more than any other: Meta.
Facebook, with over 3 billion monthly users, was cited as the most common platform for online abuse, named by 62% of survey participants. WhatsApp (36%) and Instagram (26%) — also Meta-owned — ranked high as well. Twitter/X followed closely at 37%.
In total, 82% of those who suffered online abuse said it occurred on at least one Meta-owned platform.
While these platforms are among the most widely used in the world, that doesn’t excuse the patterns of harm or the lack of meaningful action. Defenders said that when they reported abuse, only 12% were satisfied with the response they received. The overwhelming majority — 91% — believe that digital platforms must do more to keep defenders and their communities safe.
One Danish defender, Fanø, shared a chilling account:
“They have said things like ‘if I were there, I would run you over with my car’ or ‘this is why I have a shotgun’. I reported these threats to Facebook, who said they would investigate, but nothing seems to have happened.”
Gendered Attacks, Criminalisation, and Tech-Driven Polarisation
The survey also found that online abuse is often highly gendered and discriminatory. Nearly a quarter of respondents said they were attacked because of their sex, and almost a fifth were targeted because of their gender identity.
Fatrisia, a young activist in Indonesia, described how abusers posted personal photos from her Instagram account to Facebook groups filled with hate speech and rumours — including false claims about her personal relationships meant to shame and discredit her.
“They are trying to take away my credibility,” she said.
Beyond verbal attacks, defenders are also being criminalised for their activism. Among those who faced online abuse:
35% said they received offline threats of criminalisation, and
30% said they had actually been criminalised or arrested for their work.
In India, Sharanya described the pattern plainly:
“Attackers use the online space as a means of defamation, of naming and shaming, and then use the offline space to physically threaten us... They’re trying to silence us.”
Defenders also pointed to social media business models themselves as part of the problem. Almost two-thirds said that platform features — such as polarising algorithms, inadequate content moderation, and the monetisation of provocative content — directly worsened the abuse they faced.
Tech Giants Must Be Held Accountable
Despite the gravity of the findings, social media companies responded with either silence or surface-level statements. Meta pointed to features like "Hidden Words" and "Limits" but failed to address the deeper systemic failures. TikTok cited its harassment policy. X and Google declined to comment.
Meanwhile, environmental defenders continue to receive death threats, defamation, and threats of violence — not in the shadows, but on the world’s largest platforms.
Ava Lee, Campaign Strategy Lead at Global Witness, summed it up:
“The climate crisis is taking its toll on everyone on the front lines of the fight for justice. And right now, social media companies are making it harder for people to do this essential work by allowing hate and harassment to push people away from the movement. It doesn’t have to be this way.”
What This Means for Us All
This survey is more than just a warning. It’s a call to action.
As the climate crisis intensifies, the need for truth-tellers, protectors, and frontline voices becomes more urgent than ever. Yet these very voices are being silenced — not just by governments or corporations, but by a toxic digital infrastructure that rewards rage and neglects responsibility.
If we care about climate action, we must also care about those taking the biggest risks — and demand that they are protected, not persecuted.
This report arrives just ahead of Global Witness’s 2025 annual Defenders Report, due in September, which will document killings and disappearances of environmental defenders during 2024. The last report revealed that at least 196 defenders were killed in 2023 — a horrifying figure that makes the need for digital protections even more pressing.
The Bottom Line
Land and environmental defenders are among the world’s most essential and endangered advocates. Their work sustains forests, biodiversity, water systems, and community resilience — the lifelines of our planet.
And yet, the very platforms built to connect us are being used to endanger them.
This survey is the first of its kind. Let it not be the last. Let it be the beginning of systemic change — in how we build digital spaces, how we regulate tech giants, and how we show up for those who are defending the Earth for us all.
Podcast Episode with Ava Lee
Campaign Strategy Lead at Global Witness
A groundbreaking new survey by Global Witness reveals that over 90% of land and environmental defenders worldwide face online abuse — mostly on Meta-owned platforms — highlighting a growing digital threat that’s silencing frontline climate activism.