Nothing is solved yet regarding the Yasuni ITT initiative

This Wednesday marks six years since President Rafael Correa unveiled the Yasuni ITT initiative and untill today the idea is not ready, since the initiative only has raised $7.86 million, which is way below the objective, with a gap of $3 billion.

According to Alberto Acosta, former partner of Correa and promoter of the initiative, the  money has not been raised because the Government has not given clear signals, since the President always spoke of the exploitation possibility in case of the non-collection, and this represents a contradiction that risk away international support.

The initiative of leaving the oil in the ground has been endorsed by the citizens, and this is reflected in the survey of the firm ‘Perfiles de opinion’ , in which the results showed that 85% of Ecuadorians agreed with this position.

President Rafael Correa analyzes the plan B, that consists in the extraction of 850 million barrels of oil in Ishpingo, Tambococha and Tiputini fields.

However, Carlos Larrea, researcher at the Universidad Andina, indicates that the oil issue goes beyond extraction in Yasuni, since there is a clear and irreversible fact and is that oil is running out and the exploitation of the Yasuni will only extend the deadline two more years. This assertion was confirmed by Correa in last days when he said that in the next 15 years the country will stop to export crude.

Analysts indicate that exploitation of the Yasuni is not consistent with the ‘Sumak Kawsay’  (good living) and the 2008 Constitution, considered the greenest in the world, that threatens the survival of the Tagaeri and Taromenane,  uncontacted indigenous peoples