00:00The Uruguayan government has authorized companies to conduct seismic analysis in Uruguayan waters in search of oil.
00:10Environmental organizations are questioning the decision. With the details, our colleague Mateo Brilla.
00:15The Uruguayan Ministry of Environment has granted an environmental authorization and given the go-ahead for four international companies
00:26to carry out seismic prospecting projects in Uruguay's exclusive economic zone.
00:31The companies are Searcher Geodata, CGE Service, AP Exploration and PES.
00:36The prospecting intended to obtain geological data that will allow for the evaluation of future drilling in search of oil
00:43and may be conducted until April at a distance of between 150 and 300 kilometers from the coast and the depths of 50 and 5,000 meters.
00:54Nature is not simply a resource, but a community of living beings, including humans.
01:01Seismic surveys in Uruguayan waters linked to hydrocarbon exploration significantly affect this vital network.
01:09It has been proven that the acoustic waves generated by seismic studies alter behavior, feeding, and well-being patterns.
01:19The government decision was rejected by dozens of social organizations that protest several times at public hearings prior to authorization.
01:26Everything that is happening is in violation of national and international environmental protection regulations,
01:37and also the procedure in which it is happening because the real impacts that will be had are being hidden.
01:43This fragmentation of projects is like fragmenting the habitat to make it seem like we are studying it, or analyzing it.
01:50These fragmented projects are fragmenting the impacts and not allowing us to see the totality of what is being discussed,
01:57which is of unprecedented seriousness, to think of Uruguay as an extractive country.
02:04A few days ago, hundreds of people got in front of the presidential building to protest government decision and demand an oil freeze.
02:14In addition, more than 20,000 signature rejection of the authorization were delivered,
02:19and the protesters asked to be received by authorities.
02:22There is no anonymity within the government either.
02:25Government legislators are calling for the authorization to be revoked,
02:29because the environmental risks of seismic prospecting are very high.
02:34The problem with offshore oil extraction is the ecological risks, and these risks are of low probability,
02:45but when an accident occurs, the catastrophe is one of magnitude.
02:49Let's look at what happened in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010.
02:53Not so long ago, in the 21st century, with state-of-the-art technology,
02:5980,000 barrels of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico.
03:04To this day, there are environmental consequences.
03:07The decline of whales, dolphins, and everything that has been studied, even crabs.
03:13But not only that, there is also an impact on the coast.
03:20The Ministry of Environment has stated that sessional precaution has been taken to minimize risk
03:26and technical experts have approved the authorization.
03:29In any case, social organizations continue to react to the decision.
03:34Mateo Grille, Telesur, Montevideo, Uruguay.
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