Al Jazeera | Governments have alternatively accused the Commission of being a platform for US imperialism, an obsolete institution inadequate to contemporary geopolitical realities, or a biased judicial body exceeding its jurisdiction.
All: 2012
Peru's Indigenous People: From García to Humala Their Battle Goes On
Indigenous people in Peru feel betrayed by Ollanta Humala's government, which, despite promising dialogue, is continuing with the aggressive policies of its predecessor
The Guardian | The new Humala government promised there would be no more Baguas, but "the politics of the president of the republic are nothing more than the continuation of the aggressive politics of Alan García," says Alberto Pizango.
Three Years after the Tragedy of Bagua and Little Has Changed
Three years ago yesterday, Peruvian police opened fire on a group of protesters near the town of Bagua in northern Peru. The violent clashes that ensued left 34 dead and over 200 injured in the worst violence in recent history.
"Development" vs. Indigenous Communities
Witness.org | In every corner of the world, we see unfathomably huge hydroelectric dams that destroy entire ecosystems and indigenous livelihoods. Despite the many alternatives to these projects, the mega-dams of the 20th century are only growing bigger and more popular in the 21st.
The Human Cost of a "Green Economy"
Affected peoples of Belo Monte and other mega-dams to hold protest summit around Rio+20
While Rio de Janeiro hosts some of the most powerful figures in global politics and economics at Rio+20, the Xingu River in the heart of Brazil's Amazon rainforest will be the stage for ongoing popular protests against the Belo Monte dam complex.
Amazon Watch is building on more than 25 years of radical and effective solidarity with Indigenous peoples across the Amazon Basin.
"What the New Forest Code in Brazil Means for Deforestation"
An Amazon Watch "Green-Bag Lunch" presentation
While Brazil prepares to host the Rio +20 Earth Summit and present itself as a leading model for sustainable development, it is undertaking measures that will put the Amazon in jeopardy.
In Defense of Water and Life
National March of Solidarity in Iquitos
Alianza Arkana Blog | Leading the pack was a small boy with a handwritten sign, "Don't you drink water from the Nanay? Join the fight." And behind him thousands of people from Iquitos and the region of Loreto, chanting and marching along the main streets of Iquitos.
The Hidden Reality in Dilma's Forest Code "Veto"
Greenpeace International | Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff tried to create the illusion last week that she was vetoing the very worst parts of Brazil's new Forest Code to protect the Amazon rainforest. The reality, however, is entirely different.
Ecuadorans Take Fight Against Chevron to Canada
San Francisco Chronicle | For the past year, Chevron has refused to pay an $18 billion pollution lawsuit judgment from a court in Ecuador. So on Wednesday, the company's Ecuadoran opponents moved the case to Canada.
Chevron-Ecuador Fight Comes to Canada
Bloomberg Businessweek | A peripatetic, two-decade-old pollution lawsuit against Chevron has bounced from New York to Ecuador, back to New York, and now on to the Superior Court of Justice in Toronto, Canada.
Chevron Sued in Canada over Ecuador Case
Financial Times | Plaintiffs who won an $18.2bn environmental damages case against oil majorChevron in Ecuador after 19 years of litigation have turned to Canada to enforce the ruling.
Chevron Sued in Canada by Amazon Residents
Wall Street Journal | Lawyers representing residents of an Amazon rain forest filed a lawsuit in Canada to seize assets there belonging to Chevron as part of their effort to collect an $18.2 billion judgment they won in Ecuador in a pollution case.
International Coalition Protests Chevron Shareholders' Meeting
ABC KGO-TV | An international coalition protested outside the Chevron shareholders' meeting Wednesday in San Ramon, claiming the company is engaging in risky and dangerous operations overseas.
The True Cost of Chevron
International coalition shakes things up at Chevron annual shareholder meeting
Each year Chevron faces opposition at its shareholder meeting, but this protest drew a larger and more diverse crowd galvanized by the oil giant's year of legal problems, oil spills and fines for reckless business practices.
Ecuadorians Shake Up Chevron Shareholder Meeting
At its Annual General Meeting, Chevron executives gave a good show – and a chillingly hard line. CEO John Watson insisted that all was well, the company was raking in money and there was nothing to worry about.
Chevron Faces Shareholder, Union and Community Revolt at Annual Meeting
Rep from Brazil’s Largest Union Denied Access to Meeting; No Mention of Brazil and Nigeria Liabilities; Record Votes for Separation of CEO and Chairman
San Ramon, CA – Today, more than 150 protested at Chevron's annual shareholder meeting, joining together a unique group of union members, shareholders and community leaders. Every year, Chevron faces opposition at its shareholder meeting, but today's protest drew a larger and more diverse crowd galvanized by the oil giant's year of legal...
Activists Gather for Chevron Shareholders Meeting
"Now that the ruling (in Ecuador) is final and enforceable...Chevron can not continue to delay, delay, delay."
San Francisco Chronicle | San Francisco, CA – For many Chevron investors, today's annual shareholders meeting represents a chance to hear top management extol their company's profits and plans. For activists drawn to the meeting from around the world, it's a chance to confront a company they say has poisoned their land, water and air.
Controversial Forest Code Vetoed in Brazil
President rejects parts of bill regulating how much land farmers in Amazon and threatened areas must preserve as forest
Al Jazeera | Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has rejected divisive elements of a new law that would have relaxed the forest cover farmers must preserve on their land.
Chevron's Leading Critics From Brazil to Ecuador to Richmond Expose Abuses
San Francisco – Labor and community leaders from Brazil, Ecuador, Nigeria, Angola, California and Texas revealed the true cost of Chevron's operations in the places where they live.
Taking it to Chevron's Doorstep
Tomorrow Chevron will be practicing the elaborate rite of corporate public relations known as the Annual General Meeting for shareholders with plenty of image-buffing and apple-polishing for top executives and the board of directors, plus praise for the company's obscene profits.
Rousseff Under Pressure to Veto Brazil's New Forest Code
AFP | Brasilia, Brazil – Activists on Thursday said they handed Brazil's president a petition with nearly two million signatures urging her to veto a new forestry code that could result in increased Amazon rainforest deforestation.
If President Rousseff Passes the Forest Code, It Won't Be Only Brazil that Suffers
Brazil has a proud record of protecting the environment, but a bill allowing deforestation would undermine the Rio+20 summit
The Guardian | Never before has the survival of so much rainforest depended on one person. But that is where President Rousseff of Brazil finds herself. The Brazilian congress just passed a forest code that puts the Amazon and other forests in jeopardy.
Belo Monte Dam Controversy to be part of UN Review of Brazil's Human Rights Record
Geneva – On May 25, the United Nations will examine the Brazilian government's track record for human rights during its Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in Geneva, Switzerland. Central to this debate will be the multiple claims of human rights violations surrounding the construction of the Belo Monte Hydroelectric dam, slated for the Xingu...
Belo Monte Dam Hit by Friendly Fire
IPS | São Paulo, Brazil –Those who made the final decision on the design of Brazil's Belo Monte hydroelectric dam will face legal action in the future for the damages caused. This is the kind of warning one would expect from environmentalists, but in this case it comes from a surprising quarter: staunch supporters of hydropower.
Fight Oil with Water: Chevron's Embarrassment in Ecuador
Every day Chevron tries desperately to greenwash its image. But the millions of dollars blown on ad campaigns and PR firms do nothing to alleviate environmental damage and human suffering caused by their operations.
Amazonian Tribes Launch Water Project Amidst Legal Battle
Innovative direct relief project to provide drinking water to thousands in Ecuador
San Francisco – After decades of health issues and legal battles, indigenous communities in the Ecuadorean Amazon have joined with humanitarian and environmental groups to launch ClearWater, a locally led effort to provide clean water to impacted communities.
Protests for Healthy Water Policy in Peru Link Highlands and Jungle
May 31 to be Day of National Solidarity
Alianza Arkana Blog | From the Andes to the Amazon, indigenous and mestizo groups across Peru plan to mobilize on May 31 to resist industrial development projects that they say would destroy vital natural water sources and threaten community survival.
Message of Simplicity, Meeting Chief Raoni
I can still hear their voices inside my head reminding me that I have the duty to pass their message on so that these people will not be forgotten and destroyed by our carelessness and misconception of "development."
The Age of Extreme Oil: "This Used to Be a Forest?"
The region now resembles the Sahara – fine sand left behind by evaporated tailings ponds stretching into a treeless horizon.
The Globe and Mail | "All human technology fails," said Ampush Ayui Chayat, an Achuar delegate from Perú. "Talisman has insisted their new technology will change everything. But if this is how Canadians let oil companies operate in their own land, how can we trust them in ours?"
