Amazon Watch

We're hiring 🎉 Join our team to protect the Amazon rainforest and our climate in partnership with Indigenous peoples and the climate justice movement. 👉️ Amazon Watch is seeking a Media Relations Manager with three years of experience in journalism, public relations, online campaigning, or a related communications field. 👉️ Amazon Watch is seeking a Staff Accountant who will be responsible for the preparation and execution of many of our day-to-day accounting. Learn more about the positions or share with a friend who may be interested.

Last week at the 20th Free Land Camp, a major annual Indigenous mobilization, "The Alliance Against Ferrograo" met with Brazil's Minister of Environment, Marina Silva, & the presidents of two main Brazilian institutes responsible for environmental protection. As a member of the Alliance, Amazon Watch joined representatives voicing the dangers of building a 933 km railway for soy and corn export in the middle of the Amazon. In the meeting, Minister Marina Silva assured her commitment to defending the right for Free, Prior, and Informed Consultation & Consent of Indigenous peoples and other traditional communities for this & any other project. Rodrigo Agostinho, President of The Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, assured inspection operations will increase in the Tapajos and Xingu River region, where Indigenous leaders reported several violations connected to mining and soy production & export. This meeting was one of the many advocacy agendas of the Indigenous movement in Brasilia, together with national and international allies. Over 9,000 Indigenous peoples participated in the Free Land Camp, celebrating their culture, raising their voices, and fighting for their rights.

Congratulations to the 2024 @Goldman Environmental Prize winners! Discover the stories of seven grassroots environmental leaders who prove that ordinary people can have an extraordinary impact on the planet. 🏆🌎 #GoldmanPrize

BREAKING NEWS - Complaint by Ecuadorian Indigenous Nation Asks British Columbia Securities Commission to Investigate Solaris Resources Indigenous organizations unite against controversial Amazon copper mining project From: PSHA, Amazon Watch, MiningWatch Canada, WITNESS, and Lluvia Comunicación Today, the Shuar Arutam People (PSHA) filed a complaint against Solaris Resources Inc. (TSX: SLS) before the British Columbia Securities Commission over its failure to continuously disclose material information to shareholders regarding its Warintza mining project, which overlaps PSHA’s titled territory.

News is circulating giving the FALSE impression that the Ecuadorian's victory over gross polluter @Chevron was somehow overturned. The truth is this nothing more than a scheme for Chevron to try to escape justice using the ISDS system. The article "Chevron vs. Ecuador: International Arbitration and Corporate Impunity" sheds light on the problematic nature of arbitration panels concerning human rights and democracy. Here are five reasons this system violated human rights and democracy: 1. **Lack of Transparency**: Arbitration panels often operate behind closed doors, lacking transparency in their proceedings. This secrecy can prevent affected communities and the public from understanding the decision-making process and holding corporations accountable for human rights abuses. 2. **Bias Towards Corporations**: Arbitration panels are frequently criticized for favoring the interests of corporations over those of affected communities. The article suggests that these panels may be biased towards powerful corporate entities, undermining the principles of fairness and justice. 3. **Limited Access to Justice**: Arbitration panels often require significant financial resources to participate, which can create barriers for affected communities seeking justice. This limited access to justice disproportionately affects marginalized groups and reinforces existing power imbalances. 4. **Undermining National Sovereignty**: The article points out that arbitration panels can undermine the sovereignty of nations by allowing corporations to challenge and potentially overturn domestic laws and regulations aimed at protecting human rights and the environment. This erosion of national sovereignty raises concerns about democratic decision-making and accountability. 5. **Lack of Enforcement Mechanisms**: Even when arbitration panels rule in favor of affected communities, there may be a lack of effective enforcement mechanisms to ensure that corporations comply with their obligations. This lack of enforcement can perpetuate a culture of corporate impunity, where companies are not held accountable for their actions.

The government in Ecuador is considering ways to avoid closing the 43-ITT oil block, located inside Yasuní National Park in the eastern Amazon, despite the results of a national referendum last year to halt drilling. “The entire system of the rule of law is at risk if the people’s will isn’t fulfilled,” said Pedro Bermeo, a spokesperson for YASunidos, an anti-extractives group that organized the referendum. “This is fundamental to a functioning democracy.” Over 5 million people voted to close the oil block last year, which was producing around 57,000 barrels per day across 12 oil platforms and 230 wells, according to PetroEcuador, the state-owned oil company. This MUST be stopped. https://buff.ly/3SYFL7L

“Today is a bittersweet day for us. Our historic legal victory is not enough if we don’t get the justice we urgently need and deserve,” said Donald Moncayo, President of UDAPT. “Chevron is a climate justice criminal, on the run from the law, and has to be held to account. Time is running out. We need a clean-up, health care, and clean water. This company destroyed the Amazon, polluted the people, went to trial, was found guilty, still hasn’t cleaned up or paid up. We need our government to stand up for us. And we need the world to stand with us, to make sure Chevron is not above the law – in Ecuador, or anywhere where this company operates.” https://lnkd.in/gXmw8FpB

Belo Sun Mining Seeks to Criminalize Amazon Defenders The Canadian gold mining company’s criminal lawsuit attempts to silence and intimidate defenders of the Volta Grande do Xingú, including community leaders, Amazon Watch, and other environmental and human rights activists. The company’s efforts to silence its critics is the same version of the SLAPP suit strategy used by corporations in the U.S. and Europe, with even more chilling consequences in Brazil. Amazon Watch is no stranger to being targeted in this way, which is why we are a part of the Protect the Protest Task Force to stand together with allies fighting back against legal bullying. Of course, these tactics only serve to strengthen our resolve and that of our allies. Learn more:

Amazon Watch is hiring! Amazon Watch is a dynamic nonprofit organization working to protect and defend the Amazon rainforest and our climate in partnership and solidarity with Indigenous peoples and the climate justice movement. We are seeking a passionate professional to serve as our Communications Manager. The communications team is responsible for media relations, publications, digital storytelling, advertising, marketing, and messaging for the organization and its campaigns. #Hiring #Jobs #ClimateJustice #Communications #MediaRelations #Jobs4Justice #IndigenousRights #AmazonRainforest #HumanRightsJobs

How a surge in organized crime threatens the Amazon The global community needs to break the web of transnational crime networks and corruption threatening one of the world’s largest carbon sinks.