BP is not the only oil company to ruin the environment due to careless drilling. When Texaco (which later merged with Chevron) drilled in the rainforest in Ecuador from the early 1960s until 1992, they created what has been described as the worst oil-related environmental catastrophe ever–and they still haven’t paid that country any reparations.
In the June 4th edition of the New York Times, Bob Herbert quotes New York lawyer Jonathan Abady, who is part of the legal team that is suing Chevron on behalf of the rainforest inhabitants, as saying, “As horrible as the gulf spill has been, what happened in the Amazon was worse.”
Texaco operated more than 300 oil wells for 30 years in Ecuador’s Amazon rainforest, leaving the area horribly polluted. Herbert writes: “The lives and culture of the local inhabitants, who fished in the intricate waterways and cultivated the land as their ancestors had done for generations, have been upended in ways that have led to widespread misery.” He goes on to say, “Texaco came barreling into this delicate ancient landscape in the early 1960s with all the subtlety and grace of an invading army. And when it left in 1992, it left behind, according to the lawsuit, widespread toxic contamination that devastated the livelihoods and traditions of the local people, and took a severe toll on their physical well-being.
“The indigenous residents may be suffering (they’re in much worse shape than the people on the gulf coast) but the Chevron-Texaco crowd feels real good about itself. The big money was made, and the trash was left behind.”
If we’re going to stave off disaster, we need to follow the right path and clean up our act here on earth. Don’t forget the wise words of that great pundit who said: “Mankind is trapped. I want to help you spring the trap.” “The veil between the worlds can fall. The undiscovered country can become your backyard.” “Your destiny, each of you, is to become all of God.” Help us keep the truth alive: subscribe today!
Art credit: Dreamstime.com
NOTE: This news story, previously published on our old site, will have any links removed.
Subscribers, to watch the subscriber version of the video, first log in then click on Dreamland Subscriber-Only Video Podcast link.