Oilwatch Celebrates Ecuador’s Vote Against Oil Extraction in Yasuni
By Ekemini Simon
Oilwatch International has celebrated the people of Ecuador for their stance against oil extraction in Yasuni.
On August 20, 2023, the people of Ecuador in a national referendum voted to halt all future oil drilling in a sensitive protected area known for its fragile rainforest ecosystem and isolated Indigenous communities in Yasuni.
In a statement by the Oilwatch Media/Communication Lead, Kome Odhomor, Wednesday, Oilwatch said the vote showed the triumph of a citizenry with the capacity to fight for their rights.
Oilwatch said voting to keep an estimated 1 billion barrels in the ground at Yasuni is a remarkable climate action worthy of emulation.
The organisation noted that in the face of opposition from vested interests, the stance by the people of Ecuador affirms restorative justice for the entirety of the wounded Amazon and its people even as it sent a strong signal that another world is possible.
Oilwatch described the development as a lesson in the meaning of democracy and participation that places care for life at the center of the struggle to overcome multiple crises.
The statement said Activists from around the world recognize that Ecuador is now a reference point for forging citizenship that looks to the future in a new and visionary way.
Quoting the chairman of Oilwatch International Steering Committee, Nnimmo Bassey, the statement stated that the victory of the people of Ecuador is one that should be shared largely across the globe.
The statement read “The vote on Yasuni is the real climate leadership the world sorely needs. After a long wait, we celebrate the victory of the people of Ecuador. This is a major step towards de-petrolizing the world and combating climate change and its ravages. This victory is a strong signal to polluters that their impunity must stop.”
Referencing the Coordinator of Oilwatch International Kentebe Ebiaridor while celebrating the outcome of the referendum, the statement stated that the vote is a huge victory not just for the indigenous people but for nature as well.
The statement added ” With efforts such as these, there is hope that the rights of nature can be respected and endangered species will gradually recover.”
The statement noted that Ebiaridor applauded the bravery of the Ecuadorians and urged other communities around the world to emulate the same gesture.
“Oilwatch agrees with the broad network of activists calling for an end to fossil fuels expansion that it is time for the fulfillment of the common but differentiated responsibilities of the polluting countries, the payment of the ecological debt from the North to the South, and the battle against false solutions to the climate crisis should see Yasuní as the territory from which genuine and just transition has signaled a start that cannot be postponed”, the statement added.