Lago Agrio This Ecuador-Pristine Amazon rainforest is crisscrossed with oil wells and pipeline grids built by Texaco Inc. a generation ago Texaco dumped unusable waste without treatment. The savings helped raised profit margins $3 per barrel. When Texaco left Ecuador in 1990, they left behind a legacy of hundreds of open pits filled with hazardous waste.

HUMAN ROLE(S) Between 1964 and 1990, Texaco, which was bought buy Chevron in 2001, deliberately poured and leaked out over 30 billion gallons of toxic wastewater and crude oil into areas surrounding the Lago Agrio Oil Field This is a man-made problem. This economic disaster and cultural disruption can be traced back to poorly made decisions.

water pollution (WATER: common and essential resource) soil contamination (heavy pollution which has hindered the people) deforestation (the bottom of the trees rot) cultural upheaval a potential correlation with illness and disease (cancer?) (controversy) El Lago Agrio

Anthropogenic Influence Properly disposing of waste is extremely expensive As humans we look for an easy way out, so the lake was a scapegoat for TEXACO, the indigenous people were unaware and naive but soon saw the effects the waste caused, and continues to this day

known internationally for the serious ecological problems that oil development has created there

Damage it caused: not only contamination to the water and soil, but also plants and wildlife AND AIR (biotic and abiotic) contaminating the water that was used by the locals for fishing, bathing, and drinking

WHAT HAPPENED? There was a lawsuit, it continues to this day TEXACO (now with Chevron) are trying to wash their hands of blame the case has been closed, (I’ll explain more) The Lago Agrio fiasco is the epitome of a nauseating fight between indigenous populations and an oil company with bottomless pockets

What additional (if any) rules would you recommend to lower the risk of future disasters of a like kind? (proactive approach) Although it may cost a lot, companies must invest in safer waste disposal and not just focus on profit

EXTRA INFO (it’s a lot but very interesting) Studies have shown that inhabitants of the effected Amazonian area have elevated cancer rates 150% higher than controls. But Chevron scientists horrifically campaign to disassociate polluted ground water from cancer. They claim that the hydrocarbons (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon) found in the ground water cannot be sufficiently isolated in studies so as to rule out with 100% certainty that other environmental sources don't cause the debilitating diseases. Chevron scientists call studies that link the contamination and cancer “the product of fraud and is contrary to the legitimate scientific evidence.”

Summary (Explain a documentary I watched) -a native person saw everything from the start and pleads to have the problem remedied