A YEAR OF OIL RESISTANCE
An Interview with FoE Ecuador's Esperanza Martinez
Elisa Melsher, an intern at the FoEI Secretariat, interviewed Esperanza Martinez during
the November Oilwatch meeting in Amsterdam. The international headquarters of Oilwatch, a
global network of activist groups campaigning against the oil industry, is based in the
Acción Ecológica/FoE Ecuador office in Quito.
How does Oilwatch fight oil corporations?
Corporations are very well prepared. They have a lot of anthropologists, biologists,
and other experts who can make convincing arguments to support their projects. The
strategy of Oilwatch, as a network, is to work directly with local people. If we play a
very strong role at the local level, by enhancing information flows, exchanging
experiences, providing arguments including legal strategies, and preparing the way for
confronting corporations, we can create a unique way of sustaining the struggle. But it is
also very important for us to work at the national level. If you work with a lot of actors
- including the media - you can create an overall environment of resistance.
What was the most important resistance activity this year?
In Ecuador, I think it was a declaration made by indigenous peoples which forbids oil
activities on their lands. Another great success was the decision of the Cofan to shut
down a Texaco oil well in their territory. The government is studying their proposal to
close down the well, and is currently preparing the various necessary technical studies.
Meanwhile, Acción Ecológica is providing technical and ecological arguments to support
the case and organizing workshops to help advise the local people.
And in other countries, what activities from the past year stand out?
The U'wa case is a very important one (see page 6). At the moment, the U'wa are at the
head of the environmental movement because they are putting new arguments on the table.
This gives hope to other people resisting the oil industry. The struggle of the Misquitos
in Nicaragua is also important. They have organized themselves to resist oil concessions
in their area, and are demanding that their autonomy be respected. They are working at the
local level, providing people with information about the environmental impacts of oil
activities.
What, specifically, does Oilwatch do to support the efforts of local groups?
It is important that local people have access to general information: which actors are
involved, where the concessions are located, and when the work will begin. That is the
first step. Then, in our view, it is important to know what problems will be caused, and
this is what Oilwatch contributes. We provide information and videos, and organize
exchanges so that experiences can be shared - for instance, we might invite someone from
the Misquitos to Guatemala in order to analyze the problems there and raise awareness
about the environmental impacts. We also organize support for the case at the regional and
national levels. It is sometimes possible to use legal tools, like injunctions, but this
varies from country to country. There is not just one way to resist.
What are the biggest challenges you face in coming years?
All of the existing problems are critical, so it really depends on which country you
look at. But I think that the privatization process is our biggest challenge. The upcoming
World Trade Organization meeting in Seattle, for example, is very bad news for us as it
will likely accelerate the process of privatization and investment by transnational
corporations. This means the intensification of oil exploration and production, and fewer
controls at the national level. Pollution will obviously increase. Governments succumb to
investment pressures so they can repay their debts, and agree to devastating structural
adjustment programmes and the reduction of social services. Furthermore, corporations are
coming up with strategies like codes of conduct, and these are very difficult to confront,
particularly in those countries where oil activities are just beginning.
