While attention has focused on the Middle East, the Amazon region actually holds the largest oil reserves. This includes the Andean foothills, the Venezuelan holdings in the Arco Mineiro, Brazil's offshore holdings at the mouth of the Amazon, and Guyana, which now the highest per capita income on the planet and now ranks among the world’s top oil exporters. The security crises of the Middle East have put these resources in the global spotlight, especially since they already export to the EU, China and the US. While the planet seeks just energy transitions, the lure of Amazonian oil has proved irresistible, in spite of its horrific record or deforestation, toxic oil spills, and widespread illness in a context of limited regulation.
Speakers:
Suzana Sawyer, Department of Anthropology, UC Davis
Philip Fearnside, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia