Chernobyl in the Amazon

[Darren Hill]

The final judgment is imminent after a long legal battle between *oil 
giant Chevron and brave indigenous peoples* of the Ecuadorian Amazon, 
who are seeking redress for the multinational’s *dumping of billions of 
gallons of toxic waste in the rainforest.*



If Chevron is forced to pay billions in damages, it’ll be a big step 
forward in bringing the world’s polluters to account. Staring defeat in 
the face, the oil giant has launched an *aggressive last-ditch lobbying 
campaign to derail the lawsuit. *

But Chevron’s *newly-appointed CEO, John Watson, knows his corporation’s 
brand is under fire* and is growing anxious about the risks of a public 
shaming campaign -- so let’s turn up the heat! *Sign the petition* 
calling on Watson and Chevron to clean up their mess in Ecuador, and it 
will be delivered to them, their shareholders and the US media -- *click 
below to take action now:*

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/chevron_toxic_legacy_5/?vl 
<https://secure.avaaz.org/en/chevron_toxic_legacy_5/?cl=466919168&v=5331>

Over the years, civic action like this has helped to transform the 
policies of some of the world’s biggest corporations. But most *oil and 
gas multinationals spend hundreds of millions of dollars every year on 
lobbying and PR* to reshape climate and energy policies and deny their 
environmental and human rights duties -- and *Chevron is one of the 
biggest offenders*.

 >From 1964 to 1990, *Chevron-owned Texaco deliberately dumped billions 
of gallons of toxic waste* from their oil fields in Ecuador's Amazon -- 
then pulled out without properly cleaning up the pollution they caused. 
Facing imminent defeat in the courts, Chevron has turned to legal 
machinations, powerful public relations firms and lobbyists to 
intimidate its critics into silence and avoid responsibility for the 
massive environmental and human disaster it has triggered.

Chevron has repeatedly vowed to refuse to pay for a clean up even if 
ordered to by the court, saying “We will fight this until hell freezes 
over. And then we’ll fight it out on the ice.” Its latest strategy: 
*pushing the US government to bully Ecuador into burying the case*.

We cannot sit back and watch Chevron make a mockery of justice like this 
-- *let´s build a critical mass of support* and help the rainforest 
inhabitants win this round, in the court of public opinion and before 
the law. *Click here to sign the petition and help deliver a deafening 
message personally to Chevron´s new chief executive John Watson*:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/chevron_toxic_legacy_5/?vl 
<https://secure.avaaz.org/en/chevron_toxic_legacy_5/?cl=466919168&v=5331>

Citizens in Ecuador and around the world are joining efforts to *stand 
up to one of the biggest and dirtiest corporations in the world*. If we 
win, it’ll be another big step toward a future of corporate 
accountability, human rights and environmental protection. Let's add our 
voices and spread the word today!

With hope and determination,

Luis, Paula, Benjamin, Pascal, Paul, Alice, Ricken, Graziela and the 
whole Avaaz team

PS - This campaign is part of a larger effort by Amazon Watch, 
Rainforest Action Network and other environmental and human rights 
allies worldwide.

SOURCES:

ChevronToxico, the website of Amazon Watch's Clean Up Ecuador Campaign, 
includes new video of affected Ecuadorians urging Chevron´s CEO to clean 
up oil pollution:
http://chevrontoxico.com/

Wall Street Journal, "Chevron Plaintiffs Ask U.S. Court for Action":
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704363504575003153443151606.html

Politico, "Chevron's lobbying campaign backfires":
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1109/29560.html

The Huffington Post, "Chevron and cultural genocide in Ecuador",
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kerry-kennedy/chevron-and-cultural-geno_b_346257.html

Los Angeles Times, "Oil, Ecuador and its people":
http://articles.latimes.com/2009/aug/28/opinion/ed-chevron28 
<http://articles.latimes.com/2009/aug/28/opinion/ed-chevron28>

"CRUDE. The Real Price of Oil"", Joe Berlinger´s award-winning 
documentary film that chronicles the epic battle to hold oil giant 
Chevron accountable for its systematic contamination of the Ecuadorian - 
official website:
http://www.crudethemovie.com/ <http://www.crudethemovie.com/>

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