UN General Assembly
2007

111 million tons of carbon that would come from the burning of this fossil fuel. However, that will mean that we will have to forgo significant investments of around $720 million each year, a very significant amount for the economy of Ecuador. We are prepared to make this huge sacrifice, but we also ask for shared responsibility on the part of the international community, particularly on the part of developed countries, the planet's main predators, and for a minimum compensation for the environmental benefits that we are generating. That would be an extraordinary example of global collective action, setting aside rhetoric in favour of concrete facts and practical actions: not only would it reduce global warming for the benefit of the whole planet, but it would also bring about a new way of thinking about economics in the twenty-first century, where the generation of value is compensated, not just the generation of goods. Speaking of cultures, we were very happy to see that the General Assembly recently adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples