Communities in the northern Ecuadorian Amazon continue to suffer from the harmful impacts of gas flaring associated with oil extraction. Gas flares release toxic emissions, generate constant noise, produce overpowering odours, and burn continuously, contributing significantly to greenhouse gas emissions and the global climate crisis. Local residents report respiratory illnesses, skin conditions, and environmental degradation linked to decades of oil activity in the region.
The youth collective Guerreras por la Amazonía (Warriors for the Amazon), composed of activists aged 10 to 20, has emerged as a leading voice against gas flaring. Working alongside the Unión de Afectados y Afectadas por las Operaciones Petroleras de Texaco (UDAPT) and the Eliminen los Mecheros, Enciendan la Vida campaign, they refer to the flares as “monstruos de fuego” (“fire monsters”). In 2020, supported by UDAPT, they filed a lawsuit against the Ecuadorian state demanding the elimination of routine gas flaring.
In January 2021, an Ecuadorian court issued a landmark ruling ordering the government to progressively eliminate gas flaring in the Amazon and to respect the rights to health and a healthy environment. The decision was widely recognised as a major environmental and human rights victory.
However, despite the ruling, gas flares reportedly continue to operate in several oil fields. Moreover, members of the youth collective have faced threats, stigmatisation, and intimidation. Human rights organisations have expressed concern that instead of ensuring protection, authorities have allegedly conditioned security measures on the activists ceasing their advocacy. Such actions undermine Ecuador’s constitutional protections and its obligations under international human rights law, including the protection of environmental human rights defenders.
As the Rights Defenders Initiative (RDI), we call on the Government of Ecuador to fully implement the 2021 court ruling by eliminating routine gas flaring without delay; to conduct independent investigations into threats and intimidation against the Guerreras por la Amazonía and associated organisations; to provide unconditional and effective protection to the young defenders; and to uphold the rights to health, a safe environment, freedom of expression, and peaceful activism in accordance with national and international human rights standards.
References
- https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-55856219
- https://www.globaljustice.org.uk/blog/2023/07/ecuadorian-activists-are-fighting-to-protect-their-rainforest-they-need-our-solidarity/
- https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/1/27/ecuador-court-rules-against-gas-flaring-in-amazon
- https://www.amnesty.org/en/petition/join-the-fight-to-protect-the-amazon/
