|
January 2011
Dear Friends,
Thank you for your support in making 2010 a banner year for Amazon Watch!
We are kicking off our 15th year of operation with a revamped website. We invite you to visit amazonwatch.org and send us your feedback as we continue to incorporate new content and special features.
2011 is off to an exciting start. This week in Ecuador, lawyers representing tens of thousands of people living amidst Chevron's oil legacy, have filed their first of three final arguments in a landmark legal battle after more than 17 years of litigation. The evidentiary phase of the trial against Chevron in Ecuador is now over. It will soon be up to the judge to issue a decision.
Unfortunately, in a heartbreaking turn of events, the Brazilian government has just given the green light for construction on the Belo Monte dam to begin. In the past two weeks, over 380,000 people have signed the global petition to stop this disastrous dam. Please join us in protesting this decision. Help us reach our goal of 500,000 signatures in the next couple days.
Amazon Watch is embarking on a bold plan to defend the Amazon and advance the rights of our indigenous partners. We have a lot of work ahead in 2011 and invite you to join us for our 15th year of critical campaigns for human rights and environmental justice in the rainforest.
For Future Generations,
Atossa Soltani
Executive Director
|
|
|
|
|
Two weeks after Brazil's top environmental regulator resigned in refusal to license the Belo Monte Dam Complex, the Brazilian government issued an illegal "partial" installation license allowing construction on the dam to begin despite the unwavering protests of civil society, condemnations by its Federal Public Prosecutor's Office (MPF) and global opposition. Please join 380,000 in signing and sharing the global petition. We'll be joining our allies in delivering the petitions in the coming weeks.
SIGN THE PETITION »
|
|
|
|
|
After more than 17 years of litigation, lawyers representing tens of thousands of Ecuadorians living amidst Chevron's widespread oil contamination have filed the first part of their final arguments in the case. The document details rigorous testing proving Chevron/Texaco's activities poisoned the environment, and subsequently, local residents. It also reveals how Chevron's own testing results of contaminated oil well sites, abandoned waste pits, and surrounding water and soil prove the plaintiffs' case for them.
LEARN MORE »
|
|
|
|
|
We're proud to announce that Corporate Campaigns Director Mitch Anderson's powerful photo essay is currently featured on Matador Change, an online magazine devoted to travel and adventure. This is the first in a series of photo stories documenting the cultural and environmental destruction in the northeast region of Ecuador caused by Chevron. People who came to the region hoping for a brighter future in the wake of the discovery of oil encountered unsafe working conditions and exposure to toxic chemicals and continue to live in the midst of a polluted environment that has caused an epidemic of oil-related illness throughout their communities.
VIEW PHOTOS »
|
|
|
|
|
Amazon Watch welcomed the Obama administration's announcement that the US will support the UN Indigenous Rights Declaration. In making the announcement during the White House Tribal Nations Conference in December, US Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice said, "The Declaration is a milestone in the international community's efforts to identify and address the needs of indigenous peoples around the world, to protect their ways of life and to help their communities to flourish."
LEARN MORE »
|
|
|
|
|
Spaces are filling up fast for our guided trip to Ecuador March 11-19. This trip is likely to change your life. See lush tropical rainforests, visit indigeous communities, learn about the impact of industrial expansion in the Amazon and efforts to permanently protect critical rainforest ecosystems – home to 60 percent of the Earth's plant and animal species. An epic battle for justice and rainforest protection is underway; see it with your own eyes. To register, or for further details and a sample itinerary, please contact Jenny O'Connor at jenny@amazonwatch.org or call 415-487-9600.
LEARN MORE »
|
|
|
