Amnesty International warns: Gas flares in the Amazon region threaten human rights in Ecuador – JURIST

An Amnesty International report released on Monday shows that gas flaring in the Amazon poses an imminent threat to human rights. The report focuses on the Ecuadorian government’s failure to address the problem and stop activities such as flaring that harm the environment, and the need to protect affected communities.

The report, entitled “The Amazon is burning, the future is burning!”, describes the struggle of nine young Ecuadorian environmental activists to defend human rights with the support of the Union of Those Affected by Texaco’s Oil Business (UDAPT) or “Unión de Afectados por las Operaciones Petroleras de Texaco”. The UDAPT and the activists obtained an injunction against government institutions for authorizing gas flares in Sucumbíos and Orellana, two Amazon provinces threatened by the oil industry.

In a 2021 ruling, the Provincial Court of Sucumbíos found that the Ecuadorian government had ignored the plaintiffs’ right to “live in a healthy and ecologically balanced environment,” violated the right to health, and failed to comply with international commitments to mitigate climate change. The court ordered the government to provide reparations to affected communities and to “eliminate gas flares gradually and in stages, giving priority to the removal of those near populated areas.”

However, Amnesty noted in its report that the Ecuadorian government has not complied with the court’s ruling. Amnesty stressed that the government’s actions violate the rights of activists and Amazon communities to “adequate, effective and prompt redress.” The organization stresses that gas flares not only threaten the quality of life of these communities and deprive them of the right to a clean and healthy environment, but also that they create social inequality by carrying out harmful activities close to populations. It added that Ecuador is failing to meet its international commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

In July 2024, the young activists called for an international movement to end oil exploration and gas flaring in the Amazon and around the world, to protect their communities and their rights, and to achieve climate justice. They called on people around the world to sign a manifesto to urge the Ecuadorian government to comply with the court ruling.

Ana Piquer, Americas Director at Amnesty International, stressed that the Ecuadorian Amazon is essentially a “big oil sacrifice zone” because the region has never benefited from “oil wealth.” She calls on the Ecuadorian authorities:

Act decisively and without delay to urgently implement the ruling in the gas flare case brought by the nine girls and young women plaintiffs and UDAPT. Compliance with this ruling is an act of climate, environmental and racial justice. The Ecuadorian state must put an end to the routine burning of gas in flares, a practice that today endangers the Amazon, the world and the future of the children who will inherit this planet.

Gas flaring is an activity practiced in oil production. It involves burning natural gas, which contributes to the emission of pollutants such as methane or soot, thus accelerating global warming. During the COP26 climate summit in 2021, the European Union and the United States launched the Global Methane Pledge, an initiative to reduce methane emissions. 158 countries joined the pledge, including Ecuador.