Ecuadoreans have voted to ban oil drilling in one of the most biodiverse places on the planet, the Yasuní National Park, situated in the Amazon rainforest.
With more than 92% of the votes counted, nearly 59% of voters rejected the oil drilling while 41% voted in favor, according to the National Electoral Council of Ecuador on Monday morning. The referendum comes as the impacts of human-caused climate change accelerate, as the world continues to burn fossil fuels. Last month was the planet’s hottest June on record, and some scientists warn that the Amazon is heading towards a dangerous tipping point.
In May they and other groups secured a victory when the country’s constitutional court authorized the vote to be included on the ballot of the presidential election held on August 20. Some politicians, including energy minister Fernando Santos, have argued that a ban it would have negative impacts on Ecuador’s economy. “It could cause huge damage to the country,” Santos told local radio in June, according to a Reuters report, estimating the country could lose $1.2 billion in revenues.
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