Ecuador seeks oil ‘compensation’ and my oil consumption

Issue:

The Yasuni National Park in Ecuador, in the country’s Amazon rainforest, and in a designated UN biosphere reserve, has an estimated one billion barrels of oil beneath it! Now the Ecuadorian government is discussing the process and profits of retrieving the reserves. Environmental groups and a professor of the Andrean University in Quito have proposed a prevention plan, a promise not to exploit the reserves for foreign donations worth $350m. Because Ecuador has already done some drilling in close proximity to the protected reserves Robert Hofstede for the World Conservation Union has said, “ Ecuador is asking for money to stop doing something they should have never done in the first place.”

Ecuador has signed the Kyoto Protocol so if the proposal were successful, instead of trading in greenhouse gases this would be a way of fighting global warming by not producing them in the first place. Although, there are many skeptics of the plan, for there is no guarantee that the $350m will protect the National Park indefinitely. In addition, many including those from the environmental group, doubt they will collect the full $350m. This will then excuse the exploitation of the reserves because the president will have no other “option” but to drill. If Ecuador does permit drilling there is fear that the past will repeat itself and foreign companies will profit at the detriment of the indigenous people and Ecuador’s own energy industry. For the sake of the biodiversity of the region, global warming, and the people of Ecuador, I hope the UN or enough opposition to the drilling prevent the destruction of the park. I agree with Paolo Cacciari, an Italian member of parliament, “We have an ecological debt to pay back, and this suggestion by Ecuador (to leave the region alone) is an intelligent solution. It’s the responsibility of all of us to look after these reserves.”

Ecuador seeks oil ‘compensation’ by Daniel Gordon
BBC News article: <https://webmail.nau.edu/redirect?http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7000345.stm.>

Deed:

This week I wanted to discuss an environmental good "deed" that I want to and need to participate in. First let me be completely honest...I own (figuratively speaking) and drive a car. I know, I know, disgusting. When I'm driving through town to arrive at campus, I say to myself, "Self look at you. You are the only one in this car. And look in your rearview mirror, and in front of you. There is only one person in each of those cars but you all are going to the same place!" I don't live that far from campus, it's Flagstaff no townies really live that far from any destination in town. So the solution is obvious! I need to buy a bike, and a helmet, and shoulder pads, and life insurance so my dog will be set for life when something happens to me. If I seem a bit hesitant to get on a bike, I am. Number one I don't ride a bike with much grace; I haven't had that much experience. I'm also worried about other drivers. I have heard the disdain for bikers’ vocalized by many motorists. They joke of "taking a biker out." Since I don't maneuver well on a bike, I don't feel comfortable or prepared to ride aggressively or defensively. Cars are big, bikes are small. But my plan is to get over this fear and start putting money aside to purchase a bike. (Remember, I'm still paying for that car.) Then I will ride that bike in place of my vehicle around town and to school. I acknowledge that my vehicle not only consumes nonrenewable resources but also pollutes the environment. I need to reduce my dependence on my car and join the biking race. A little bit of a pun there, for fun there.