• After 18 days of mass protests and blockades, indigenous leaders in Ecuador won an agreement from the government to cut petrol prices and scrap plans to expand mining and oil exploration. On June 13th, the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador, known as CONAIE, began organizing protests across the country calling for a series of economic policy reforms. Protesters blocked traffic and shut down economic activity nationwide before the actions were called off in talks with the government on June 30th. Dozens of people were injured in confrontations with authorities, and at least six died.
(“Ecuador Government, Indigenous Leaders Reach Deal to End Protests,” Al-Jazeera, June 30, 2022; “Ecuador’s Uprising is Only the Beginning,” Foreign Policy, July 1, 2022)
• Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg is one of the most ambitious politicians in the Biden administration. Yet, Buttigieg has been nearly silent on rising consumer anger over massive airline flight cancellations, delays and high ticket prices. The Bureau of Labor Statistics found that airfares increased far faster than the general rate of inflation and far more than justified by higher fuel costs.
(“Pete Buttigieg’s Day Job,” American Prospect, June 16, 2022; “Flight Cancelled? Pete Buttigieg is Telling the Airlines to Step Up Their Game,” National Public Radio, June 17, 2022)
• For New Mexico environmentalists, the majestic Rio Grande River, which runs through Colorado, New Mexico and Texas, is at “Zero Hour” as it hits historically low levels due to overuse of its waters for irrigation and the impact of climate change. Moreover the current drought is accompanied by an “aridification” of the American West, a prolonged drying out of the ecosystem that scientists say may become a permanent fixture in the region.
(“The Vanishing Rio Grande: Warming Takes a Toll on a Legendary River,” Yale Environment 360, June 2, 2022 )
This week’s News Summary was narrated by Anna Manzo
