The climate crisis demands urgent action by governments to reduce emissions and to transition to new renewable energy systems for people. This means that fossil fuel corporations must be forced to stop polluting and end their decades of destruction. I am writing this from the heart of the Ecuadorian Amazon, where the struggle of Indigenous and frontline communities offers a warning to the world: there is a dark legacy of devastation caused by the fossil fuel industry that must not be forgotten. Climate justice cannot be achieved so long as corporate impunity reigns. Chevron’s crimes in Ecuador are well documented. For nearly four decades, the transnational corporation extracted oil from our lands with utter disregard for life, intentionally dumping more than 60 billion liters (16 billion gallons) of toxic waste into rivers and leaving 880 open pits of poison across 480 hectares (nearly 1,200 acres) of rainforest. The company made tens of billions in profits from this devastation, and when it finally seemed like it was going to be held accountable, packed up and fled the country. Chevron on the run After years of legal struggle led by affected communities, Ecuador’s courts ordered Chevron to pay $9.5 billion to clean up its mess and compensate those harmed. Instead of honoring the ruling, Chevron launched a global campaign to escape accountability — one that reveals how today’s legal and financial systems are rigged to serve corporate interests, not human rights. Chevron has filed dozens of retaliatory lawsuits against Indigenous leaders, lawyers,…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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