Indigenous communities have been organising to protect Yasuní for over a decade, building a broad coalition with youth activists, environmental organisations and others to deliver this momentous result.
While this is an incredible day, their fight isn’t over yet. As global allies, we must be ready to stand in solidarity to ensure this democratic vote is implemented. There will soon be a new Ecuadorian government, and it is vital that they do not overturn the people’s vote to protect Yasuní.
We also have to keep putting pressure on governments in rich countries like the UK, and tell them climate reparations are key to achieving climate justice.
In 2007, the Ecuadorian government put a call out to the international community, asking rich countries to compensate Ecuador for the climate-positive action of leaving oil in the ground in Yasuní.
If governments in the global north had contributed to this fund, Yasuní would have already been protected. The world could have taken a major step towards a just transition away from fossil fuels 15 years ago. Investments in the fund would have been investments in all of our futures.
All countries need to urgently move away from fossil fuels. But some, like the UK and European countries, have spent over a century profiting from them. The global transition away from fossil fuels must not impoverish countries in the global south who have done the least to cause the climate crisis.
Rich governments can access the funds needed to make sure this doesn’t happen. If countries like the UK make polluters pay, they could use some of that money to stop countries relying on climate-wrecking oil production to grow their economies.
On Sunday, Ecuadorians voted to make their country a global trailblazer for climate justice. They told their government loud and clear: keep oil in the soil.
The Ecuadorian government had tried to block this referendum from even happening, but campaigners refused to give up. From the North Sea to East Africa, those fighting fossil fuels around the world can take hope from this inspiring example of people power.
Thank you.
Izzie McIntosh
Campaigner at Global Justice Now
|
