Chapter 1
In Chapter 1 of Ecuador’s Environmental Revolutions by Tammy L. Lewis, we are provided with an introduction to the book, including the background information needed to understand the book and an outline of the rest of the chapter’s topics.
It is important to first understand the meaning of sustainability before we look any deeper. Sustainability focuses on the relationship between its three main pillars, also called the triple-bottom line. The three pillars are 1) environmental protection, 2) economic development, and 3) social justice. In order to be sustainable, a family, community, region, state, or country needs to think in terms of a system, realizing that these three things are important on their own. But they cannot focus on a single pillar. They must see the individual importance, while thinking of the bigger picture in the context of the other two pillars. Each is important and can’t exist without another.
Ecuador is rich in culture, biodiversity, and natural resources, making it a desirable place to focus this particular study of sustainable development on. However, with all the potential of a developing country comes conflicting perspectives as to what should become of its many resources. Some groups strive towards environmental protection, while others push for extraction of oil and the destruction of Ecuador’s diverse landscapes. Their current president,
President Correa, happens to see the importance in protecting their land and even created the “Citizen’s Revolution.”
President Correa also proposed an initiative called the Yasuni-ITT. Its goal was to protect Yasuni National Park, as it is located over a rich oil field. Drilling there would destroy some of the most diverse land on earth, while also emitting large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This would displace countless indigenous people living in Yasuni. Unfortunately, Correa had to cancel the initiative, since there wasn’t enough international cooperation. In order for the plan to work, the country asked for half of the oil’s worth from other countries to preserve the park, but they never reached the $13.6 billion dollars needed to follow through with the initiative. Ecuador produced very few carbon emissions to begin with, but the failure of this initiative means that Ecuador would begin to drill, contributing to environmental destruction.
As a person of Ecuador, I would do everything I could possibly do to spread the word and educate people about the Yasuni-ITT. Knowledge is power, and it is most important for people to understand the things they support or oppose. Following an idea blindly does not help to create a smart community (Puig, 2013).
Another important idea examined in the first chapter is the idea of the treadmill of production (ToP). This theory says that everything we do is dependent on the flow of energy between us and nature. Our current capitalistic society exists on the assumption that all of Earth’s resources are infinite. However, as individuals, it’s easy to see the consequences of using too much of any one finite resource. Things seem great at first, more and more money is being made, and then suddenly, this thing you’ve relied so heavily upon is gone. We are constantly taking from the environment (withdrawals) and leaving behind the harmful byproducts (additions), such as chemical and nuclear waste. Eventually, this society that many have worked so hard to create and preserve will crumble if we don’t make any effort to step off this treadmill of destruction (Palmer, 2013).
Non-governmental organizations and social movement actors have the ability to change the things that displease them in the government. Although they obviously aren’t a part of the government, they speak for the people through a different media. In a developing country like Ecuador, it is especially important to get involved in these types of organizations so that your voice is heard.
The first chapter set up several different ideas and initiatives. We learned about the three pillars of sustainability and how it is important to look at them as a whole, not individually. We examined the basics concerning Ecuador’s economy and resources. We saw how capitalism can exist only where there is growth; growth can only happen when withdrawals are made from the Earth. And finally, we learned that we are all caught on the treadmill of production. These things will be important as we read further and dive deeper into our studies of the Ecuadorian way.
Works Cited:
Palmer, N. (2013, December 2). Why I’m Okay with Being Eaten by a Bear. Retrieved September 10, 2017, from http://sociologyinfocus.com/2013/12/why-im-okay-with-being-eaten-by-a-bear/
Puig, J. F. (2013, September 19). The world failed Ecuador on its Yasuní initiative | Juan Falconi Puig. Retrieved September 10, 2017, from https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2013/sep/19/world-failed-ecuador-yasuni-initiative
It is important to first understand the meaning of sustainability before we look any deeper. Sustainability focuses on the relationship between its three main pillars, also called the triple-bottom line. The three pillars are 1) environmental protection, 2) economic development, and 3) social justice. In order to be sustainable, a family, community, region, state, or country needs to think in terms of a system, realizing that these three things are important on their own. But they cannot focus on a single pillar. They must see the individual importance, while thinking of the bigger picture in the context of the other two pillars. Each is important and can’t exist without another.
Ecuador is rich in culture, biodiversity, and natural resources, making it a desirable place to focus this particular study of sustainable development on. However, with all the potential of a developing country comes conflicting perspectives as to what should become of its many resources. Some groups strive towards environmental protection, while others push for extraction of oil and the destruction of Ecuador’s diverse landscapes. Their current president,
President Correa, happens to see the importance in protecting their land and even created the “Citizen’s Revolution.”
President Correa also proposed an initiative called the Yasuni-ITT. Its goal was to protect Yasuni National Park, as it is located over a rich oil field. Drilling there would destroy some of the most diverse land on earth, while also emitting large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This would displace countless indigenous people living in Yasuni. Unfortunately, Correa had to cancel the initiative, since there wasn’t enough international cooperation. In order for the plan to work, the country asked for half of the oil’s worth from other countries to preserve the park, but they never reached the $13.6 billion dollars needed to follow through with the initiative. Ecuador produced very few carbon emissions to begin with, but the failure of this initiative means that Ecuador would begin to drill, contributing to environmental destruction.
As a person of Ecuador, I would do everything I could possibly do to spread the word and educate people about the Yasuni-ITT. Knowledge is power, and it is most important for people to understand the things they support or oppose. Following an idea blindly does not help to create a smart community (Puig, 2013).
Another important idea examined in the first chapter is the idea of the treadmill of production (ToP). This theory says that everything we do is dependent on the flow of energy between us and nature. Our current capitalistic society exists on the assumption that all of Earth’s resources are infinite. However, as individuals, it’s easy to see the consequences of using too much of any one finite resource. Things seem great at first, more and more money is being made, and then suddenly, this thing you’ve relied so heavily upon is gone. We are constantly taking from the environment (withdrawals) and leaving behind the harmful byproducts (additions), such as chemical and nuclear waste. Eventually, this society that many have worked so hard to create and preserve will crumble if we don’t make any effort to step off this treadmill of destruction (Palmer, 2013).
Non-governmental organizations and social movement actors have the ability to change the things that displease them in the government. Although they obviously aren’t a part of the government, they speak for the people through a different media. In a developing country like Ecuador, it is especially important to get involved in these types of organizations so that your voice is heard.
The first chapter set up several different ideas and initiatives. We learned about the three pillars of sustainability and how it is important to look at them as a whole, not individually. We examined the basics concerning Ecuador’s economy and resources. We saw how capitalism can exist only where there is growth; growth can only happen when withdrawals are made from the Earth. And finally, we learned that we are all caught on the treadmill of production. These things will be important as we read further and dive deeper into our studies of the Ecuadorian way.
Works Cited:
Palmer, N. (2013, December 2). Why I’m Okay with Being Eaten by a Bear. Retrieved September 10, 2017, from http://sociologyinfocus.com/2013/12/why-im-okay-with-being-eaten-by-a-bear/
Puig, J. F. (2013, September 19). The world failed Ecuador on its Yasuní initiative | Juan Falconi Puig. Retrieved September 10, 2017, from https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2013/sep/19/world-failed-ecuador-yasuni-initiative