Photo credit EFE – Huaorani Indians in the march that preceded the submission of signatures for referendum on oil exploration.
Environmentalists in Ecuador have succeeded in raising over 700,000 signatures against the oil exploitation of Yasuni to demand a referendum.
The first global attempt to avoid exploitation of the largest protected reserve in the world failed eight months ago. After six years of hard fighting , the president of Ecuador , Rafael Correa, announced in August the death of the Yasuni ITT Initiative , an original commitment proposed by the Andean country to leave underground 920 million barrels of oil valued at 18,000 million in exchange for 3,600 million dollars that the international community should provide . But it was a failure . “The world has failed us ,” said a dejected day Correa announced the demise of the project.
Since then, the political atmosphere of Ecuador has been fraught with conflict . The alarm went off in February when Alianza País , the president’s party suffered the biggest electoral setback since coming to power in 2006 . “Clearly the issue of Yasuní has taken its toll but it is not alone. The point is that the right wing of the party has done much of the executive power and influence to break with the social movements that led to the birth of the Citizen Revolution , “a university professor who prefers to hide his name.
These social organizations have become a big stone in the shoe of the Government. A few weeks ago , hundreds of people marched through the streets of Quito demanding the decriminalization of abortion law strictly prohibitive in a country where the influence of the Church remains capital. However, the most incisive urban activism has grown around the collective Yasunidos , a conglomerate of environmental organizations about who have rained criticism as they dared to question the reasons for Correa on “necessary evil” which is finalize the Yasuní Initiative .
“Do not be vague , collect signatures if they have so much support ,” said the president on more than one occasion to refer to this collective crusade to force a consultation on the project announced by the Government. The campaign has spread across the country with the sole purpose of collecting the signatures of at least 5 % of the electorate . At the expense of the official verification that begin Monday , has amassed 727,947 , 145,000 more than required headings for the National Assembly to convene a referendum.
Roque Sevilla was the first president of the technical committee of the ITT Initiative until January 2010 and is convinced that the query is not held . The reason adduced is that this holding ” is linked to the construction of the Pacific Refinery , a work of which $ 12 million will be profitable only processing heavy crude oil from the ITT. ” When I was chairman of the committee , I made a presentation of the origin of 100,000 barrels which would need to run the refinery and have the documents that proves so “he says.
A global perspective
Daniel Ortega is the representative of Ecuador to the United Nations Convention on Climate Change ( UNFCCC) and an environmental expert who knows almost every inch , valleys and rivers National Park, and the fatal traps lush jungle to get lost is easy. In his view, the debate should be analyzed from a broader perspective : “Criticism is not Yasuní yes or no, but what is done to curb avoidable emissions that cause global warming, why rich countries do nothing to reduce consumption of natural resources but require investments to the poor. ”
Ortega stressed that the international commitment of the Government of Ecuador is in renewable energy to not depend on oil. “But without international collaboration without touching the Yasuni oil is very difficult to articulate . I say with a broken heart “he says.
However , doubts extraction project presented are broader . Correa has ensured that the industrial impact ” only affect 1 per 1.000″ of the protected area and the controls will be ” permanent and relentless .”
One of the promoters of the Yasuni ITT Initiative fiercely critical of this decision as Alberto Acosta has raised hackles for their comments against this version of the insignificant cause damage to the project. The former Minister of Energy of the first government of Correa calls ” lies” all promised guarantees ” because there is no technology that can avoid .”
For irritation President Acosta uncovered that seismic exploration will be done by the use of dynamite and in the exploitation of the great water aquifer that supplies a vast jungle area will be used. ” Road construction has already started and the noise will cause the constant helicopter flights will be other factors that end up liquidating a fragile environment like Bohemian crystal ,” he says .
Daniel Ortega censorship of Acosta for this apocalyptic vision ” because besides being inaccurate, it creates a dangerous confusion in public opinion.” Ortega , who has studied the project to be undertaken by the public company Petroecuador , indicates that the social benefits to be gained will far outweigh the damage caused . “It has required the latest technology and has determined that the autonomous governments of the Amazon receive 12% of the surplus of the project ” sentence.
Despite intense campaigning by the government in recent months , the movement against the exploitation of the reserve has grown unabated . Hundreds of people joined Saturday Yasunidos collective symbolic delivery of the firms in the CNE. The atmosphere was mourning, almost silent , even though young people who have defied the strong charisma of Rafael Correa and his publicity machine have won the first phase of the battle. Waorani indigenous people , originating in the Amazon, shared the head of the march with Kichwa , Shuar and Creoles.
The president of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities , Humberto Cholango admitted that the Amazonian communities ” prepare to defend the Yasuní actions if the government rejects a query ” and criticized official references to his alleged violence . A month ago , President scorned the campaign collected signatures ensuring that never would achieve and their promoters accused of creating ” the mattress to create incidents.” But none of that has happened but the jungle is alert .
Photo credit EFE – Huaorani Indians in the march that preceded the submission of signatures for referendum on oil exploration.
Evolve to Ecology. http://www.evolvetoecology.com
El Dario es. http://www.eldiario.es/internacional/Correa-primera-batalla-ecologistas-ecuatorianos_0_249175081.html
