Source: CoolEarth
The devastating impact of oil drilling in the world's rainforests has been highlighted by one columnist.
Writing for the New York Times, Bob Herbert said what has happened to rainforests in Ecuador is "heartbreaking" but noted that as yet, the eco disaster here has not drawn as much focus as other environmental catastrophes.He said that due to the oil operations of Texaco in the rainforest, much of the area has been "horribly polluted".
"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," Mr Herbert commented.
A group of indigenous Ecuadorians are currently fighting the oil firm in court over the impact it alleges its operations have had on the rainforest habitat around them. A similar case is also being fought against Chevron, which is accused of polluting the Amazon.