Ecuador: Hydroelectricity Leading to Energy Injustice
Introduction
The Ecuadorian government has not taken adequate measures to protect the intergenerational equity of its people, make informed decisions regarding energy policy, and has failed to responsibly protect its environment within the Amazon region. Indeed, the state and policymakers have sought to greatly expand hydroelectric projects, in order to diversify their energy resources. Specifically, Ecuador has sought to ween itself off of international oil, and has taken into account environmental damage within the country as a result of oil production. The country has repeatedly encroached upon indigenous lands, leading to significant amounts of pollution within these areas.1 However, Ecuador heavily relies on profits from their oil sector, with over 50% of revenues coming from oil taxes.2 In addition to these oil-related environmental damages, the Ecuadorian government is embarking upon a dangerous journey in their rapid expansion of hydroelectricity in the Amazon region.
Intergenerational Equity for Natives
The expansion of hydroelectric projects in the Amazonian territories of northeastern Ecuador greatly impacts the intergenerational equity of native communities. These rural indigenous groups have been historically underrepresented and marginalized in Ecuadorian policymaking, and subsequently, are victims of policies that directly impact their ways of life, as well as the well-being of future generations. Below, this paper will outline how increased hydroelectric dams in the Amazon region will impact the intergenerational equity of native communities in the affected areas, according to the energy justice framework in Sovacool and Dworkin.3 Recently, the decision by President Rafael Correa to significantly expand Ecuador’s hydroelectric capabilities has infringed upon the rights of these indigenous, Amazonian peoples. Specifically, the encroachment of these hydroelectric projects into the Amazon will greatly damage, and has the possibility to destroy, their unique ways of life. In addition to this, the case study argues that the environmental damages caused by the development of hydroelectric dams in the Amazon will significantly detract from the quality of life for future generations. A key consequence of these dams is the fragmentation of not only the Amazon River, but also some of its tributaries.4 Indeed, it has been proven that these bodies of water are sources of livelihood, as well as actual sustenance to these indigenous communities.
The Ecuadorian government approved two massive dams in the Amazon – the Agoyán and San Francisco projects. According to the case study, these hydroelectric dams have already destroyed eighteen water sources in the Rio Blanco and Rio Negro communities – both of which are primarily populated by native settlements. More shockingly, these water resources span a distance of over 28 miles, and supply drinking water and fishing grounds to hundreds of families in the affected area.5 It is evident from the text that these two dams have permanently diverted important water resources in the Rio Blanco and Rio Negro native communities. Building off of this, it is also clear that the hundreds of families in these settlements will be forced to find new homes, once their supply of drinking water is exhausted. The Agoyán and San Francisco dam projects have significantly and irreversibly caused damage to not only the Rio Blanco and Rio Negro settlements themselves, but also to the future generations of these communities. Due to the diversion of water resources from the dams, both current and future generations will be unable to access drinking water, or fishing grounds, in the 28 mile affected area. In addition to this, the impact of hydroelectric dams extends beyond the damage to water resources. A primary example of this physical disruption is the Coca Codo Sinclair dam project, which would include “extensive road-building and transmission line construction in primary forest[s].”6 Clearly, this infrastructure development in previously undeveloped wilderness will have a massive environmental impact on these lands. In addition to this, forty of the proposed hydroelectric dams will be built either upstream or downstream of an indigenous community.7 This plethora of proposed projects will undoubtedly impact these communities in a negative way.
Lack of Accountable Energy Decision-Making
With regards to the process of expanding hydroelectric projects into the Amazon, the Ecuadorian government has not followed methods that are consistent with “fair, transparent, and accountable … decision-making.”8 Specifically, the presidency of Rafael Correa and the Amazonian Regional Eco Institute (ECORAE) have failed to consider the rights of various indigenous groups in the Amazon. Despite this, the Ecuadorian Constitution of 2008 affirms natural rights – with Article 400 including specific provisions for the protection of nature and biodiversity.9 The case study asserts that both the Ecuadorian president, as well as the Amazonian Regional Eco Institute, have exploited loopholes in the Constitution in order to advance and expedite hydroelectric projects in the region. Following this, the Ecuadorian state has argued that since nature is owned by the government, they can use it to advance national interests – in this case, expanding hydroelectricity. These dams, in turn, have greatly impacted native communities in the eastern portion of Ecuador. According to the case study, “The populations of eastern Ecuador are not only subjected to a broad range of socio-environmental conflicts, they must also face increased poverty and inequality in the redistribution of resources.”10 It is clear from this passage that the government and its associated institutes, in planning these hydroelectric projects, did not take into account the various social, as well as environmental, impacts in their decision-making. On top of this, the relationship between ECORAE and indigenous groups has not progressed significantly since its inception in the early 1990s.11 Based on the actions of the Ecuadorian government, as well as prominent policymakers associated with hydroelectricity, the state has not acted in a manner that is consistent with fair and accountable decision-making.
Failure to Responsibly Protect the Environment
The Ecuadorian government, in its quest to diversify energy resources, has failed to protect the natural environment within the Amazon region. It is well known that this region is home to a plethora of species, many of which have not been discovered. Specifically, the article by Finer and Jenkins asserts that the Amazon “is documented to contain extraordinary richness … namely amphibians, birds, mammals, and vascular plants.”12 On top of this, the authors argue that the installation of more hydroelectric dams will severely damage the biodiversity of the region as a whole. A primary example is the disruption of fish breeding patterns, due to fragmentation of the Amazon River and its associated tributaries. It is clear from the case studies that the Ecuadorian state did not adequately take into account the effects of hydroelectric dams on these long-distance migratory fish species, thereby causing significant environmental damage. In addition to this, the depletion and subsequent flooding of forested areas within the Amazon may contribute to global climate change. Specifically, the loss of forestry will lead to less greenhouse gases absorbed by trees within the Amazon.13 It is evident that Ecuadorian policymakers have failed to take adequate measures in the protection and preservation of the natural environment within the Amazon.
Conclusion
With regards to the evidence presented above, it is clear from their actions that the Ecuadorian government has not taken adequate measures to protect the environment in the Amazon region. First, the expansion of hydroelectric dams is detrimental to current, as well as future, ways of life for the people in the affected areas. Second, Ecuadorian policymakers have not exercised accountable decision-making in their decisions to build hydroelectric dams in ecologically vulnerable areas. Lastly, the government as a whole has systematically failed to protect these sensitive areas, resulting in significant damage to not only the Amazon region, but also to the environment as a whole.
Bibliography
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Finer, Matt, and Clinton N. Jenkins. “Proliferation of Hydroelectric Dams in the Andean Amazon and Implications for Andes-Amazon Connectivity.” Plos ONE 7, no. 4 (April 2012): 1-9. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed March 14, 2015).
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Sovacool, Benjamin K, and Michael H. Dworkin. Global Energy Justice: Problems, Principles, and Practices. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014.