On this edition of Your Call's One Planet Series, we're discussing a New York Times investigation about the United Nations Development Program’s partnership with the multinational petroleum company GeoPark to quash opposition and keep oil flowing, even in sensitive areas.
The investigation reveals that the UNDP had compiled dossiers of people who were opponents of the oil industry in Colombia, where environmental activists are killed at a rate of more than one a week, according to Global Witness. Indigenous activists say the agency's activities put their lives at risk. Colombia is the world’s deadliest place to defend the earth.
Guest:
Sarah Hurtes, award winning investigative journalist for the New York Times
Web Resources:
The New York Times: In the Amazon, a U.N. Agency Has a Green Mission, but Dirty Partners
Mongabay: “We are on the front line”: Q&A with Indigenous land defender Adiela Jineth Mera Paz
The Guardian: 'Defending our existence': Colombian tribe stands in way of oil exploration