A Wednesday evening screening and discussion of the documentary "Crude: The Real Price of Oil" (2009) delved into issues of environmental justice, with a focus on the pollution of the Amazon rainforest.
The event was sponsored by the Department of Political Science, the Department of Anthropology and the International Relations Program. Following the documentary screening was a question−and−answer session with Professor of Anthropology David Guss, Associate Professor of Political Science Consuelo Cruz, Lecturer of Political Science Nancy Gleason and Harvard Lecturer in Anthropology and Social Studies Theodore Macdonald.
"Crude" tells the story behind a $27 billion class−action lawsuit that 30,000 Ecuadorians filed against Chevron alleging environmental damage and severe health problems caused by crude−oil pollution in the Amazon rainforest.
Chevron, formerly Texaco, refused to clean up the damage, with one of its attorneys claiming that the petroleum was not Texaco's and blaming the environmental damage on Petroecuador, an Ecuadorian oil company.
Jeannine Lenehan, the communications coordinator for Tufts' political science department, introduced the film, saying that it would bring viewers closer to the truth about oil pollution.
Macdonald, who is also a fellow at the Harvard University Committee on Human Rights, prefaced the documentary screening by giving the issue a global context. "The film is disturbing from an environmental perspective," he said.
He also highlighted issues not discussed in the film, including the absence of the government's involvement in the contentious lawsuit and the lack of international standards regulating environmental pollution.
Macdonald emphasized the difficulties in prosecuting crimes across national boundaries. He explained that in some countries like Spain, universal jurisdiction applies in a way that allows another country to intervene if something egregious happens. In Ecuador, the indigenous people felt their voices were not being heard, according to Macdonald.
"The indigenous people want to be actors in the situation; they want prior informed consent and active participation," he said.
The downsides of globalization also play a role in the film. "Transnational corporations show us a negative standard of globalization," Macdonald said.
The film also illustrates the burden placed on indigenous communities in Ecuador, who have suffered the environmental and health costs of crude−oil pollution.
"Crude" begins with an indigenous woman, the only survivor of her family — all of whom have died from cancer or other oil−related health problems — singing.
The rest of the film demonstrates the perseverance and advocacy for environmental justice of the Ecuadorian people as they sought to hold Chevron accountable.
The film's portrayal of the incident ranges from scenes of a 20−day−old baby with a skin condition caused by oil pollution to a comedic anti−Chevron cartoon.
The film also draws attention to the Amazon's natural beauty, showing how it was ruined by toxic sludge from Chevron's oil waste.
The theme of pollution's impact on the community's health also runs throughout the film. In one clip, a woman explains how her 18−year−old daughter had cancer and was dying because her mother could not afford the $500 needed for each chemotherapy appointment.
