The Huffington Post | "Chevron fought particularly hard to enforce two extremely broad and invasive subpoenas against Amazon Watch, which has been running the Clean Up Ecuador Campaign for a decade."
All: 2013
Exploitation of Peru's "Miracle" Oil Deposits in the Amazon Is Delayed
Operations by company Perenco behind schedule as Peruvian NGO publishes critical report
The Guardian | The controversial exploitation of heavy crude oil from one of the most inaccessible, most biodiverse regions of the Peruvian rainforest inhabited by indigenous people in "voluntary isolation" has been delayed.
Children of the Jaguar
This groundbreaking documentary is about the Kichwa indigenous people of Sarayaku, Ecuador and their successful international legal battle to prevent oil exploration on their land without their consent.
Court: Chevron Can Seize Americans' Email Data
In an almost unprecedented decision, a federal judge has allowed Chevron to subpoena Americans' private email data – and said the First Amendment doesn't apply.
Mother Jones | Thanks to disclosures made by Edward Snowden, Americans have learned that their email records are not necessarily safe from the National Security Agency – but a new ruling shows that they're not safe from big oil companies, either.
Ecuador: One Year After Decisive Ruling, Sarayaku Struggle Goes On
Amnesty International | The government of Ecuador must do more to protect the human rights of the indigenous people of Sarayaku if it is to fully comply with an international court ruling.
Amazon Watch is building on more than 25 years of radical and effective solidarity with Indigenous peoples across the Amazon Basin.
Ecuador Forced to Delay Oil Round; Now Let's Make Them Cancel It!
This is the second time that the government has been forced to extend the deadline for bids, and is just the latest in a series of serious setbacks to the government's attempts to auction off millions of acres of the Amazon.
Brazilian Soldiers and Native Tribespeople Are Clashing in the Amazon
VICE | The occupations of dams and construction sites have been underway since last June, with new demonstrations attracting more tribespeople and local fishermen to protest together in solidarity. However, as the protests – which can last for weeks at a time – become more popular, they are being met with greater resistance from the Brazilian troops and...
Ecuador Pushes Bid Deadline for 11th Oil-Licensing Round to Nov. 28
The Wall Street Journal | Quito, Ecuador – Ecuador has extended for the second time the deadline to submit offers for companies interested in the country's 11th oil-licensing round to explore for oil in blocks located in the southeastern Amazon region.
Indigenous Protests Grow as Ecuador Closes Bidding on Amazonian Oil Round
Leaders gather in Puyo to denounce auction of their territory
Amazonian indigenous leaders mobilized today in the regional capital of Puyo to oppose the Ecuadorian government's attempts to close bids on eight million acres of its pristine southeastern Amazon. The region is Ecuador's last remaining tract of virgin rainforest and is home to seven indigenous nationalities. Attempts to lease it have been plagued...
In "Chilling" Ruling, Chevron Granted Access to Activists' Private Internet Data
"Sweeping" subpoena violates rights of those who spoke out against oil giant's devastating actions in Ecuador
Common Dreams | The US government is not the only entity who, with judicial approval, is amassing massive amounts of personal information against their so-called enemies. A federal judge has ruled to allow Chevron to collect the IP usage records and identity information for email accounts owned by over 100 environmental activists, journalists and attorneys.
Judge: Chevron Can Access Its Critics' Private User Information
EarthRights International | According to Judge Kaplan, none of the anonymous accountholders could benefit from First Amendment protections since the accountholders had "not shown that they were U.S. citizens."
Chevron Cozies Up with Judge, Censors Blog
In another baldfaced example of bias, Judge Kaplan is letting Chevron maintain "confidential" a series of damning internal videos that prove the company committed a massive fraud in Ecuador by hiding evidence of contamination.
Does Peru Care More About Parks Than People?
Huffington Post | Pluspetrol is currently planning on expanding its operations in a concession known as 'Lot 88', almost 75% of which overlaps the supposedly 'intangible' Kugapakori-Nahua-Nanti Reserve which was established for indigenous peoples in 'voluntary isolation' and 'initial contact' in 1990, borders Manu National Park and acts as part of its official...
Brazil Confirms Amazon Deforestation Increase
Mongabay.com | Data released by the Brazilian government Friday confirms an increase in Amazon forest loss. INPE's data shows that deforestation is pacing 14 percent higher than last year, when forest loss was the lowest since annual record-keeping began in the late 1980s.
Investor's Eye on the Amazon
This is the summer edition of Investor's Eye on the Amazon, an email newsletter that provides institutional investors, industry analysts, and researchers with key insight into the some of the most pressing issues facing the Amazon rainforest and companies operating there.
Peru Set to Ignore UN Plea to Suspend Amazon Gas Expansion
Huffington Post | The United Nations' Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination wrote to the Peruvian government urging it to "immediately suspend" the expansion of the country's biggest hydrocarbons development. The government's response? To claim there is nothing illegal about the expansion, no threat to the "isolated" indigenous peoples, and that it...
Consultation or Conflict? The Fight for the Future of Natural Resource Investments in Peru
From the Amazon to the Andes, communities are protesting the devastation left by mining and oil projects. Successive governments have readily resorted to repressive measures.
Investors Balking on Ecuador's Amazonian Oil Auction
Last month President Correa apologized for an oil spill that wreaked havoc throughout the Amazon Basin. What the media narrative has largely missed is that there is an oil spill nearly every week in Ecuador.
Brazil's Hydro Dams Could Make Its Greenhouse Gas Emissions Soar
Already a top emitter, Brazil could spew hundreds of millions more tons of gases blamed for climate change, such as CO2 and methane, as it floods Amazon forest for hydro power, researchers say
GlobalPost | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Officials here frequently claim that the huge hydroelectric dams that increasingly dot the Brazilian Amazon are a source of "clean energy." The dams often flood vast areas of rain forest, leading to a major loss of biodiversity and the devastating displacement of indigenous communities from their ancestral lands.
Repsol to Drill for Oil in Amazon Rainforest in Peru
Company to operate in a region inhabited by indigenous people extremely vulnerable to any contact with outsiders
The Guardian | Repsol has been given the go-ahead by Peru's ministry of energy and mines to explore for oil in one "protected" and one proposed reserve in the north of the country in the remote Amazon rainforest bordering Ecuador.
Karmic Justice: Chevron CEO Deposed
Twelve years ago Amazon Watch's Atossa Soltani and affected communities in Ecuador urged Chevron not to purchase Texaco. Leading the charge to buy Texaco was John Watson, who is now Chevron's CEO.
Violence Against Brazil Natives "Up Sharply"
AFP | Violence against indigenous Brazilians more than tripled between 2011 and 2012, often due to land feuds, a new report said.
Indigenous Protests and Unity in Brasília
The fight for the Amazon has just begun
International Rivers | "The Minister says he wants to consult with indigenous peoples, but that the government's decision to build the dams has already been made. What kind of consultation is that?"
World Is on Massive Hydroelectric Building Spree
Sustainable Business.com | Before Japan's nuclear meltdown, it looked like the world could be ready for a nuclear renaissance, but it seems we are entering a big hydro renaissance instead.
Over 30 Tons of Explosives to Be Detonated in Manu National Park Buffer Zone
Mongabay.com | A consortium of gas companies headed by Pluspetrol and including Hunt Oil plans on detonating approximately 38 tons of explosives in the south-east Peruvian Amazon in one of the most biodiverse regions in the world.
Brazil's Perfect Storm of Discontent
The protests roiling South America's biggest country are a reaction to an insensitive, unresponsive government
Al Jazeera | The government's reaction to the protests have intensified the demonstrators' anger and given focus to a number of diffuse and relatively independent grievances.
Ecuador's Challenges with Oil Development
Pachamama Alliance | Oil spills in Ecuador are anything but unusual. May’s spill is just one of many that occur on a regular basis, adding up to an enormous amount of oil spilled over the years.
How Can We Trust What Big Gas Companies Say?
Huffington Post | Pluspetrol is currently planning on expanding its operations in "Lot 88", and sometimes plays down the existence of the "isolated" people as a way of parrying concerns about the impacts its operations might have on them. Three new wells have already been approved by Peru's Energy Ministry, and the green light for a further 18 wells, seismic tests...
Brazil's First Taste of New Viral Democracy
Turkey and Brazil may be very different places, but the reasons behind protests in both the countries are similar
Al Jazeera | The current drama of upheaval started with a 20-cent hike in bus fares. At first, there were small demonstrations in Sao Paulo. Then a larger part of the Brazilian public followed in the footsteps of Turkish protesters to build a movement that spread across the country, exhibiting severe discontent with the system.
