The Apaguen los Mecheros campaign: Supporting climate justice in the Amazonian cities of Ecuador by estimating the health risks of gas flaring

On 26 January 2021, the Court of Nueva Loja banned oil-related gas flaring (GF) activities in the Ecuadorian Amazon Region (EAR), establishing a term of 18 months for GF sites ‘near populated centres’ and until 2030 for those remaining. However, it is still unclear how the ruling will be applied. The present study investigates the impact of GF sites on Amazonian settlements to support the application of the ban. This research is part of the Extreme Citizen Science process carried out by the Apaguen los Mecheros campaign—one of the main claimants in the trial. To estimate the impacts on populated centres and four Amazonian cities, literature data on GF impacts were used to create three risk scenarios: very high-risk scenarios (VHR) within 0.65 km, high-risk scenarios (HR) within 2.25 km and moderate-risk scenarios (MR) within 5 km. The results highlighted that 294 of 295 GF sites affect at least one populated centre in the MR and should thus be shut off. Additionally, 92 populated centres are affected in the VHR, 318 populated centres are affected in the HR and 711 populated centres are affected in the MR, while 180 populated centres are affected simultaneously by 6–18 GF sites in the MR. The results also show that 99,918 people in Amazonian cities may be currently affected by the MR, and more than 12,000 are affected in VHR areas. By applying different metrics found in literature, the research provides the first assessment of the risk posed to the health of local communities for GF in the EAR. The results are being used from members of campaign in the trial, showing how participatory processes can support the grassroots and indigenous movements taking action to shape just futures.