The oil company has declared that it will fight us "until hell freezes over." Obviously our economic conditions are not the same; they can buy justice, we cannot.
All: 2013
Smooth Criminal: Chevron Sues Rainforest Communities It Contaminated
Chevron has taken "blame the victim" to a new extreme in its attempt to avoid the $19 billion guilty verdict handed down by an Ecuadorian court in February 2011.
Chevron Retaliation Trial Opens Against Victims of Pollution in Ecuador
Protestors rally for justice in Ecuador; Decry Chevron’s abuses
New York, NY – Tomorrow (Tuesday) Ecuadorian villagers from the Amazon rainforest region ravaged by Chevron's oil contamination will join supporters for a large rally in Foley Square across from the courthouse where a trial will open in the California-based oil giant's retaliatory RICO lawsuit against the Ecuadorians and their U.S. based...
Groups Protest World Bank Support for Destructive Dams and Fossil Fuels
Civil Society Alliance Demands Clean Local Power for the Poor
Washington, DC – The World Bank should shift its energy lending away from dirty power plants toward clean local energy for the poor, a coalition of civil society organizations said today during a protest outside the Bank's annual meeting.
Belo Sun No!
Stop further tragedy on the Xingu River
Together with our partners in Brazil, Canada, the United States, and Europe, we are standing against Canadian mining company Belo Sun's outrageous scheme to reap massive profits from the social and environmental havoc being caused by Belo Monte.
Amazon Watch is building on more than 25 years of radical and effective solidarity with Indigenous peoples across the Amazon Basin.
Canadian Mining Project Seeks License Despite Environmental Irregularities
Global organizations mobilize to oppose Belo Sun mining activities in Brazilian Amazon
Brasilia, Brazil – A broad group of organizations from Brazil, Canada, the United States and Europe joined a campaign in defense of indigenous and traditional communities threatened by Canadian mining company Belo Sun's plans to build Brazil's largest gold mine on the banks of the Amazon's Xingu River.
Chevron v. Donziger Is the $19 Billion Trial to Watch
Case Involves Lawyer Who Won $19 Billion Judgment Against the Firm in 2011
Salon.com | The case deserves the attention it is receiving because it will help define the extent to which the U.S. legal system can be used to sort out alleged overseas misconduct of American multinationals. It will also help define the extent to which would-be American vindicators of the poor overseas will be held accountable for their alleged misconduct...
Ecuador's Parliament Gives the Green Light to Oil Drilling in Yasuni
MPs authorise drilling in Amazon rainforest after failure of Rafael Correa's plan to persuade rich nations to protect it
Reuters | Ecuador's parliament has authorised drilling of the nation's largest oilfields in part of the Amazon rainforest after the failure of President Rafael Correa's plan to have rich nations pay to avoid its exploitation. Correa launched the initiative in 2007 to protect the Yasuni jungle area, which boasts some of the planet's most diverse wildlife...
UN Says Peru's Gas Plans Could Threaten Indigenous Peoples
Huffington Post | A United Nations committee says that plans by Peru's government to expand a controversial gas project in the Amazon could threaten the "physical and cultural survival" of indigenous peoples.
Making History: Brazil's National Indigenous Mobilization
Participating in Brazil's most significant indigenous mobilization in the last 25 years was an extraordinary opportunity to deliver on our commitment to support the struggle of indigenous peoples in the Amazon.
Whose First Amendment Rights Are These Anyway?
EarthRights International | Chevron's multifaceted crusade against environmental and human rights activists and lawyers provides a deeply problematic blueprint other companies may be tempted to mimic to strike back against critics.
The Battle over Ecuador’s Oil Takes New Twist
China Dialogue | "The industrialised world isn't blameless, but most blame goes to Correa," says Amazon Watch's Adam Zuckerman. "It was difficult to sell the initiative if you're drilling right up to ITT, and he's been talking about 'Plan B' pretty constantly over the last year."
Over 100 Scientists Warn Ecuadorian Congress Against Oil Development in Yasuni
Mongabay.com | Over 100 scientists have issued a statement to the Ecuadorian Congress warning that proposed oil development and accompanying roads in Yasuni National Park will degrade its "extraordinary biodiversity."
Notes from Brasilia: Pepper Spray, Turned Away and 513 Years of Fighting for Indigenous Rights
How inspiring it was to hear the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. spoken from the heart of an indigenous warrior as he berated a Brazilian congressman who tried to mislead a crowd.
Science Warns Against Drilling in Yasuní National Park
National Geographic | The Ecuadorian government is currently racing ahead with plans to drill for oil in the core of what is arguably the most biodiverse corner of the planet. In response, a group of more than 100 scientists from Ecuador and 18 other countries around the world submitted a statement to the Ecuadorian Congress detailing the extraordinary biodiversity of...
Brazilian Police Stop Indians from Storming Congress
Reuters | "We have lost lots of land and they want to take away what we have left," said Mayalú Txucarramae, a young Kayapó leader from the Xingú reservation in Mato Grosso state, one of about 1,000 indigenous demonstrators camped out in front of Congress.
National Indigenous Mobilization in Brasilia
In response to attacks on indigenous rights, Brazil's National Indigenous Association has called for a national mobilization. Thousands of indigenous peoples are marching across Brazil.
Protests Sweep Brazil Demanding End to Attack on Indigenous Rights
Historic mobilization coincides with the 25th anniversary of Brazil's constitution, which affirmed its commitment to indigenous rights
In response to attacks on indigenous peoples' rights and territories by Congress, Brazil's National Indigenous Association called for widespread protests until October 5th.
Massive Indigenous Rights Movement Launches Across Brazil
Protests tackle threatening new laws on Constitution’s 25th anniversary
Brasilia, Brazil – Today hundreds of indigenous peoples representing Brazil's native communities converged on government buildings in the nation's capital to decry unprecedented and growing attacks on their constitutional rights and territories.
Chevron Seeks to Avoid Jury Trial for Its Ecuador Suit
Case Involves Lawyer Who Won $19 Billion Judgment Against the Firm in 2011
The Wall Street Journal | Representatives of the Ecuadorians deny Chevron's claims and accuse the company of improper conduct in the 20-year-old legal battle. Mr. Donziger said he would oppose Chevron's request for a nonjury trial. "I think this decision clearly proves that Chevron does not believe in the validity of its own case," he said.
Not-So-Clean Hydropower Is Damming Us All
National Geographic | People deserve better reasons to oppose this than, "it will degrade the environment," "it will flood a pretty place," or "we will lose such and such animal or plant." How about this: large dams are societal hazards, pollutants, non-renewable, and economically unsound.
Amazon Watched! Our Annual Event Was a Big Success
This Wednesday Amazon Watch held its 8th Annual Luncheon in San Francisco with a packed house. Many thanks to the hundreds of friends who came to join us in person and even more who tuned in to lend their support online.
Photos from Our 2013 Annual Luncheon
Our special guest this year was Mayalu Txucarramãe, an indigenous woman leader from Brazil working to defend her people from the Belo Monte Dam.
33 Million Strong, Women Form Unprecedented Alliance
Declaration and Action Agenda Takes on Climate Change and Promotes Sustainability Solutions
New York, NY – Unlikely partnerships, meaningful policy, reaching beyond the choir, gender equality and a commitment to bold action were all on the agenda as 100+ women from around the world gathered in New York for three days of dialogue and deliberation at the International Women’s Earth and Climate Summit.
Participate Online in the International Women’s Earth and Climate Summit
The Summit will bring together 100 global women leaders from 35 countries to help further a Women’s Climate Action Agenda to build momentum for substantive action to address the global climate crisis.
Will Norway Withdraw from Repsol Because of Indigenous People?
NGO claims Norway's Council on Ethics recommends blacklisting oil company but the Finance Ministry won't budge
The Guardian | Krogh doesn't say the reason the Council has given for its possible Repsol recommendation, but the people living in "voluntary isolation" – as Peruvian law calls them – lack immunological defences and therefore could easily be decimated by disease if any contact is made between them and the company's workers.
Over 130 Renowned Scholars Call on President Correa to Defend Yasuní-ITT
Signatories include Vandana Shiva, Naomi Klein and James Hansen
Quito, Ecuador – More than 130 renowned academics and intellectuals from all over the world sent a letter to Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa. Scholars including Vandana Shiva, James Hansen, Naomi Klein, Boaventura de Souza Santos, Arturo Escobar, and Timothy Mitchell, among others, headed up the letter.
Welcome, Mayalú!
As Mayalú begins her first U.S. tour, she hopes that her travels will further hone her leadership skills, experience and knowledge that will allow her to be a better advocate for defending Brazil's indigenous peoples while demonstrating the universal importance of assisting their struggle.
Ecuador's Correa Calls for Chevron Environmental Boycott
AFP | Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa called Tuesday for a global boycott of Chevron, as part of a campaign to highlight Amazon environmental damage Ecuador attributed to the US oil giant.
