Ecuador – Leading Environmental Responsibility
Ecuador, and the people of Ecuador are on the cutting edge of environmental protection and responsibility.
First off, villagers in Ecuador, may be the first plaintiffs in the world to hold a large American multi-national corporation accountable for the environmental damage they have caused overseas. And it might cost Chevron up to $27 Billion. So it’s significant!
The Ecuadorian people have also recently ratified the world’s first constitution that guarantees inalienable rights to nature. This is REVOLUTIONARY. This changes the status of nature under Ecuadorean law as mere ‘property’ to an entity with its own rights. The following is a quote from the constitution:
“Nature or Pachamama [the Andean earth goddess], where life is reproduced and exists, has the right to exist, persist, maintain and regenerate its vital cycles, structure, functions and its processes in evolution. Every person, people, community or nationality, will be able to demand the recognition of rights for nature before the public bodies.”
Isn’t it amazing that it takes a country like Ecuador to pass a constitution that guarantees rights for nature? Something that industrialized or ‘developed’ countries haven’t even come close to doing… Of course that’s because it may cause too much difficulty for our governments and corporations and their bottom line.
Isn’t it also amazing that Chevron, one of the largest Oil companies in the US and the world, may be brought to its knees to the tune of 27 Billion Dollars? Hopefully, Chevron and all large corporations will think twice before not living up to international standards and being responsible environmental corporate citizens.
Of course, it’s too late to completely undo the environmental damage that was done by Chevron Texaco in Ecuador, however, the new ‘green’ constitution may just help prevent it from happening again.
