Jack Lindenman

Hearn, K. (2010, September 13). Deep in Ecuadors Rainforest, A Plan to Forego an Oil Bonanza. Retrieved February 14, 2018, from http://e360.yale.edu/features/deep_in_ecuadors_rainforest_a_plan_to_forego_an_oil_bonanza

1. I truthfully did not know much about this plan nor the potential oil drilling that was scheduled to happen. I did know that this area of the Earth is rich with biodiversity as well as native groups of people that still live without modern technology.

2. I learned about the oil reserves in Yasuni National Park in Ecuador that contains almost a billion barrels of oil. This, of course, is extremely lucrative for both oil companies and the government to gain profit. A plan, though, was created that took in the help of international donors as well as an organization within the United Nations to stop any sort of drilling in this rich and biodiverse area. Ecuador would be paid to keep the oil reserves intact so that they can invest the money and resources obtained towards renewable energy, reforestation, and energy efficiency. This plan would allow Ecuador to develop their country further without destroying a large portion of their pristine forests and National Parks. While oil drilling seems to be the biggest problem, some argue that it is colonization and logging that are the true culprits to the destruction of this national park. The plan does not deal with logging and colonization directly, but it does obtain capital that can be put forth to stopping illegal logging in the area.

3. This is relevant to the course because we are reading and talking about ways in which we will have to deal with peak oil. By withholding such a large reservoir of oil, it is encouraging Ecuador to move towards a sustainable energy system, while holding out from oil companies from gaining greater access to oil. This, in turn, will probably cause peak oil to happen sooner due to the fact that we are unable to tap into every single oil reservoir in the world.

4. I found this article quite fascinating and eye-opening to the potential that international policy and agreements can have in mitigating unsustainable practices. This is something truly extraordinary in that a country is getting paid to keep their oil in the ground. It is unlike what we have seen in the industrial and modern age of society.