A tale of two frogs, six mining companies and much, much more
Carlos Zorrilla From the outside looking in, it’s easy to get the impression that it’s a black-and-white struggle of two critically endangered frogs versus a massive transnational copper mining project. In part, you’d be right. But it’s much more than that. It could be said that it all started in the 1980’s when a Belgian-government […]
Read MoreThe dirty truth about clean energy
Everyone knows what needs to be done to bring down CO2 levels; pump less of it into the atmosphere. But instead of reducing overall energy consumption, the focus is on increasing ‘green’ energy consumption: electric vehicles, massive electric storage installations, …
Read MoreWhen I think of the copper laying below Intag’s forests
When I think of the copper laying beneath Intag’s cloud forests the last thing I think about is clean energy for the poor of our planet. I know better. Rather, I think of death. I think of contamination of pristine rivers and streams with arsenic and lead that will last a thousand years. Of acid […]
Read MoreEcuador in Times of Pandemic
The government and companies are abusing the crisis to advance their lethal agendas. Carlos Zorrilla It’s been a while since I’ve wanted to write this. And, it’s not like I hadn’t found the time. For the first few weeks after the outbreak, practically everything came to a halt in Ecuador; including many mining operations. As […]
Read MoreWhy is BHP Running Away from Public Meetings in Ecuador?
Because of their cowardice we may never know That was one of the questions I had in mind to ask the representative from the most powerful mining company in the world when they were invited to enlighten the room packed with locals from the small farming community of Cazarpamba about the company’s mining project. The […]
Read MorePreventing a Capital Environmental Crime
The Confusing Rocket Frog and Intag’s Future Carlos Zorrilla To the human eye, the mostly dark-green Confusing Rocket Frog is not as attractive as the Harlequin Longnose Frog. Both amphibians are found in a patch of forest in Ecuador’s Intag region and nowhere else on the planet. The Harlequin’s discovery in 2016 was amazing enough, […]
Read MoreDecoin’s work, 2019
Twenty-One Reasons Why not to Mine in Ecuador’s Intag Forests DECOIN has been actively working with communities since 1995 to stop large-scale mining development in Ecuador’s northwestern region. We are a grass-roots environmental organization, whose members live and work in the area we are trying to protect. For our work to keep Intag free of […]
Read MoreThe Role BMW May Play in Creating a World-Class Environmental Disaster in Ecuador
There is a rush these days to gain access to copper deposit and other key minerals driven by the expected increase in electric vehicle usage world wide.. That may sound like good news for the composition of the atmosphere, but it will spell doom to other parts of the biosphere, including its biodiviersity, forests, rivers, as well as trampling human rights.
Read More