Global Witness has called for stronger, enforceable corporate accountability laws, warning that the global shift to clean energy risks deepening environmental destruction and human rights abuses in mining-dependent countries like the Philippines.
The investigation highlights how corporate, political, and security interests intersect in mining areas, as it documents the deployment of Philippine Army-trained Citizen Armed Force Geographical Units (CAFGUs) to secure mining sites.
These quasi-official militias, recruited from local communities including Indigenous Peoples and former combatants, are reportedly armed and trained to operate in and around extraction zones.
Global Witness said this creates a repressive “ecosystem of violence” where corporate, political and security actors reinforce one another, placing civilians at the center of conflict.
The report comes as the European Union debates the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), which could require large companies to identify and address environmental and human rights risks throughout their supply chains.
However, Global Witness warned that recent moves to weaken the directive could leave frontline communities unprotected.
“Mining doesn’t just dig into the earth; it rips through our lives. Every new mine means more forests lost, rivers turned brown, communities divided, guns and militarisation in our neighbourhoods, fish gone, rice failing. And if you dare to speak up, you could pay with your life,” said Jaybee Garganera, National Coordinator of Alyansa Tigil Mina.
“Who decides the price of the race to net zero – and who pays it? A transition that ignores human rights is no transition at all,” he added.
Global Witness said the findings underscore the urgent need for binding corporate accountability laws that protect communities, land defenders, and ecosystems — ensuring that the green transition does not replicate the extractive abuses of the past.