Eye on the Amazon

The company has led a divisive public relations campaign in attempts to manufacture consent for the Warintza mining project

September 25, 2020 – "This 'Strategic Alliance' is not an 'innovative relationship' as Solaris portrays it. It is the same strategy that many mining and oil companies have used to advance their projects, while side-stepping and disrespecting the legitimate and traditional Indigenous organizational structures."

The Kichwa of Ecuador vow to appeal lawsuit over worst oil spill in the last fifteen years

September 5, 2020 – "Today's ruling shows that the Ecuadorian justice system has once again put the interests of oil companies above the rights of Indigenous peoples and nature. The evidence of contamination and the impact on the lives of the Kichwa populations of the Coca and Napo rivers was overwhelming during the hearing. However, the judge, without law or logic on his side, denied justice for those affected by the spill who have been waiting for months for meaningful action to remediate and repair the damage. Meanwhile, the river and the lives along it, have changed, perhaps forever."

September 4, 2020 – Despite positioning itself earlier this year as a financial firm that leads on climate, BlackRock continues to be a major financial investor in the deforestation commodity companies currently fueling the fires in the Amazon. BlackRock is a top investor in deforestation-risk commodities around the world, and despite vague commitments to prioritize "sustainability," the company lacks clearly defined policies to prevent deforestation or safeguard the rights of Indigenous peoples in its investments. The depth of BlackRock's greenwashing is astounding.

August 27, 2020 – In response to this worsening crisis, Amazon Watch is calling for an #AmazonCeasefire by mounting a communications, advocacy, and direct relief campaign alongside a coalition of Brazilian and global allies. We are shining a spotlight on the true drivers of today's crisis – from political delinquency to market complicity – while also targeting those responsible through effective activism. One such actor is BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, which plays a pivotal role in financially enabling the industries behind the Amazon burning season.

Our Amazon Defender's Fund supports Indigenous sovereignty during the COVID-19 pandemic

August 26, 2020 – One Amazonian nation that has prioritized addressing collective needs in their community during the pandemic has been the Ese Eja. It is now a young nation with a clear political vision, solid organizing, and communal ties. With a direct grant from the ADF, the Ese Eja have equipped their health posts with oxygen concentrators in each of their communities, dug water wells, and strengthened river transportation between communities using small canoes. "Our communities now have oxygen concentrators and basic health equipment that even some larger centralized hospitals do not have," shared Cesar Augusto.

August 12, 2020 – "I wonder if the executives of banks in Europe know the real cost of their financing. How can they possibly sleep peacefully knowing their money leaves thousands of Indigenous peoples and communities without water, without food, and in devastating health conditions due to the pollution of the Coca and Napo rivers? It's time for the banks, companies, and consumers of the oil extracted in the Ecuadorian Amazon to acknowledge how their businesses affect our territories and way of life," said Marlon Vargas, President of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of the Ecuadorian Amazon.