Amnesty International has called on Ecuador to uphold its international obligations and stop the flaring of natural gas in the Amazon, according to a report released on 12 August.
Ana Piquer, Director for the Americas at Amnesty International, urged the Ecuadorian government to become a “standard-bearer for climate and environmental justice.” She specifically called for an end to the routine practice of burning off natural gas, known as “flaring,” during oil extraction.
Ecuador, whose economy heavily relies on oil, is among the world’s top 30 nations in terms of gas flaring, according to the World Bank.
Amnesty’s investigation reveals that at least 52 flares are located within five kilometres of inhabited areas, posing potential risks to local communities and the environment.
Flaring contributes to global warming and the emission of super pollutants like methane. Ecuador, like Venezuela, Brazil, and Argentina, continues to flare gas in ecologically and socially vulnerable areas, particularly within the Amazon, Amnesty says.
The ‘wealth’ generated by oil has never benefited the Ecuadorian Amazon; instead, it has become a sacrificial zone on the altar of oil, Piquer notes.
Action led by nine young Amazonian climate activists in 2021 resulted in Ecuadorian courts ordering the state to progressively eliminate flaring, based on the local population’s right to reside in a healthy environment.
The Ecuadorian state and its relevant energy institutions have thus far only implemented measures to support oil production at any cost, neglecting to take proactive and ambitious steps towards the elimination of flares, Amnesty stated in its report.
The NGO also pointed out that the South American state has failed to meet its international commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
