From the Amazon to Belém: the fight for climate justice must end corporate impunity

Pablo Fajardo argues that the climate crisis is driven by corporate power and that climate justice is unattainable without ending corporate impunity. Using Chevron's actions in the Ecuadorian Amazon as a case study, he highlights how the company avoided a US$ 9.5 billion court judgment through retaliatory lawsuits and the use of Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) systems. He calls for a systemic change to dismantle these pro-corporate legal frameworks and ensure polluters are held accountable, particularly as the global climate movement approaches COP30.

• The author asserts that the climate crisis is a direct consequence of corporate power and a global system that protects polluters while punishing those who resist. He argues that true climate action is impossible without justice for affected communities and an end to corporate impunity.
• Chevron is cited as a primary example of corporate crime in the Ecuadorian Amazon, where it is alleged to have dumped over 60 billion litres of toxic waste into rivers and left 880 open pits of poison across 480 hectares of rainforest over nearly four decades. Despite an Ecuadorian court order to pay US$ 9.5 billion for cleanup and compensation, the company has avoided payment.
• The document criticizes Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) systems as secretive, pro-corporate legal mechanisms that allow transnational corporations to sue governments to block environmental regulations or court judgments, prioritizing corporate profit over human and environmental rights.
• In 2024, the Ecuadorian Amazon experienced one of its worst droughts in history, which exacerbated the impact of corporate pollution. The drought led to dried-up rivers, mass fish deaths, and forced communities to drink water contaminated with mining waste and oil, resulting in illness and death.

APA

Fajardo, P. (2025). From the Amazon to Belém: the fight for climate justice must end corporate impunity. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/fight-for-climate-justice-must-end-corporate-impunity/

Chicago

Fajardo, Pablo. From the Amazon to Belém: the fight for climate justice must end corporate impunity. Friends of the Earth International, 2025. https://www.foei.org/fight-for-climate-justice-must-end-corporate-impunity/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Fajardo |first1=Pablo |title=From the Amazon to Belém: the fight for climate justice must end corporate impunity |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=25 June 2025 |url=https://www.foei.org/fight-for-climate-justice-must-end-corporate-impunity/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{fajardo2025from, author = {Fajardo, Pablo}, title = {{From the Amazon to Belém: the fight for climate justice must end corporate impunity}}, publisher = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2025}, month = jun, url = {https://www.foei.org/fight-for-climate-justice-must-end-corporate-impunity/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }