Sign the petition: Stop Big Oil's assault on the rainforest

Sign the petition to Ecuador's president: Save the Amazon from another Big Oil disaster!

"As concerned global citizens, we stand in solidarity with these indigenous nations and urge you to immediately stop plans for new oil drilling in Ecuador's rainforests!" Add your name:

Dear Friends,

Jaime Vargas, an Ecuadorian tribal leader, stood proudly in the howling wind and rain to send us this urgent plea: "Big Oil will stop at nothing to destroy our sacred rainforest home. But with your help we can save it!" ^[1]

Jaime and his Achuar people are guardians of a spectacular land teeming with one-of-a-kind plants and animals. But Ecuador's president, Rafael Correa, is racing to sell off the Achuar's rainforest home and the neighboring Yasuni National Park to greedy international oil companies.^[2]

The president is determined to put profit ahead of his own people -- even though they're still suffering from Chevron's decades-old oil disaster. ^[3]

More than 1 million people have stood up to save Ecuador's threatened rainforests ^[4] -- now it's time for the SierraRise community to join the fight. Let's stand with Jaime and all Ecuadorians and flood the president's inbox with 50,000 messages! 

Tell Ecuador's President Rafael Correa: The world is watching -- protect the irreplaceable Amazon and halt all plans for oil drilling!

Big Oil can't be trusted to operate safely in the rainforest. For three decades, Texaco, now part of Chevron, dumped 18 billion gallons of toxic oil waste into the beautiful Ecuadorian Amazon. ^[5]Thousands of people are still suffering a plague of deadly cancers and devastating birth defects. ^[6]

This land is not only crucial for wildlife, but also to the seven vibrant indigenous communities that call it home. Jaime says it best: "For us, the indigenous people, the rainforest is life. There we are in touch with everything."^[7]The Amazon can't afford another deadly oil disaster like Chevron's.

Last November, hundreds of everyday Ecuadorians protested the proposed oil drilling. President Correa and his government, feeling the pressure, shut down Pachamama, a local nonprofit fighting the oil drilling, stifling his people's free speech. ^[8] It's clear -- President Correa is feeling the heat. 

Anastasia, will you stand with Jaime and his tribe to save the Ecuadorian Amazon from another Big Oil catastrophe?

In it together, 

Ashley Allison 
SierraRise Senior Campaigner 

P.S. Five signatures are even more powerful than one -- after you take action, be sure to forward this alert to your friends, family, and colleagues! 

References: 

1. Sierra Club Staff (2014 March 20). "Amazon and Achuar Nation Threatened by Oil Drilling." YouTube.

2. BBC Staff (2013 August 16). "Ecuador approves Yasuni park oil drilling in Amazon rainforest." BBC. 

3. Zelman, Joanna (2011 January 24). "Chevron Accused Of 'World's Worst Oil-Related Disaster' In Ecuador: Alleged Evidence Submitted In Lawsuit." Huffington Post. 

4. Watts, Jonathan (2013 February 6). "Petition to halt oil exploration in Ecuadorean Amazon gets 1m signatures." The Guardian. 

5. CNN Wire Staff (2012 January 4). "Ecuador court upholds $8.6 billion ruling against Chevron." CNN.com. 

6. Hinton, Karen (2010 October 14). "Amazon Defense Coalition: Chevron's Ecuador Cancer Problem: 10,000 People at Risk of Contracting Disease in Coming Decades, Says Expert." Business Wire.

7. Staff (2013 February 5). "TSB Unites with Indigenous Leaders to Stop Ecuador’s Amazon Oil Auction." Earth First Newswire.

8. Pachamama Staff (2013 December 4). "Government of Ecuador Shuts Down Fundación Pachamama." The Pachamama Alliance. 

Photo: Caroline Bennett, Amazon Watch