Working to Save the Amazon and Its Communities

Environmental Justice Speaker Series presents "Working to Save the Amazon and Its Communities"

Over the past few decades, Ecuador's indigenous communities have fought and defended their rights to their lands, both physically at war and in the courts.

Learn about the devastating effects that extracting oil in the Amazon has had on the environment and the people living there. Hear updates on the landmark case against Chevron and what is now happening to many indigenous people as they continue to fight for their rights to their land against the government of Ecuador.

Featuring a conversation via Skype with Pablo Farjado, the famous attorney who fought against Chevron and won. Hear updates on what is now happening since Chevron has refused to pay the $9 billion they were ordered to pay Ecuador for allowing toxic waste to contaminate their land.

Panelists:
Professor Flora Lu- Environmental Studies Department, UC Santa Cruz. "A Crude Crossroads: Oil Development, Indigenous Peoples, and the Future of the World's Most Biodiverse Rainforest."

Flora focuses on indigenous communities in Ecuador and their connection to the Amazon, studying both land use and cultural resistance.

Nestor Silva- PhD Student Anthropology Department, Stanford University. "Neoextractivism in Ecuador: The Old as the New." Nestor researches the political ecology of oil exploitation in Ecuador and Colombia and the effects of the communities surrounding extraction sites.

Moderated by Michelle Cordova- President of San Jose Peace & Justice Center, Writer for La Oferta Newspaper and a citizen of Ecuador

Sponsored by San Jose Peace and Justice Center
Co-sponsored by Environmental Studies Department at UC Santa Cruz