Environment Texas Blog

Joe Berlinger’s new documentary Crude follows the so-called “David and Goliath” case in which a group of Ecuadoreans, mainly Cofan natives, filed a class-action lawsuit against Texaco (which has since merged with Chevron) for its contamination of the region through poor production methods.

Texaco began oil operations in Ecuador in 1964, and operated jointly with the state-owned company Petroecuador until 1990, when Petroecuador assumed complete control. Years later, a region of the rainforest the size of Rhode Island has remained horribly polluted. The contamination of this land, which covers the home of the Cofan natives (who had remained completely isolated until Texaco’s arrival), has disrupted the lives of more than 30,000 people, who have suffered from rashes, increased cases of cancer, contaminated drinking water, increased infant mortality, birth defects, and destroyed land. The question the trial raises is not whether or not the area is polluted – oily rivers and pools filled with black sludge make that point clear – but where the blame lies, a burden that independent consultants figured to be worth $27 billion. Texaco spent $40 million on independently approved clean-up efforts from 1995 to 1998, and they claim that the entirety of the fault lies with the poorly operated Petroecuador, who certainly has contributed to the problem.

The story picks up during the case’s resurgence around 2005 (the lawsuit was filed in 1993), when it started anew after being moved to Ecuador by Texaco in an attempt to prolong the trial. The film documents the efforts of young, native lawyer Pablo Fajardo and his American counterpart Steven Donziger, as they faced a corrupt legal system, evidence disputes, and the lawyers of the oil giant. They slowly garnered public support through media hype, including an article about Fajardo in Vanity Fair, political change, which results in the election of the supportive President Rafael Correa, and celebrity endorsement, both by Trudie Styler and husband Sting. The film ends inconclusively, as the verdict is still in the air – the judge faces years’ worth of evidence and substantial pressure.

The refreshing part about this movie is its presentation of the case, which is stripped almost completely free of bias. Both sides are allowed to present their views, and the audience is permitted to form an opinion independently, something uncommon in the advocacy film genre. In fact, the guilt of Texaco isn’t even obvious, only the injustice done to the environment and to the Cofan people.

Whether or not Texaco is to be found fully responsible for the damage, this film leaves the audience confident that something has to be done about the oil industry’s horrific environmental legacy, which in this case trumps the Exxon-Valdez spill, yet was until now largely unknown. Perhaps the newly raised awareness will result in more oil companies being held accountable for their actions, and maybe even prevent similar catastrophes in the future.

 
Sources:

Crude. Dir. Joe Berlinger. Entendre Films, 2009. Film.

Forero, Juan. "Rain Forest Residents, Texaco Face Off In Ecuador." NPR : National Public Radio. Web. 15 Nov. 2009. <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103233560>.