Statistics show that, when burned, the oil a company like Shell produces is responsible for as much CO2 as the entire Central American region. And Exxon Mobil's production accounts for nearly as many emissions as all of Africa, according to data from environmental groups. Representatives of indigenous peoples are joining the call for an end to drilling. Sarah James, of the Arctic Village, Gwichin Nation, called on the US government not to drill in her homeland which includes parts of the Arctic National Wildlife refuge. Roberto Afanador Cobaria, made a similar plea for the U'wa people who are fighting Occidental Petroleum's encroachment on their lands in Colombia.
Oil companies say that it is progress to exploit oil.
This is not progress. Others, like Salvadoran Ricardo Navarro, Chair of Friends of the Earth International, see climate change as a human rights issue. They are sanctioning the killing of people. The Climate Justice Summit was attended by about 250 people, including a strong contingent from the environmental justice movement in the United States. The watershed meeting marked the first time that such a diverse group of grassroots actvisits from around the world gathered to focus on climate change.