Ecuador: why historic vote will decide the future of oil exploration in the Amazon

[ad_1]

Voters in the South American country will choose a new president and will speak out in a historic environmental plebiscite this Sunday. Plebiscite on economic development versus environmental protection in the lungs of the world AFP via BBC Ecuadorians go to the polls this Sunday (20) to choose a new president, but also to gain a voice in their country’s environmental policies, amid a campaign marred by violence policy. In addition to voting for one of the eight candidates running for president, voters will decide the future of a controversial oil drilling operation in the Amazon rainforest. It is a referendum on the fate of “Block 43”, a group of oil exploration fields located in Yasuni National Park, one of the richest environmental areas in the world. Yasuni National Park is one of the richest environmental areas in the world Getty Images via BBC Yasuni covers more than 1 million hectares and is home to at least 2,000 species of trees and shrubs, 204 species of mammals, 610 species of birds, 121 species of reptiles, 150 species of amphibians and 250 species of fish. It is also home to several indigenous populations — including at least two of the world’s last “isolated” tribes — those who willingly refused interaction with the outside world. Drilling has taken place in ‘Block 43’ since 2016. This came after President Rafael Correa’s failed attempt to secure a global compensation package to keep oil in the ground. According to government estimates, ‘Block 43′ supplies 12% of the 466,000 barrels of oil produced per day by Ecuador. One in four Ecuadorians live in poverty, according to World Bank data. Map shows Yasuni national park 6 billion) per year in lost revenue. But environmental and indigenous rights organizations say it is a small price to pay. “Ecuadorian citizens will have the chance to help protect our environment and the communities that live in Yasuni,” Pedro Berneo, one of the leaders of Yasunidos, an environmental group that campaigned for 10 years for the referendum, told the BBC. “We hope that our example will inspire other countries to do the same.” For indigenous leader Alicia Cahuiya, from the Waorani tribe, one of the indigenous peoples who live in Yasuni, the nature reserve plays a crucial role in combating climate change by helping to capture carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. “Yasuni has been like a mother to the world … We need to raise our voices and hands for our mother to recover, so that she doesn’t get hurt, doesn’t get beaten up,” she told the AFP news agency. Scientists have also warned that the destruction of the Amazon, which stretches across eight South American countries, including Brazil, is compromising its ability to act as a “carbon sink”, absorbing more carbon than it releases. Polls show a majority of Ecuadorians are in favor of “yes” to halting oil production in part of Yasuni National Park Getty Images via BBC A series of polls by different public opinion polling institutes carried out in June and July showed that the majority of Ecuadoreans would vote to end oil exploration — but they also showed that many voters are still undecided. But not all candidates to succeed Lasso have openly called for “yes”. Luisa Gonzalez, the frontrunner in the presidential race, has avoided touching controversy for most of her campaign, but she broke her silence in early August with a statement that has the anti-oil camp worried. “Why don’t you ask the countries that pollute the most to deposit $1.2 billion in a fund for us?” she tweeted, before suggesting that those who proposed the plebiscite should offer alternatives to generate income for the country. Former minister Luisa González, who leads polls of voting intentions for the presidency, hinted that she is against ending oil exploration Getty Images via BBC Lawyer who has worked at Petroecuador, the country’s state oil company, González, 45 years old , also served in the government of former President Rafael Correa (2007-2017) as Minister of Public Administration. Opinion polls indicate she has not built a lead big enough to avoid an October runoff. Her closest rival, businessman Jan Topić, has vowed to “keep the oil underground” in Yasuni. Amazon Frontlines, an advocacy group that supports indigenous communities, says the plebiscite is a historic moment for people living in an oil-producing country. “The model of fossil fuel capitalism has expired and the Ecuadorian people have a unique chance to forge another path and take a big step forward in the fight to tackle climate change.” However, two other Petroecuador blocks in the area would not be affected by the vote. The controversy also attracted the attention of celebrities such as Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio, as well as environmental activist Greta Thunberg. But Gabriela Patricia García García of the University of Exeter in England points out that security concerns will be at the top of voters’ minds after the assassination of one of the presidential candidates. “It is important to remember that oil is still the country’s main source of income”, she points out. “The outcome of the is legally binding, so oil extraction activities will have to stop.” *But the current priority in the election is public safety, so we’ll see how the Yasuni issue plays out.”

[ad_2]

Source link