Fire in the heart of the Ecuadorian Amazon: girls and young women fighting for climate justice

At night in the Ecuadorian Amazon , enormous flames perpetually illuminate the darkness. They are the fires of the lighters, large torches that burn gas in oil wells and, far from representing progress, are living scars on the green lung of the world. These structures not only burn natural gas in an unnecessary waste of a non-renewable resource, but they also pollute the air, destroy biodiversity , and endanger the lives and rights of nearby communities . Here, for more than 57 years, environmental justice has been a distant dream, and human rights have been burned along with the gas.

Burning gas in lighters: major climate mistakes

Oil extraction , from exploration to exploitation, severely affects biodiversity and generates impacts that undermine the right to a dignified life, health, and a clean and healthy environment. Gas flares, in particular, have become a symbol of injustice, as keeping them open exacerbates the global climate crisis by contributing to significant emissions of greenhouse gases such as methane, a super pollutant whose global warming effect is more potent than that of CO₂. The persistence of such a pernicious and unnecessary practice perpetuates an economic model dependent on fossil fuels.

Ecuador is among the 30 countries in the world that most frequently use gas burning in lighters.

At Amnesty International , we have conducted an exhaustive analysis, verifying that, despite the ruling ordering the elimination of flares , they have increased in number and continue to operate near populated areas. This situation deepens the systemic marginalization, inequality, and environmental racism—understood as the unequal distribution of negative environmental impacts that disproportionately affect racialized communities—experienced in the Ecuadorian Amazon, a major "sacrifice zone" for the oil industry.

According to the World Bank, Ecuador is among the 30 countries in the world that most frequently burn gas in lighters, and by keeping them lit, it perpetuates a terrible practice that endangers the lives, health, and other rights of the country's poorest populations.

The Ecuadorian government and companies like Petroecuador have chosen to perpetuate this practice, prioritizing the economic benefits of oil extraction over human lives and the environment. This is despite the fact that they should rather fulfill their responsibility to respect human rights in the context of climate change and align their operations and business models with the goals of the Paris Agreement , specifically limiting the increase in global average temperature to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

Three years later, the activists' struggle continues, because the fulfillment of this sentence remains an empty promise.

The government must also engage in dialogue with Indigenous peoples, respecting their worldviews and priorities, to prevent the expansion of sacrifice zones and protect the Amazon's unique biodiversity. In light of the elections currently underway in Ecuador, it is imperative that whoever is elected to the Ecuadorian presidency not only comply with the court ruling but also implement policies that address the structural causes of inequality and marginalization in the Amazon, exacerbated by an oil industry that extracts crude at any cost.

Resistance of young Amazonian activists

Amidst this bleak landscape, nine girls and young women from the Amazon rose up against this symbol of destruction. With the support of the Union of People Affected by Texaco's Oil Operations (UDAPT) and the collective Apaguen los Mecheros (Turn Off the Mecheros), these young women decided to confront these fiery monsters, as they call the mecheros, challenging the Ecuadorian state and the oil industry. The activists, whose fight is known as the Mecheros Case (Mecheros Case ), won a historic ruling in 2021 from a court in the Ecuadorian Amazon, which recognized the human rights violations caused by the mecheros, as well as their contribution to greenhouse gas emissions that exacerbate global warming.

Three years later, the activists' struggle continues, because compliance with this ruling remains an empty promise. Despite the order to phase out the flares, prioritizing those close to populated communities, these structures continue to pollute the region, perpetuating negative impacts on the health of its inhabitants and the environment.

In a world on the brink of climate collapse, the struggle of these Amazonian girls and young women and their courage in confronting the state and the national hydrocarbon company, Petroecuador, reminds us that climate justice is, above all, a matter of human rights. Their resilience shows that a better world is possible, but it requires the collective effort of governments, businesses, and citizens.

There is no time to lose

In December 2024, the United Nations announced in its New Year's message that the hottest years on record have been experienced since 2014. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) declared 2024 the warmest year on record, surpassing 2023, the previous record holder. 2024 also saw more hurricanes, storms, fires, floods, and other disasters linked to climate change.

The time to act is now. The flames of the lighters warn us that continuing as we are not only perpetuates the damage, but also brings us closer to the point of no return.

It is time for President Daniel Noboa's government to act decisively, not only to fulfill its national and international human rights and environmental obligations, but also to guarantee a dignified future for all people, especially children and young people who are paying the price for a climate crisis they did not cause. A future that also depends on the urgent elimination of fossil fuels.

The ruling in the Mecheros Case is clear, the science is irrefutable, and time is running out. The affected communities, the young activists risking their lives for the Amazon, and future generations expect more than words. They demand concrete actions and an effective timeline for the elimination of the mecheros, starting with those that poison homes and schools. President Noboa has the opportunity to respond to the courageous cry of these nine young women who defied the unnecessary and dangerous mecheros, for it is time for Ecuador to extinguish the fuse of injustice and ignite life.