Recently, Chevron, one of the most environmentally destructive organizations on the planet has accused an Ecuadorian judge of corruption in a case involving them and the vast amount of pollution they have brought forth to make profits in the Amazon. This also includes the enormous damage they have brought about to Indigenous populations.
The suit is based on the billions of gallons of toxic waste that Chevron has dumped while extracting resources from the Ecuadorian rainforest to make their billions of dollars in profits. So Chevron has been ordered to pay 27 billion in damages, a drop in the bucket for the damages they have brought forth to this pristine ecosystem and the numerous people that rely on its bounty for survival.
What do they do? Pay for it? Of course not, they take a cue from what Exxon did with the Valdez spill, use the "wonderful" judicial system that is supposed to bring about justice, and say they have a video that shows the judge in the case taking a bribe to rule against them, among other things.
So a Chevron spokesperson calls for an investigation, and the judge of course says this is B.S., but what does this really do? It makes this case take a whole heck of a lot longer, thank you litigation.
The judge was supposed to issue a ruling before 2010. This original suit was brought 16 years ago!!!!
We have got to ask if this system works then...16 years...how does that bring about justice? All this really does is delay the case and show the international community the courts of law are flawed as well as show Indigenous people, the Earth, and the poor are all at the mercy of big powerful corporations like Exxon and Chevron. As a sentence was just about to be handed down, the corporation buys time for itself, and those most burdened are forced to bear more impacts.
Do something...follow this case, write to Chevron, don't buy their products, let's follow Berkley's lead (link below) and contemplate a judicial system that is so flawed that measures like this can impede progress towards justice, peace and sustainability when it's actually supposed to aid it.
No comments:
Post a Comment