The Largest Environmental Disaster You’ve Never Heard Of

Referred to as the “Amazon Chernobyl," it's the largest environmental disaster that you’ve probably never heard of… Billions of gallons of toxic waste dumped into the Amazon by American oil company Texaco (now Chevron), leaving indigenous Ecuadorians living in a sea of pollution.  Attorney & environmental activist Steven Donziger took on the behemoth, winning a multi-BILLION dollar settlement for the indigenous Ecuadorians. Then the unthinkable happened. Refusing to accept responsibility, Chevron has chosen to go on a years-long attack against Donziger rather than cleaning up the environmental mess it created. Seeking to destroy him personally and professionally, as well as intimidate any other human rights or environmental activists who would come to his defense, Chevron has used legal maneuvering to go so far as to strip Donziger of his passport, freeze his assets, and have him placed under house arrest where he’s been for more than a year. Marianne sits down with Steven for a wide-ranging conversation about the disaster in Ecuador, his ordeal and how a corporation can easily twist the judicial system to serve its own needs at the expense of the people. His trial is coming up within days and in a very real sense it pertains to us all. Associate Director of Amazon watch, Paul Paz Y Miño, also joins the show to explain the background of the disaster and Steven’s case. Visit MakeChevronCleanup.com to learn more about the case, and please consider contributing to Mr. Donziger's legal fund at DonzigerDefense.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.