The Looking Glass
The Looking Glass is the premier international relations podcast by The SAIS Review of International Affairs with support from The Foreign Policy Institute. Showcasing fresh, policy-relevant perspectives from professional and student experts, The Looking Glass is dedicated to advancing the debate on leading contemporary issues in world affairs.
*The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are the speakers' own, and they do not represent the views or opinions of The SAIS Review of International Affairs, its Editorial Board, or its Advisory Board; the SAIS Foreign Policy Institute; SAIS; or The Johns Hopkins University.*
The Looking Glass
Beneath the Black River-Oil Spills in Ecuador’s Amazon Rainforests
The March 2025 oil spill in Ecuador’s Esmeraldas province is one of the country’s worst recent environmental disasters. Over 25,000 barrels of crude oil leaked from the SOTE pipeline, contaminating rivers, farmland, and coastal mangroves. This spill destroyed local biodiversity, poisoned water supplies, and disrupted the lives of more than half a million people, including Indigenous and rural communities, highlighting the urgent need for environmental justice and stronger protections for Ecuador’s people and ecosystems. To discuss these topics, joining us today is Mr. Paul Paz y Miño.
BPaul Paz y Miño is a human rights and environmental justice advocate, currently serving as Deputy Director of Amazon Watch, where he has been since 2007. Since 1995, he has volunteered as the Colombia Country Specialist for Amnesty International USA, monitoring human rights conditions and organizing campaign activities. He previously directed community development and human rights programs with indigenous communities in Chiapas, Mexico, and Guatemala as Program Director at the Seva Foundation. He has also served as an Associate Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies and has been involved with organizations such as Peace Brigades International USA and the Oil and Gas Action Network. Paz y Miño has lived and worked in Ecuador, Mexico, and the United States, and is recognized for his advocacy on behalf of indigenous rights and environmental protection in the Amazon. We hope you enjoy this episode of the Looking Glass Podcast.
Hosts: Max Shannon and Khadija Taufiq
Additional Editors: Yan Shen
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