OIL AND MINING EXTRACTION IN ECUADOR, ITS EFFECTS AND ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS JORGE ANDRÉS ESPINOSA ESTRELLA ECUADOR SPONSOR: ONE YOUNG WORLD

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1 OIL AND MINING EXTRACTION IN ECUADOR, ITS EFFECTS AND ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS JORGE ANDRÉS ESPINOSA ESTRELLA ECUADOR SPONSOR: ONE YOUNG WORLD WORD COUNT: 1638 WORDS 1

2 SYNOPSIS Ecuador communities, NGO s and indigenous leaders have fought for decades to avoid oil extraction, there are many alarming data about health, such as 150% more frequency abortions than the city of Quito, 130% more risk of Cancer and others, now the government plan is to exploit more oil and start eight big mining projects, but this letter talks about the economic and social danger of these projects, as well the alternatives for exploiting natural resources, such as tourism, agriculture and manufacturing. 2

3 Dear Economist Rafael Correa Delgado President of the Ecuador Republic; In these four years, that your government has pursued the SUMAK KAWSAY (Good Living), it has achieved many triumphs, victories in sovereignty, constitution rights and education, but we cannot truly call ourselves a SUMAK KAWSAY society while polluting our waters, our lands, ignoring our wonderful constitution, destroying ancestral cultures and chasing indigenous leaders in the name of development. My intention with this letter is to represent all the communities, leaders, scientists and organizations that had spoken about the terrible effects that the petroleum extraction has brought to us in the last 50 years of exploitation, and convince, my community, my people and my government; of the awful effects that mining will carry to the Ecuadorian territory, therefore explain alternative ways to accomplish the real SUMAK KAWSAY. As you well know, the land that you represent its wealthy, not in money, but in its cultural heritage and life forms, it is the most bio diverse country in the world per square meter 1, it is among the seven countries with most quantity of fresh water 2, 35% of all hummingbirds live in Ecuadorian land 3 and we have 12 amazing ancestral indigenous nationalities, the Cofán, Awa, Chichi, Embera, Zápara, Siona, Secoya, Kichwa, Shuar, Achuar, Tsáchila and Huaorani, 4 and two still not contacted ones, the Tagaeri and Taromenane. Inside our borders, the wonderful Yasuní Rain forest grows, it holds 44% of all Amazonian birds, 40% of all Amazonian mammals, there is species of insects per hectares, one single tree embraces up to 94 species of ants, there are 10 kinds of monkeys, 1130 types of trees, more than Canada and the US together, 165 species of mammals, and the list goes on. 5 6 Our precious 2008 constitution is the first one in the entire world to acknowledge mother Nature s rights 7, and recognizes the ancestral nationalities right to decide on their land, waters and education as well, sadly, mister President, these wonderful privileges, only stay in words, while our forests are being destroyed and our magical cultures are being damaged. The article 407 prohibits 1 nido inagotable biodiversidad_0_ html indgenas en el ecuador.html 5 yasuni/143 yasuni.html

4 any extractive activity inside protected areas, such as the Yasuní park, there can be only granted a permission throughout a national voting; the Article 71 declares the rights of Mother Earth to be protected in its evolving cycles, it s very existence and maintenance. 8 In the case of our ancestral nationalities, the 57 th article, point 1, 4, 6 and 7 of the 2008 constitution, clearly says that their culture, identity, social organization will be kept; their community lands cannot be taken away by any means and its of their possession; they are the only ones that can legally determine the future of their lands and of their natural resources; and are allowed to vote either to permit or reject an exploitation project. 9 Besides these wonderful articles there are international agreements like the 2007 UN declaration about the indigenous rights and so on 10. Economist Correa, when you gain the executive power, we already had 50 years of oil exploitation, that aren t expressed in wealth, but only in contamination and destruction. The Chevron Texaco case is the biggest evidence of how petroleum destroyed our jungles; it left us more than 900 contaminated pools since that contaminated the streams and eventually the Amazon River. In terms of health 12, the Amazonian communities have 150% more frequent abortions than the city of Quito, 130% more risk of Cancer, 94% of the population living near an oil well loses their animals and by the year 1999, 80% of the Huaroani working in petroleum wells contracted hepatitis B and C; in the province of Orellana, 86% of the water is contaminated and 80% of its people is sick, prostitution has grown, as well alcoholism and gender abuse 13. Illiteracy affects the indigenous groups in a 20, 4%; 59, 4 % of Ecuadorians are still living in poverty, 7% are unemployed, and one million citizens have gone to find a better life 14. In the case of mining, one of its greatest myths is their economic compensation, the new Ecuadorian mining law, says that 95% of the wealth obtained by this activity will be for the pdf pdf para nosotros crudo para ellos/ 13 San Sebastián, Miguel informe Vana Curi: Impacto de la actividad petrolera en la salud de poblaciones rurales de la Amazonía Ecuatoriana. Edil. Icaria. Barcelona, España. También está corroborado por el caso Texaco secundarias/ m una marcha revolucionariaversus una contramarcha contrarevolucionaria 4

5 company (which aren t Ecuadorians), 5% for the state, of that 60% will go to local powers such as town halls; these percentages are nothing for a community in need of health and education. 15 In Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala, the manufacturing industry generates 11, 50 and 80 more times, respectively, in economic terms, than mining. In Peru, mining only occupies 1,5% of the economically active population, agriculture occupies 32,7% and services 26%. In North America, mining only contributes 1,8% of its annual GDP 16. Health is greatly damaged, in Peru; the Oroya mine has left a city filled with lead in peoples blood, in 2002, in China, several accidents took away 7000 lives from mine workers and in 2009 more than 2000 died in the charcoal mines. 17 Several studies have revealed that in Zambia, that 75% of their exports are copper, 18% of their workers have contracted AIDS 18. In Peru, 50% of all social conflicts are due to mining. 19 Regardless of this data, your government, President Correa, has 8 huge mining plans such as Kimsacocha, Shyris, Rio Blanco, Silver, El Mozo, Cochapata, Pedernales and Taday, which hectares are inside national protected parks, such as Cajas and Yacury, and up to this year (2012) you have penalized 189 people for resisting mining, defending water and nature 20 that 2012 International Amnesty s recognize What does the people wants? And what to we believe is the best way to reach the SUMAK KAWSAY? First of all, it is in my believe that the communities, indigenous leaders and NGO s reject mining and observe that it isn t the best investment for our future, before your government starts the eight biggest projects, you should consult the communities that live in those territories, making effect our constitution. Investment in Education should increase, because in 2009 Chile invested 4,5% of its GDP in education, Brazil 6%, Cuba 13% and Ecuador 3,60% 23. Our commerce, 15 Carlos Pérez Guartambel, kimsacocha:, agua u oro, Carlos Pérez Guartambel, kimsacocha:, agua u oro, Minera Shougang Corporation of Beijing en San Juan de Marcona, Perú 18 (Smart, 2004) 19 Carlos Pérez Guartambel, kimsacocha:, agua u oro, Informe presentado por ACCION ECOLOGICA, CEDHU e INREDH, Amnesty International. (2012). Informe 2012 Amnistía Internacional, "El estado de los derechos humanos en el mundo". (E. A. Internacional, Trad.) Londres, Reino Unido: Peter Benenson House. Pag Amnesty International. (2012). Informe 2012 Amnistía Internacional, "El estado de los derechos humanos en el mundo". (E. A. Internacional, Trad.) Londres, Reino Unido: Peter Benenson House. Pag inversion educativa aumenta pero no es suficiente.html 5

6 agriculture and manufacturing industries are being left aside because of the oil and mining incentives, by the end of 2012, our trade deals with the EU will expire, loosing around $2 529 million dollars, and more than 250 thousand direct jobs. Increase the investment in innovation, Ecuador is one of the lowest innovation countries in Latin America, from 141 countries; Ecuador is in the 98 th place behind Uruguay, Peru, Argentina, Colombia, and Chile 24. reorganize the communities legislations, like Botswana did in the 70 s to allow community people be heard in their national assemblies 25, that way there won t be any massacres to stop mining, and our constitutional rights will be used, not dismissed as already explained. Our culture, biodiversity, could be used as a way to develop, many communities have created tourism in their lands, like the Cofans and now they have health and education for all of them. 26 Sarayaku, has stopped oil exploitation for years now and have the best health and education conditions of their area, versus other communities that have accepted petroleum; Sarayaku now has solar panels in their communities, and plan to use it on their canoes, they have a great amount of tourism and other communities in the jungle are planning to do so as well. After analyzing all the data given to you, mining should never start in our land, and your government should accept the decisions from little communities, instead, you should incentive, agriculture, tourism, and manufacturing. In the case of oil, first we should evade expanding the oil limits, we should avoid using the oil money in direct government budget, instead we could put them away in off shore accounts, like the Norway government, they separated oil money from their direct budget and now produce 20 more times than Ecuador, 27 Costa Rica, a country without mining, oil or even military forces are in the 3 rd place in the HDI, while Ecuador is in the place 21 st. The ITT block, shouldn t be exploited, instead we should wait until collect all $3 500 million dollars, and use that proposal to exchange our international debt for keeping the rainforest. The state should force the companies to provide what they have promised and from now on should interfere with any kind of relations between companies and society to avoid fraud, and lies Latinoamerica Informe Indice Innovacion Global PIB_0_ html 25 (solway, 2002) anclados petroleo_0_ html 6

7 Last, I Want to recall the great words that Dolores Cacuango and Tránsito amaguaña said in the 80 s; Makanakuitaka shakishumi, Ñukanchik inti tayta chiriyaipi Ñukanchik yaku mama chakishpi Ñukanchik allpa mama wañushpi Ñukanchik urkukuna chikarishpi Chaymi kay makanakuitaka shakishun We will only stop fighting When our sun gets cold When our rivers dry up When our land dies When our mountains disappear Yours Sincerely. Only then, we will stop fighting. Jorge Andrés Espinosa Volunteer Amazonía por la Vida. 7

8 BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. nido inagotablebiodiversidad_0_ html indgenas en el ecuador.html 5. yasuni/143 yasuni.html pdf para nosotros crudo para ellos/ 11. San Sebastián, Miguel informe Vana Curi: Impacto de la actividad petrolera en la salud de poblaciones rurales de la Amazonía Ecuatoriana. Edil. Icaria. Barcelona, España. También está corroborado por el caso Texaco secundarias/ m una marcharevolucionaria versus una contramarcha contrarevolucionaria 13. Carlos Pérez Guartambel, kimsacocha:, agua u oro, Minera Shougang Corporation of Beijing en San Juan de Marcona, Perú (Smart, 2004) 15. Informe presentado por ACCION ECOLOGICA, CEDHU e INREDH, Amnesty International. (2012). Informe 2012 Amnistía Internacional, "El estado de los derechos humanos en el mundo". (E. A. Internacional, Trad.) Londres, Reino Unido: Peter Benenson House. Pag inversion educativa aumenta pero no essuficiente.html Latinoamerica Informe Indice Innovacion Global PIB_0_ html anclados petroleo_0_ html 8