Ecuadorian Government Declares State of Emergency Over Oil Spill

The Ecuadorian government declared a state of emergency on December 22 in response to a 600-gallon oil spill that took place in the Galapagos Islands, according to an announcement from the Ministry of the Environment. While the government quickly released a statement maintaining that the spill was under control, conservationists and Ecuadorian citizens worry about the effects that it will have on the fragile ecosystem of the Galapagos Archipelago.

According to Al Jazeera, the incident took place in a port on San Cristobal Island, located just over 600 miles off Ecuador’s mainland coast. As cargo was being loaded onto a ship, the crane lowering the crate lost control, falling onto the ship and causing it to overturn. Crew members quickly jumped overboard as the ship became unstable, and all were able to avoid injury. Galapagos National Park authorities worked alongside the Ecuadorian Navy in order to implement emergency measures including barriers and oil-absorbent cloths in an attempt to contain the spill, according to CNN.

The Galapagos Islands have received designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to the incredible diversity and uniqueness of their marine and land ecosystems. Conservationists emphasize that the zone is especially important, as many species in it cannot be found elsewhere in the world. The islands are also famous for inspiring Charles Darwin’s landmark scientific work on evolution and natural selection.

Recent oil spills, along with other troubling trends such as over-tourism, have the potential to put all of this at risk. According to Al Jazeera, 60 percent of the marine iguana population was destroyed by a 2001 oil spill, and more than half of the reptile species in the archipelago are threatened or endangered. While scientists have not detected any adverse effects on animal populations from the most recent spill, but it is impossible to know what long term effects it will have on the ecosystem.

Ecuador is no stranger to oil pollution, with the decades-long Chevron-Texaco case receiving considerable media coverage and drawing criticism worldwide. Ecuadorian oil pollution has had adverse effects not only on wildlife but also on human health and quality of life, according to Business Insider. Ecuadorian communities have long demanded more responsible management of oil in their country. This tumultuous history makes it all the more troubling to note that the same barge involved in the December 2019 spill sunk in a similar incident in February 2018, according to DW.
Environmental advocacy groups issued strong responses to the incident. One group, SOS Galapagos, posted photos of the spill on Twitter, decrying what they called an “illegal and dangerous operation,” and asking that the work in the oil industry be moved to another site to reduce environmental impact. However, the Ecuadorian government has not announced any planned changes to the way it manages oil in the Galapagos Islands in response to this incident.