External debt and ecological debt: Who owes whom?

In Peru, extractive industries account for over 60 per cent of the country’s exports. But this does little for Peruvians, 30 per cent of whom remain below the national poverty line. Mining has serious consequences for the environment and human rights. This adds to the ecological debt that rich countries, which benefit from this exploitation, owe to the local populations who suffer its harmful effects.

Our partners, the Episcopal Commission for Social Action (CEAS) and the Bartolomé de Las Casas Institute (IBC), work closely with affected communities to help them assert their rights