Ecuador
This landmark case was first filed in 1993. The lawsuit alleged that from 1964 to 1992, Texaco (acquired by Chevron in 2001) operated in the Ecuadorian Amazon, dumping more than 16 billion gallons of toxic waste and affecting approximately 30,000 people, including indigenous communities. It was one of the first rulings in Ecuador's history in which affected communities took on an oil company and won a court judgment.
In 2011, after 18 years of legal battles, the Provincial Court of Sucumbíos ruled in favor of Indigenous communities and other Amazonian inhabitants, ordering Chevron to pay $9.5 billion for environmental damages. Although the ruling marked a milestone in the history of climate justice in Ecuador, Chevron has not complied with the payment and has initiated legal action in various jurisdictions to challenge the judgment.
Chevron was found guilty for what is considered one of the worst oil-related environmental disasters in the country's history.
However, the waste remains there to this day, continuously poisoning waterways and the drinking and bathing water of everyone who lives there, and Chevron has never paid a single cent for the cleanup in the face of a growing global movement demanding justice for Ecuador.
The legal process was resolved before the Provincial Court of Sucumbíos and the National Court of Justice of Ecuador, resulting in a judgment of compensation for environmental damages; before the International Court of Arbitration in The Hague and recently in Courts of the United States and Canada, international legal actions are being implemented for compliance with the judgment and arbitration proceedings are underway to determine financial responsibilities.
Chevron has used its vast oil influence to pressure Ecuador to ignore the verdict of its own court.
Contrary to Chevron's lies, this international arbitration process is not a judicial system but a mechanism that allows corporations to sue and pressure governments. For this reason, the Union of People Affected by Chevron-Texaco (UDAPT) recently appealed to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to request that its efforts to seek justice from Chevron be protected from undue interference by the Ecuadorian government.
In 2018, an arbitration tribunal in The Hague ruled in favor of Chevron, stating that Ecuador had denied the company justice. The amount Ecuador will have to pay Chevron, estimated at up to $2 billion, is expected to be determined in 2025.
Implementation
Despite the 2011 Ecuadorian ruling, Chevron has avoided payment through international litigation. In 2017, Ecuador filed an amicus curiae brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of the plaintiffs, arguing that previous decisions failed to consider principles of international comity.
In 2024, 13 years since the original ruling were commemorated, highlighting Chevron's persistent evasion and lack of remediation in the affected areas.
The pollution caused by Texaco has had a devastating impact on Amazonian ecosystems, contributing to deforestation and affecting biodiversity. Furthermore, the release of pollutants has exacerbated health problems in local communities and contributed to climate change due to environmental degradation.
Today, the affected communities are demanding the cleanup of their ecosystems, healthcare, and clean drinking water. This company destroyed the Amazon, polluted the people, went to trial, and was found guilty, but it still hasn't cleaned up or paid compensation. Furthermore, they are asking the government to defend them and ensure that Chevron is not above the law, neither in Ecuador nor anywhere else where the company operates.
- Union of Texaco Affected (UDAPT)
- Cofan, Zion, Redwood, Kichwa and Waorani indigenous communities
- Peasant communities of Sucumbíos and Orellana
- Chevron Corporation
- Texaco Petroleum Company
The affected region covers more than 450,000 hectares in the provinces of Sucumbíos and Orellana, an area of high biodiversity and home to numerous Indigenous communities. The pollution has affected rivers and soils and has jeopardized the health and livelihoods of local residents.
International agreements/treaties
- Paris Agreement
- ILO Convention 169 concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples: Right to prior consultation and protection of ancestral territories.
- Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Right to life and health.
National Laws
- Constitution of Ecuador: Rights of nature and the right to a healthy environment.
Beginning
- Principle of prevention
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