Eye on the Amazon

September 16, 2021 – During his first 100 days in office, Ecuador’s new president, Guillermo Lasso, made it clear that his government’s economic policy will be based on extractivism. According to the new administration, natural resources, such as oil, gas and minerals, found in Ecuadorian subsoil are "essential," given the economic situation he inherited due to poor management by his predecessors, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the related oil price collapse. Extractivism has yet to become the golden egg Ecuador’s past presidents expected. Lasso’s plan to double down on it as Ecuador’s only option for economic recovery is a dangerous gambit, considering its dependence on commodities is a major reason for its current economic crisis. It was not that long ago that oil was valued at negative $37 a barrel.

September 14, 2021 – The Amazon has already lost 17 percent of its forest cover and an additional 17 percent of its rainforests have been degraded. If deforestation increases and surpasses the 20-25 percent threshold, this vital ecosystem will reach an irreversible tipping point of ecological collapse. The Amazon rainforest, as we've known it, could dive into the process of "savannafication.' In response to this emergency in the Amazon and a call from Indigenous peoples to show solidarity, Amazon Watch hosted a Global Week of Action for the Amazon from September 5-11, in collaboration with the Coordinating Body of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin, the Global Amazon Assembly, the Pan-Amazon Social Forum, and many more coalition members from around the world.

September 2, 2021 – Last week, six thousand Indigenous people of 176 distinct ethnicities from all regions of Brazil set up camp in the heart of Brazil's capital to insist that their existence and voices be recognized and respected by the government. They traveled for days on packed buses, some under the threat of ambushes, to be united for the "Struggle for Life" camp, the country's largest Indigenous mobilization in the last 30 years, to demand Brazil's Supreme Court reject the so-called "marco temporal" clause. If upheld, this deceptive legal theory would invalidate the land claims of Indigenous groups who did not physically occupy their territories when the new constitution was signed in 1988. Amazon Watch took part in this powerful historic moment in the struggle of Indigenous peoples in Brazil.

August 31, 2021 – We are living in a world on fire. Over the past year, over 1,000 major fires have ravaged the Amazon rainforest, destroying millions of acres. At the same time, the North American west has seen its most destructive wildfire season in recorded history. Unlike the fires across North America and Europe, major fires in the Amazon are typically set deliberately to clear areas that have been deforested, often as a result of land grabs of Indigenous territories to benefit the agribusiness, mining, and fossil fuel industries. The resulting carbon emissions from forest destruction and fossil fuel extraction contribute to climate change, exacerbating the hot and dry conditions that feed increasingly severe wildfires in North America and across the rest of the world. In short, the destruction of the Amazon and violation of the land rights of its Indigenous peoples drives a vicious cycle of global climate chaos.

The mobilization reunites members of 120 nations to fight against the erasure of Indigenous history and sovereignty in Brazil

August 24, 2021 – This week, Indigenous peoples from across Brazil are assembling in Brasília for a national demonstration they have named the Struggle for Life Camp. This is the second national Indigenous gathering taking place in the capital of Brazil this year. As they did this past June, Indigenous groups from the five regions of the country will set up camp in the heart of Brasília, in the center of the capital's federal ministry complex, to insist that their existence and voice be recognized and respected by federal authorities and institutions.

August 17, 2021 – In solidarity with Indigenous peoples and allies from around the world, we're launching a Global Week of Action for the Amazon from September 5 - 11 via the NooWorld app. NooWorld is a social platform made by activists, for activists to build worldwide solidarity for climate justice. By joining us, you'll gain a community of people who are also learning about different threats to the Amazon and our climate. You bring your voice and solidarity, and we'll bring you opportunities to join in on collective action from the Amazon to the San Francisco Bay Area to anywhere online.