Climate Alliance embraces 8 billion USD charge against Chevron

It has taken over seventeen years: on 14 February 2011 the highest court in the Ecuadorian province of Sucumbíos has ruled that Chevron (formerly Texaco) is to pay over 8 billion USD in punitive damages for the massive environmental destruction it has caused in 26 years of oil production in the region.

The Climate Alliance embraces the decision of the court. “This is a historic ruling which will have effects far beyond Ecuador. It will encourage those who are facing the devastations of oil production in other parts of the world”, says Thomas Brose, Climate Alliance director, who is familiar with the local situation in Ecuador. Climate Alliance has been informing the public for many years about the destruction and contamination due to oil production in Amazonia. In 2005 and 2009, it has organised official visits with municipal delegates from several European countries to the region. “Knowing the disastrous situation on site in former oil production areas, we endorse the proposal of the Ecuadorian government to leave the oil in the Yasuní national park where it is”, says Dietmar Mirkes, national coordinator of the Luxemburg branch of Climate Alliance.

Climate Alliance Luxemburg / ASTM and its member municipalities support the “Frente de Defensa de la Amazonía” with activities concerning environmental and human rights. In 1994, 30.000 residents of the oil production areas sued Texaco for damages and the rehabilitation of the area to its former status. They founded the “Coalition for the Defence of Amazonia” in order to pursue the law suit and keep the public informed. In October 2010, its president visited Europe and informed European representatives about the situation in Ecuador. For the Coalition, the court ruling represents “a fundamental milestone towards definite remedial action, but no money in the world can bring those who have died of cancer back to life.”

Chevron, formerly Texaco, produced oil in rainforest areas during the 1970s and 1980s, causing an unprecedented ecological disaster due to ruthless production methods. Chevron left over 600 non-isolated oil lakes with toxic residues and “disposed of” over 64 million litres of oil and 76 billion litres of production water by simply discharging them untreated into rivers and lakes. Carcinogenic substances ended up in the ground, water and nutrition circles of human and animal populations.

In addition to the 8 billion USD fine, Chevron must pay another ten percent to the State of Ecuador, as is ruled in Ecuadorian environmental law, and must publicly apologise to the Ecuadorian people, otherwise the fine might be doubled. Chevron calls the judgement “illegitimate” and has announced to appeal: “Chevron does not believe that today’s judgement is enforceable in any court that observes the rule of law.”

Photos and further information:
Silke Lunnebach, Tel. +49-69-717139-32, s.lunnebach@climatealliance.org
Dietmar Mirkes, Tel. +352-40042730, klima@astm.lu
http://www.indigene.de/68.html?&L=0

Background information:
http://www.texacotoxico.org

The “Climate Alliance of European Cities with Indigenous Rainforest Peoples” is Europe’s largest city network dedicated to climate protection. Since 1990, more than 1,500 cities and municipalities have joined and made the commitment to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 10 percent every five years. Climate Alliance’s European Secretariat helps its members by providing methods and tools to efficiently implement local climate change policies and to evaluate the achievements in terms of CO2 emission reductions. It also promotes the exchange of experiences and lobbies for improved framework conditions at national, European and international levels. Climate Alliance cooperates with indigenous peoples for the conservation of the tropical rainforests. Partner is COICA, the coordination of the nine national indigenous organisations in the Amazon basin.

Climate Alliance / Klima-Bündnis / Alianza del Clima e.V.
European Secretariat
Galvanistr. 28, D-60486 Frankfurt am Main
Tel. +49-69-717139-0, Fax +49-69-717139-93
europe@climatealliance.org
http://www.climatealliance.org

This release was published on openPR.