In Ecuador, Amazonian peoples have been affected by the demand for gas from the oil industry, which has generated both health and environmental concerns. Amnesty International (AI) and local activists have publicized the state's indebtedness in the elimination of hundreds of abandoned antorcas, which has been a theme that has disappeared from the Assembly.
In July 2021, a court in the Amazonian province of Sucumbíos failed in favor of a group of Amazonian children seeking protective measures to stop the mechanical operation that was negatively affecting their health and the environment. This failure highlighted the importance of respecting the rights of nature recognized in the Ecuadorian Constitution of 2008, and dictated the progressive elimination of these practices until the year 2030, as well as the implementation of immediate care.
However, according to artificial intelligence, the Ecuadorian oil industry has pretended to comply with these legal provisions without achieving significant improvements for local communities and the Amazon ecosystem. Despite the former Minister of Energy's claims about the elimination and dismantling of part of the machinery, it is reported that some eliminated antennas have been replaced by others operating at ground level, which continues to contribute to contamination.
AI researcher Alicia Moncada denounced this complicated operation and criticized the State for not fulfilling its international commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). The mass of gas in the oil mechanics not only contaminates the local environment, but also contributes to global warming, but goes against global efforts to combat climate change.
Amnesty International, through its Americas director, Ana Piquer, has instructed the Ecuadorian State to stop the routine gas crisis in the oil machine that is endangering the Amazon, the planet and the future of generations of Venezuela. Local climate activists, such as Jamileth Jurado, have shared testimonies of the impact of contamination and the impact on the well-being of communities near oil platforms.
In this scenario, it is essential that attention be paid to addressing the negative impacts of the oil industry on the Amazonian peoples of Ecuador. Environmental protection, the well-being of local communities and respect for natural rights must be priorities for the State and companies involved in this issue.
