Dear friends,
Last week we heard the tremendous news -- the European Commission recommended banning three deadly bee poisons, and EU lawmakers told us our massive 2.2+ million petition played a major role! It's a huge tipping point in the battle to stop the chemical armageddon for bees, and while the pesticide companies could still try to block it before the final vote, our 19+ million strong global community is standing by and we'll keep pushing toward a win.
Meanwhile the Avaaz community is rallying for an oil showdown in the Amazon -- read below or click here, and help us win our next campaign!
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 Ecuador’s Kichwa people have asked for our help to stop the government turning their forest home into an oil field. A global media scandal and a massive call challenging President Correa to act on his environmental principles could persuade him to pull back and stop the Amazon oil rush. Sign the petition now:  |
There is one area of the Ecuadorian Amazon that is so pristine that the whole ecosystem has been preserved and even jaguars roam free! But the government is now threatening to go in and drill for oil.
The local indigenous people have been resisting, but they are afraid that oil companies will break up the community with bribes. When they heard that people across the world might stand with them and make a stink to save their land, they were thrilled. The president of Ecuador claims to stand for indigenous rights and the environment, but he has just come up with a new plan to bring oil speculators in to 4 million hectares of jungle. If we can say 'wait a minute, you're supposed to be the green president who says no one can buy Ecuador', we could expose him for turning his back on his commitments just as he is fighting for re-election.
The president doesn't want a PR nightmare right now, and we've already built a call of a million strong to stand with this community defending their ancestral land.But with national elections in Ecuador next week, every voice counts. Sign the petition now and tell everyone -- let's help save this beautiful forest:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/oil_
After Texaco and other oil companies polluted Ecuadorian waters and irreversibly devastated precious ecosystems, Correa led his country to be the world’s first nation to recognize the rights of “Mother Earth” in its constitution. He announced Ecuador was not for sale, and in Yasuni National Park promoted an innovative initiative where other governments pay Ecuador to keep oil in the ground to protect the rainforest rather than destroy it. But now he’s on the verge of selling out.
Shockingly, the Kichwa land is partly in Yasuni National Park. But even more shocking is Correa's bigger plan -- days ago he sent government officials on a world tour to offer foreign investors the right to drill across 4 million hectares of forest (an area larger than the Netherlands!) Ecuador, as any country, may argue it has the right to profit from its natural resources, but the constitution itself says it must respect indigenous rights and its amazing forests, which bring millions in tourist dollars every year.
Right now, Correa is in a tough fight to win a second term as president. It’s the perfect time to make him honour his environmental promises and make this green constitution come to life. Sign now to stand with the Kichwa people and save their forest:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/oil_
Our community has fought year after year to protect the Amazon in Brazil and Bolivia, and won many victories standing in solidarity with indigenous communities. Now it’s Ecuador’s turn -- let’s respond to this urgent call for action and save their forest.
With hope and determination,
Alex, Pedro, Alice, Laura, Marie, Ricken, Taylor, Morgan and all the Avaaz team
More Information:
Ecuadorian tribe gets reprieve from oil intrusion (The Guardian)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/
Ecuador adopts rights of nature in constitution (Rights of Nature)
http://therightsofnature.org/
How oil extraction impacts the rainforest (Amazon Watch)
http://amazonwatch.org/news/
Drilling for oil in Eden: initiative to save Amazon rainforest in Ecuador is uncertain (Scientific American)
http://blogs.
Ecuador’s indigenous leaders oppose new oil exploration plans in Amazon region (Earth Island Journal)
http://www.earthisland.org/
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