The trial here to assess Chevron’s alleged responsibility for oilfield pollution in the Ecuadorian Amazon reached a key juncture this month when a court-appointed investigator estimated the contamination’s health and environmental impacts at US$8.02 billion. Presented April 1 in Nueva Loja Superior Court—the Ecuadorian tribunal handling the case—the estimates drew renewed attention to the years-long David vs. Goliath trial pitting rainforest Indians and settlers against Chevron, one of the world’s largest oil companies. A ruling isn’t expected before next year, but analysts believe that when one comes, it could set a precedent for oilfield pollution litigation throughout Latin America. Guillaume Fontaine, research director of the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (Flacso), says the case already has highlighted oil industry... [Log in to read more]
