"Keep the Oil in the Soil": Ecuador Seeks Money to Keep Untapped Oil Resources Underground

Friday, December 11, 2009 :As delegates discuss various ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, our next guest has a simple message: keep untapped oil in the ground. Ivonne Yanez is an environmental activist from Ecuador, one of the larger oil producing countries in Latin America. Ecuador is believed to be sitting on an oil reserve of hundreds of millions of barrels. But the oil is located in the Yasuni National Park, one of the most biodiverse places on the planet. Ecuador has launched a unique campaign to have the international community compensate the country in exchange for keeping the oil in the ground.