Ecuador and Oil
In 1972 the first oil pipeline was installed in Ecuador by SOTE ,Sistema del Oleoducto Transnacional-Ecuadoriano, which is a 300 mile long pipeline system (Widener, 2007). After oil production started Ecuador's economy started to increase. In 2013 63% of Ecuador's crude oil was exported to the U.S. followed by Chile and Peru (U.S Energy, 2015). Revenues from exports and trading helped create the economic boom seen form oil production alone. The construction of infrastructure (roads, bridges schools,) was made possible by the money made from oil production as well as increased health care centers and well paid jobs. In 1992, 79% of the countries energy was coming from oil followed by hydroelectricity which only contributed 17% (U.S Energy, 2015). Most of the oil is coming from the Amazon Basin which is an area with an abundance of oil but not as much oil as Venezuela or Brazil. There is not only one side to having an abundance of oil beneath their soils. There has been many conflicts over the procedures of extraction and where the oil is being taken form and produced. Soon pipelines will begin to fail which has already started to be seen in many areas throughout the Amazon Rainforest. Pipes are not meant to last forever and unless they are replaced properly or rid of entirely accidents and spills will continue to occur.
Chevron and the Amazon
Texaco, an oil production company, went into and was allowed by Ecuador to extract oil form the Amazon Basin in north east Ecuador. The proper procedure for extracting the oil according to the The True Story of Chevron's Ecuador Disaster video is for a well is first drilled followed by the creation of a pit that will hold the crude oil once it is extracted. this pit is then lined with industrial tarp to ensure no seepage of the oil into the surrounding areas. Once the crude oil is separated from the waste water, the "produced water" is injected back into the ground where the crude oil was taken from. After the site has fulfilled its purpose, the sludge is disposed of and the pit is refilled and returned to its natural state. This apparently did not happen when Texaco was taking oil from Ecuador. Pits were not lined properly if at all and they were never filled or emptied which has allowed the ground water to become contaminated because of seepage. Their alternative methods of disposal were to install overflow pipes that would allow toxic, polluted water (18 billion gallons) to drain into pristine natural water of the Amazon. These natural water systems are what the indigenous people of the Amazon which rely on for their survival and everyday needs. The indigenous tribes include the Cofán, Siona, Secoya, Kichwa, and Huaorani. The natives bathe, clean and drink the water which is now contaminated. This has caused many issues health wise and has lead to a lawsuit between the indigenous people and Chevron in 1993 (Kimberling, 2006). In 2006 Chevron bought Texaco and that is why their company is being sued. Chevron did start filling in and remediating some of the oil pits but only a minuet fraction of them (161 our of 916) and while it makes a small difference it has no big impact on the long run. Because of the affects on the indigenous people, they have been forced off their lands because they have become uninhabitable and no longer provide for them they easy they historically had. This is extremely frustrated to me because it comes across to the rest of the world that an American owned companies holds no respect for the damage part of their company has done. They are not accepting the blame for what happened prior to their acquisition of Texaco when all signs point to them holding the blame. What is even more bizarre is knowing that this would never happen in the United States. The standard procedures used in the United States were not the ones used in Ecuador. Just because they were not in their own country extracting oil does not mean that they can cut corners and use sub-standard procedures to extract resource they want. The latest ruling in this lawsuit is that Chevron owes $9 billion dollars to the indigenous people which has been significantly cut from the original $19 billion (Texaco/Chevron, n.d). This ruling is still being fought by Chevron, they are trying to weasel their way out of having to owe money to people they think don't matter when in reality every life matters even the wildlife and the environment that they are continuing to impact by not fulling cleaning up their mess.
Oil: Impacts on Health and the Environment
Oil is a natural occurring substance all over the world. Low levels in an environment are okay but when the levels get so large that the environment is contaminated, the land becomes ill-equipped and cannot support life. This is what is currently happening in the Amazon Rainforest of Ecuador. The indigenous people are becoming affected by the oil contamination from sub-standard oil extraction procedures done by Texaco, now Chevron. Many indigenous people have affected with increased mortality rates, increased cases of cancer including stomach, mouth, and uterine cancer, as well as rashes form the water, birth defects and increased rates of miscarriages (Amazon Watch, n.d). Studies have shown that women living in close proximity to an oil field are two and a half times more likely to experience miscarriages than those living further away as well as increased headaches, itchy throat, red eyes and tiredness (San Sebastian, 2004). The longer you are exposed to an oil contaminated site the more likely you are to develop symptoms of cancer and other ailments. Not only is the runoff and seepage into groundwater of the produced water impacting the lives of humans, it is impacting the environment and all living things that rely on fresh water. Wherever the oil pits were dug they have remained. This has created oil fields and has increasingly impacted the wildlife that rely on the rivers and streams running through the Amazon. The oil industry in general has impacted the biota of the rainforest significantly. Having an oil company requires roads, open space and fuel to run the machines. To create the open space needed for the wells and equipment, the companies had to chop down trees essentially causing deforestation in some section of the Amazon. Putting roads through the Amazon fragments the forest and isolates animals from resources they once used. They destroyed animals homes and are still destroying lives of the rainforest even after they are gone. Oil is contaminating areas where animals live and their population. In rivers where the soil is present fish populations have declined which humans and wildlife alike rely on to eat. When inhaled or consumed it can cause respiratory problems, ulcers, organ damage, reproductive failures, maldigestion, anemia, and immune suppression (Nomack, 2010). As I mentioned before it is sad to see people not caring about their impact on others. Helping the environment is something that should be important to everyone. The Amazon Rainforest is home to so many species and needs to be helped and protected and fixing up the oil fields needs to be the first step towards change.
Works Cited:
Amazon Watch - Chevron's Chernobyl in the Amazon. (n.d.). Retrieved December 19, 2015, from http://amazonwatch.org/work/chevron
Kimerling, J. (2006). INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND THE OIL FRONTIER IN AMAZONIA: THE CASE OF ECUADOR, CHEVRONTEXACO, AND
AGUINDA V. TEXACO*. 13(23), 414-474.
Nomack, M. (2010, December 7). Effects of oil on wildlife and habitat. Retrieved December 19, 2015, from
http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/158446/
San Sebastián, M., & Karin Hurtig, A. (2004). Oil Exploitation In The Amazon Basin Of Ecuador: A Public Health Emergency. Revista
Panamericana De Salud Publica, 15(3), 205-211
Texaco/Chevron lawsuits (re Ecuador) | Business & Human Rights Resource Centre. (n.d.). Retrieved December 19, 2015, from
http://business-humanrights.org/en/texacochevron-lawsuits-re-ecuador
U.S. Energy Information Administration - EIA - Independent Statistics and Analysis. (2015, March 1). Retrieved December 19, 2015, from
https://www.eia.gov/beta/international/analysis.cfm?iso=ECU
Widener, P. (2007). Oil Conflict In Ecuador: A Photographic Essay. Organization & Environment, 20(1), 84-105. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
Amazon Watch - Chevron's Chernobyl in the Amazon. (n.d.). Retrieved December 19, 2015, from http://amazonwatch.org/work/chevron
Kimerling, J. (2006). INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND THE OIL FRONTIER IN AMAZONIA: THE CASE OF ECUADOR, CHEVRONTEXACO, AND
AGUINDA V. TEXACO*. 13(23), 414-474.
Nomack, M. (2010, December 7). Effects of oil on wildlife and habitat. Retrieved December 19, 2015, from
http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/158446/
San Sebastián, M., & Karin Hurtig, A. (2004). Oil Exploitation In The Amazon Basin Of Ecuador: A Public Health Emergency. Revista
Panamericana De Salud Publica, 15(3), 205-211
Texaco/Chevron lawsuits (re Ecuador) | Business & Human Rights Resource Centre. (n.d.). Retrieved December 19, 2015, from
http://business-humanrights.org/en/texacochevron-lawsuits-re-ecuador
U.S. Energy Information Administration - EIA - Independent Statistics and Analysis. (2015, March 1). Retrieved December 19, 2015, from
https://www.eia.gov/beta/international/analysis.cfm?iso=ECU
Widener, P. (2007). Oil Conflict In Ecuador: A Photographic Essay. Organization & Environment, 20(1), 84-105. Retrieved December 19, 2015.