Pollution In The Amazon Rainforest

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The Amazon rainforest is located in the Amazon river basin of South America, and spans a total of 5.2 million kilometers. The Amazon is the largest rainforest in the world, occupying a total of nine countries and containing the most diverse range of plants and animals in the world (Urquhart, 2016). The Amazon is also home to many indigenous populations, many of whom have faced negative repercussions due to the deterioration and globalization of the rainforest. Globalization has resulted in the exploitation of resources found within the Amazon. The monopolization of resources such as gas and oil has resulted in threats to both known and unknown indigenous populations. Due to “favourable state policies” and “rising commodity prices” many companies …show more content…
A lack of concern for the environment by these companies have resulted in severe pollution within the rainforest. Oil drilling has contributed to a large portion of the pollution that can be seen today. The spilling of oil has resulted in contamination and pollution of both the waterways and soil of the Amazon. Many indigenous groups heavily rely on polluted rivers for drinking water, food, and bathing which have resulted in devastating consequences. For example, the village of Kukama in Peru relies heavily on a local river that was contaminated by a crude oil spill in 2014 (Fraser, 2016). As a result the river that once contained fish remains “virtually bare” (Fraser, 2016, p. 642). Due to the lack of other sources of food, villagers would still catch any fish they could find, though they would still question “whether the little fish they did catch were safe to eat” (Fraser, 2016, p. 642). Although two years have passed, “traces of oil still occasionally float past the village” and a “toxicology study found heavy metals in villagers’ blood and urine” (Fraser, 2016 p 643). Recent oil spills in Peru and Ecuador has “fouled the water and land of dozens of indigenous villages” (Fraser, 2016 p 643). These oil spills slowly leach into the waterways infecting populations of fish, infecting those who ingest the fish. A research study …show more content…
Although there is a high risk of negative repercussions, the promise of money and employment opportunities results in some villages to encourage these company's involvements. Many of these Indigenous groups are in a very vulnerable position, with both the companies and the government taking advantage. There is a lack of accountability when over-seas companies conduct business in South America. Many coma pies conduct business in the Amazon due to the lack of environmental and human rights concerns, being able to make a massive profit as cheaply and quickly as possible. Once the drilling or mining ceases and employment opportunities stop, the indigenous groups are still left to deal with the environmental repercussions (Bozigar, Gray, and Bilsborrow,
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