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Could the ‘rights of nature’ save Yasuní and keep its oil in the ground? (commentary)

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With the past 10 years, the hottest on record, and four days in July the hottest ever recorded, the climate emergency is coming ever more into focus. Directly linked to the acceleration of species extinction and ecosystem collapse, the need to take bold steps to curb climate change, including reducing fossil fuel emissions, is clear. Ecuador took such a step last year when nearly 60% of people voted to stop oil drilling in the Ishpingo-Tambococha-Tiputini (ITT) oil field, a decision which would keep a billion barrels of oil in the ground. Located in Yasuní National Park in the Amazon, an ecosystem in severe crisis, the people of Ecuador fought for a decade to bring this to a popular vote. The Yasuní has one of the highest levels of biodiversity on earth. In 1979, Ecuador designated it as a national park, and in 1989, UNESCO designated it as a biosphere reserve. Indigenous groups live in the Yasuní, whose territorial rights are recognized by Ecuador’s Constitution. In addition, Yasuní is the home of the Tagaeri and Taromenane, Indigenous peoples living in voluntary isolation, whose rights are also recognized. Squirrel monkeys are one of the myriad creatures of Yasuní National Park. Photo credit: Rhett A. Butler / Mongabay Citizens had to petition Ecuador’s Constitutional Court in order to bring the Yasuní citizen-proposed initiative (consulta popular) to a vote. Following the vote, the court ordered suspension of oil drilling within one year. Nonetheless, drilling continues as government officials and oil corporations seek to put…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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