Finally – for the first time ever a large multi-national corporation is being held accountable for terrible environmental practices in a developing country. The long legal battle between Ecuadorians and Chevron corporation has ended with the court ordering Chevron to pay $8.64 Billion.
The more that I learn about the Oil Sands in Northern Alberta Canada, the more I realize how stupid it is to extract this oil… While the appeal of its exploitation is obvious and easy, it is time that we make some smarter and tougher decisions. We need to make more responsible choices for our planet and future generations. We need to invest in renewable and clean energy sources, and not subsidize this pool of the dirtiest oil on the planet.
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As the outlook of the historic lawsuit in Ecuador gets grimmer and grimmer for Chevron, they seem to be resorting to more immature and ‘childish’ means of retaliation… calling names and throwing temper tantrums. According to the most recent press releasefrom the Amazon Defense Coalition, lead lawyer for Chevron, Adolfo Callejas insulted the Ecuadorian plaintiffs’ lawyers, Pablo Fajardo and Julio Prieto. He repeatedly called them “gallinas” – which translates to “hens” in English, a bad insult in Ecuadorian culture. He also likened their legal arguments to the cackling sounds of hens. Prieto also reported that he was seemingly threatened by another Chevron lawyer, Alberto Racines, who stated he wanted to settle their differences in a rumble after the court hearing.
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It comes as no surprise that Chevron’s actions in Ecuador, would once again be illegal if they were done in the US. It didn’t stop Texaco (now owned by Chevron) from dumping toxic waste into the jungle and tributaries of the Amazon river, allegedly 18 billion gallons of it, which was against the law in the US at the time. It also didn’t stop Chevron’s spokesman, James Craig from placing large advertisements in El Comercio, a leading Ecuadorian newspaper. The ads called the trial court a “fraud” and attacked the judge, court appointed scientific experts, and lawyers for the plaintiffs. The same actions, to place ads intended to sway the outcome of a court case or intimidate court personnel, is illegal in the US. But since when did Chevron Texaco worry about following the laws of their home country while operating overseas? Ask the Ecuadorians, or perhaps the Nigerians and they’ll have an answer pretty quickly. To read the Amazon Defense Coalition press release on this matter, please click here.
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Some friends who have viewed my website have asked me what my obsession is with Ecuador and this case with Chevron. There are so many examples of corporate irresponsibility (unfortunately) around the world, and so many interesting ways to try to help corporations become more responsible and ethical. Why this case?
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They say a picture is worth a 1000 words. This striking photo by Josh Schachter is worth a lot more than that!
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This is a call to action…
Over and over again around the world, corporations have had free reign to do what they want socially and environmentally. In their quest to increase their profits for shareholders, at all costs, corporations have known no limits, no bounds and all too often escape justice with nominal fines or so called slaps on the wrist. The world is their oyster, supplying the raw materials to exploit, the cheap labor overseas to use, and the high paying consumers in western countries who are driven by advertisers into a never ending circle of consumptionism and consumerism. What does all this add up to? It’s a recipe for disaster… environmental ruin, human rights abuses and a general public that is never satisfied or happy because they have been trained by the corporations to always want more, faster and cheaper.
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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!
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Chevron Texaco, earned record profits last year, an astounding $23.93 Billion Dollars. Not bad for a year of economic turmoil and recession. As Americans and people around the world struggled to keep their homes and make ends meet, Chevron was rolling in the cash. It rode the wave of sky high oil prices during the summer. Please click here to view Chevron’s earnings report for the fourth quarter of ’08 and the entire year. We all know that Oil corporations are for-profit entities, but it seems that while the rest of the world seems to be crashing and burning, their ongoing gouging seems excessive to me.
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Chevron Texaco is pulling out all the stops to try to shirk their responsibility in the Oil Disasters of the Amazon rainforest in Ecuador. To learn more about the environmental devastation, the terrible health effects and the destruction of the Indigenous way of life in the area, please visit www.ChevronToxico.com.
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