Promotion of hydrocarbons at the expense of the Amazon, indigenous peoples and the fight against climate change

Reactivate the national economy It is one of the main objectives of the government expressed in the United Plan for the proposed economic reactivation presented by the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF), which includes a series of measures to accelerate the recovery of national production. In the case of the Peruvian Amazon, this proposal indicates that 1,000 million soles will be allocated to promoting the development of this region, with the implementation of an investment plan.

In relation to hydrocarbons, the upward trend in production in 2023 was based on the expectation of increased oil demand from China, although to date prices have decreased, due to different global political variables and speculation. of prices at an international level.

In this scenario, the Peruvian government, through PERUPETRO, is promoting 31 new areas for the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons, which overlap protected natural areas (ANP) and indigenous territories in departments such as Madre de Dios, Ucayali and Loreto. As a result of its participation in different international hydrocarbon events, such as the NEP Expo international convention in Houston (USA) and the AAPG – International Conference and Exhibition (ICE) 2023, the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MINEM) has mentioned six possible companies interested in the award of these new lots.

For its part, according to the MEF, social conflict has caused economic losses of 4,000 million soles to the national economy, including social conflicts related to hydrocarbon extractive activity, among other reasons, due to non-compliance with commitments assumed in the spaces of dialogue; interventions in the territory without prior, free and informed consultation; contamination from hydrocarbon spills, inadequate distribution of benefits and inappropriate use of public resources from oil activity, which has not generated significant social benefits in extraction areas, where social gaps continue to be high.

It is therefore worrying that this promotion process, which does not guarantee effective participation of the impacted population or the rights to prior, free and informed consultation or to the territory of indigenous peoples, proposes an overlap of these promotion areas with territories of indigenous peoples and protected natural areas such as Madre de Dios, where not only three lots are being promoted, two of which overlap the Amarakaeri Communal Reserve and the Madre de Dios Territorial Reserve for peoples in isolation and contact initial, but even the construction of the Boca Manu-Boca Colorado highway is proposed (Project Law No. 6259/2023-CR) that would negatively impact said areas and the Manu National Park.

We consider that, to promote sustainable investment in the Amazon, it is first necessary to comply with the historical debt of titling and protection of the territories of indigenous peoples; implement participatory and consultation mechanisms from the planning of interventions; and take into account the environmental and social impact that the various investment initiatives will have in the Amazon. Likewise, it is important to maintain coherence between public policies since, on the one hand, a competitive economic reactivation is promoted, and, on the other, the fair energy transition is not prioritized, but rather the subdivision of more areas in the Amazon.

Therefore, it is key that Peru assumes its obligations to guarantee the protection of indigenous territories and protected natural areas, and begins a real process of fair energy transition that implies having a clear route for it, otherwise the climate commitments in the framework of the COP 28 on Climate Change, which begins in December, will continue to be false promises.

[PUBLIRREPORTAJE]