On August 20, 2023, the popular consultation to stop oil extraction in the Yasuní National Park won. Fifty-nine percent of the Ecuadorian population, or five million people, voted to end the oil model in the Amazon. This victory made an impression on the rest of the world.
On August 20, 2024, there will be celebrations, meetings and public debates between Ecuadorians and international environmentalists, with the participation of the peoples of the Amazon. This will be the day to celebrate the will of the people to stop the oil activities, one year after the consultation.
This is just the beginning of a process that can serve as an example to the world. The consultation proposed not only the closure of the 225 wells in one of the most biodiverse places in the world, but also their dismantling and, in a third phase, the repair of the damage. A long healing process. The knowledge gained there will be needed in many places in the future, as the fight against climate change will require it.
Esperanza Martínez is a member of Acción Ecológica, one of the most recognized environmental organizations in Ecuador, and she was a protagonist in the long struggle that culminated in the victory of the referendum.
In this interview with the Andean Region Office of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, based in Quito, she explains how Ecuador can now be a leader because of the experience it is gaining by intervening and acting in an area that has been sacrificed by the extractivism.
In addition, we suggest two readings from our series Analysis and Debate on the Yasuní Popular Consultation:
