Oil Spill in Peru is a Life Threatening Emergency for Local Indigenous People (Video)

There is another fossil fuel tragedy taking place that is going largely unnoticed by the world. This one is taking place in Peru and like so many oil spills it does not get press attention despite its destructive human and ecological impact. It could be that this is due to the fact that spills are common. As has become common, there were dozens of oil spills in North America in 2015 making the point that there is no safe way of transporting fossil fuels. It is well known that fossil fuels are the leading cause of the climate crisis we are facing but the problems associated with extraction and transporting hydrocarbons often goes unnoticed.

In the northern jungles of Peru people are in peril after two pipeline ruptures spilled crude oil into various waterways, including the Marañon River, a principal tributary of the Amazon River. For indigenous people these waterways are their lifeline, they provide food and water for crops and consumption.

The first spill was reported on January 25 and then on February 3 another spill occurred on a different section of the same pipeline. The spill is known to have killed fish, crocodiles and plants. So far at least 2,000 barrels of oil are known to have spilled in the regions of Amazonas and Loreto.

The state-owned Petro-Perú that operates the pipelines has been fined $3.5 million. The company has been criticized for its slow and inefficient response times and use of child labor to do recovery work. Heavy rains have exacerbated the clean up operation.

Here is a video of the oil spill from the 42 year old oil pipeline that is spilling thousands of barrels of oil into waterways that run through the Amazon.


This is just the latest of a long series of spills in Peru. A review of published reports shows that there have been at least 11 oil spills in the area since 2010. A comparable spill from June 2014 saw 3,000 barrels of oil spilled from another Petro-Perú pipeline, a disaster that affected 20,000 families.

In 2015, 68 cubic metres of crude oil leaked into the sea after a hose from the Maltese tanker Ariete became detached during a storm on Saturday. Many seabirds were killed by the slick.

Here is some raw footage from the AP Archive


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The Anti-Environment Influence of 3 out of 4 Koch Brothers

There are three Koch brothers who have amassed a long track record of environmental malfeasance and political interference. Well known oil billionaires Charles and David Koch use their fortunes to misinform, manipulate and protect their corporate interests. They are estimated to be worth about 25 billion each. This diabolical duo own Koch Industries, the second largest privately owned corporation in the US. They also have a lesser known brother named William (Bill), he is worth a mere 4 billion but his business interests include petcoke which is some of the dirtiest petrochemical byproducts.

Bill Koch owns the Florida based Oxbow corporation, the world's largest petcoke trader. They donated $4.25 million to GOP Super PACs in 2012, making it the one of the largest corporate donors to super PACs. Oxbow also spent over $1.3 million on lobbyists in 2012.

In addition to the disinformation and lobbying front groups run by the Koch brothers, Charles G. Koch is now looking to get into the media business. Koch is allegedly looking to buy the Tribune Company’s eight regional newspapers, including The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Baltimore Sun, The Orlando Sentinel and The Hartford Courant. This will increase his capacity to disseminate misinformation and further the reach of Koch Industries propaganda empire.

A fourth Koch brother, Fred sold his share of Koch Industries and obtained an MFA. He is a longtime supporter of the arts.

Charles, David and Bill have each demonstrated a powerful capacity to wreak havoc on the environment. They also use their money and influence to subvert the democratic process. However, as Fred demonstrates, the pathological disregard for the planet exhibited by three Koch brothers, is a trait not shared by all the siblings. 

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Petcoke is a refining byproduct of tar sands oil, and when burned is substantially dirtier than coal and contributes significantly to greenhouse gas pollution. It is also a potent carcinogen. Watch this video of petcoke being blown into the air we breathe in our communities. According to two new studies, petcoke makes tar sands oil even dirtier than originally thought.

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In India Childhood Malnutrition is Compounded by Deadly Corruption

The combination of malnutrition and corruption are proving to be deadly in India. A total of 22 children have died so far from eating a pesticide laced lunch at a Chapra primary school in the rural Indian state of Bihar. Doctors are fighting to save the lives of 25 others. On July 17, the day after the incident, heartbroken parents and their supporters protested the tragic loss of innocent lives outside the school and at a local police station.

The cook complained to the headmistress about the smell and the taste of the food, but she insisted that it be served nonetheless. In response the authorities had suspended a food inspector and are pursuing a criminal case against the school headmistress who fled the scene and is currently being sought. The state has ordered an inquiry and announced that parents of the dead children will receive financial compensation.

The Indian government's free school meals program provides meals for 100 million children. Parents in poorer families depend on these lunches to provide adequate levels of nutrition for their children. The World Bank, statistics indicate that India leads the world with 43 percent of Indian children being underweight. The Indian prime minister, Manmohan Singh, has described infant malnutrition levels in India as a "national shame".The government, led by the Congress party, is pushing for an expansion of the country's food subsidy program.

However, more funding may not solve the problem as the lunch program, like so many other segments of Indian society, is plagued by waste and corruption. School meals in India are provided by contractors who commonly source the cheapest ingredients and bribe local officials to turn a blind eye. Sadly this leads to numerous incidents of poisoning, although they rarely lead to death on this scale.

In a 2010 report Nirvikar Singh's report titled "The trillion-dollar question" in The Financial Express indicates that corruption in India is a major issue that adversely affects the nations economy. A 2005 study conducted by Transparency International in India found that more than 62 percent of Indians had firsthand experience of paying bribes or influence peddling to get jobs done in public offices successfully. In its 2008 study, Transparency International reports about 40 percent of Indians had firsthand experience of paying bribes or using a contact to get a job done in public office.

According to Debroy and Bhandari, 2011 report titled "Corruption in India," in the World Finance Review, the state of Bihar has experienced significant improvements in their anti-corruption efforts.

© 2013, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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