Ecuadorians reject oil drilling in the Amazon, ending operations in protected area
NBCMAY 2023
The Spin
Right narrative
This ban will have an adverse effect on the communities it aims to protect. There are a wide array of views among the indigenous tribes of Ecuador, with many supporting the oil developments. Petroecuador helped bring healthcare, education, and economic stability to disparate communities and worked to mitigate all environmental damages. Countless Ecuadorians will now suffer as a result of this feel-good move.
Left narrative
The Amazon rainforest is one of the most environmentally important regions in the world, and Ecuador took a big step to ensure it remains protected. Any given hectare of Yasuní will contain more animal species than in all of Europe, and we cannot let the short-sighted prospect of oil money destroy such a bounty. Ecuadorians voted not just to protect the Amazon but the biodiversity of the natural world itself.