Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who has made climate change a priority, will visit the Antarctic and the Amazon rain forest during a South American tour starting next week, the United Nations has confirmed. The visits will be “so that he can see first-hand the effects of climate change and deforestation on the environment,” U.N. spokeswoman Marie … Read More
Amazon
Ecuador Does Deal With Communities
Ecuador has reached a deal with protesters in the oil-rich Amazon region to end a three-day protest that cost the country $2 million in revenue. Earlier this week dozens of villagers in the Shushufindi region in the Sucumbios province blocked roads leading to key oil fields operated by Petroecuador. The company said the blockage prevented … Read More
Ecaudor Bans Drilling in Yasuni
The Reuters news agency is reporting that Ecuador has confirmed it will not allow oil drilling inside part of the Yasuni rainforest. The move could hurt the operations of China’s Andes Petroleum, Spain’s Repsol, and Brazil’s Petrobras who manage oil fields partially inside the area. “We are not going to allow oil exploitation in this … Read More
CGI Highlights Yasuni Proposal to Leave Oil Alone
Some good news for a change. Yesterday the Clinton Global Initiative highlighted the Ecuadorian proposal about “Leaving Ecuador’s Oil in the Ground” which seeks to avoid carbon emissions and save the Yasuni Rainforest. The “Yasuni Proposal” as it is known was selected from among close to a thousand other proposals, and was highlighted in the … Read More
Daryl Hannah Joins Amazon Oil Protest
Daryl Hannah, the actress turned environmentalist, is adding her voice to the campaign demanding redress for the inhabitants of Ecuador’s Amazon region, which has been blighted by 30 years of oil exploration by Texaco. The 46-year-old star of Splash and Kill Bill was hoping to meet Ecuador’s President, Rafael Correa, yesterday.On Monday, she toured the … Read More
Oxy Now Sued Over Amazon Pollution
Following on from our previous blog about Oxy being accused of dumping oil in the Amazon, the oil company has now been sued by Earthrights International on behalf of the Achuar people. The claim alleges that over the course of three decades Oxy engaged in “irresponsible, reckless, immortal and illegal practices” in an “unchecked effort … Read More
Oxy Accused of Dumping Waste in the Amazon
Occidental has been accused of contaminating an area of the Peruvian Amazon where it and its successor company have drilled for oil for the past 32 years, creating misery for the local Achuar people and widespread lead and cadmium poisoning. Amazon Watch and EarthRights International have accused Oxy of violating Peruvian and international law by … Read More
Oxy Pulls Out of Peru
Environmental groups and indigenous leaders have claimed a dramatic victory after Occidental Petroleum Corp confirmed plans to withdraw from a controversial oil and gas venture in Peru. Occidental’s departure, which the company said is contingent on approval by the Peruvian government, follows extensive criticism by NGO’s. One of the company’s biggest critics, Atossa Soltani, executive … Read More
Achuar Take on Peruvian Government Over Pollution
A rare victory for people power. The Guardian has reported how the Achuar Indians from the Amazon have managed to get the Peruvian government to take notice of their plight. For decades they had been saying that their land had been heavily polluted and their waters poisoned by oil exploration, but they had been consistently … Read More