Photo retrieved from: www.nytimes.com
“The push to exploit natural resources is having a huge impact on native Indian communities across Latin America.
All too often, they say, their interests and preserving their way of life end up coming second to energy companies and the pursuit of profits.
Serving as the most notorious example for indigenous groups is that of the oil giant, Chevron, which last year was fined an unprecedented $18bn.
The company was found guilty of heavily polluting large parts of Ecuador’s rainforest. But it is fighting the ruling in the international courts, and so far has not paid a single cent of the fine.
And it is not just oil. Mining is also a source of tension for Indian tribes around the region in countries like Bolivia, Peru and Colombia.
In Ecuador, the Kichwa people in the town of Sarayaku are fighting the government whom they accuse of granting drilling rights to an Argentine oil company without their consent.”
Read more: Aljazeera
Recent Comments