CRUDE

I have been posting a lot about the case of the people of Ecuador vs. Chevron. The reason that I became interested in this issue is because I watched the documentary CRUDE.  While I recognize that the documentary is biased against Chevron, the video does make it clear that there is a problem in Ecuador and that innocent people are suffering because of it. Additionally, the pollution is harming the Amazon Rainforest. If you are interested in this topic, I suggest watching the documentary. I am providing a link to the official trailer for CRUDE on youtube.com:

CRUDE--Official Trailer

What Chevron has to say

In the spirit of being fair, I am also providing a link to the Chevron website that provides their side of the story.  This case occurs mostly in a grey area because it is precedent setting, and because there are many other players involved. Some things to consider: 1. Chevron never actually opperated in Ecuador and did not cause the pollution there. The original polluter was Texaco (a company that was bought out by Chevron after Texaco had already left Ecuador. Which begs the question, does buying out a company mean that you inherit their liability?). 2. Texaco did not always work in Ecuador, but its subsidiary, TexPet (which stands for the combination of Texaco and PetroEcuador--the Ecuadorian oil company for the Ecuadorian government).  This litigation pins all of the pollution on Chevron when it is clear that there were other parties participating.

Anyways, it is interesting to consider both sides of the story, so here is the link to Chevron's explanation:
Ecuador Lawsuit

Litigation for Chevron

Ecuadorians Plan to Pursue Chevron in Other Countries
So the Ecuador vs. Chevron Battle continues to be in the news and I am avidly following this case. This article talks about how the ruling of the Ecuadorian judge demanding Chevron pay $9 Billion may stem more lawsuits.  Originally, one of the reasons that Chevron refused to settle out of court was that it feared that by settling they could face additional lawsuits of a similar nature. This litigation is interesting because it is precident setting, and it opens the door to other countries pursuing legal action against oil giants. We will have to wait and see how this issue plays out.

Victory to the environment... almost

Chevron Ordered to Pay $9 Billion

So for the past 17 years, the people of Ecuador have been in litigation with Chevron over pollution that began back in the 1970s.  This pollution was mostly orchestrated by Texaco (which was later bought out by Chevron), and has been linked to high concentrations of various cancers, high rates of miscarriages and birth defects, among other illnesses. The lawyers of Chevron have been able to successfully drag out this case for 17 years, but it looks like victory for Ecuador may be in sight (although, appeals will slow down this process).  It will be interesting to see if Chevron will end up having to pay for the damaging effects of the oil pollution in the Ecuadorian Amazon.

What can you get out of helping the environment?

Well, lot's of things. But some people have become internationally recognized for helping the environment. An example is Wangari Maathai.

http://www.greenbeltmovement.org/c.php?id=9

Wangari Maathai received the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize. Why? Because she participated in the Green Belt Movement in Kenya, which was responsible for planting 30 million trees. Her story is inspirational because she received an international honor for something as simple as planting trees. 

What can you do to help the environment?

Well there are many things that can be done. But here is one pretty simple thing everyone can do.  There is a website:
www.thehungersite.com

At this website there are 6 tabs along the top, each representing a page: Hunger, Breast Cancer, Child Health, Literacy, Rainforest, and Animal Rescue. On each page there is a box, if you click on the box a donation is made.  On the Rainforest page, if you click the box you help protect 11.4 square feet of rainforest for wildlife.

It is an easy way to save a small chunk of rainforest everyday (your click only counts once a day). But I also encourage you to check out the other tabs, because each page is supporting a good cause!

Introduction

My name is Vicky and my blog, tree cuddler will focus on nature, the environment, sustainability, being green, or anything around or in between these topics! Feel free to follow this blog and post comments if you are interested in the environment or if you are a fellow cuddler of trees, sniffer of flowers, or are just someone who appreciates nature.