Santander’s in the business of eradicating Amazonia

Can I paint a picture for you?

In the heart of the Peruvian Amazon rainforest runs the “Oleoducto Norperuano”, the Northern Peruvian pipeline that is responsible for over 90 oil spills between 2000 and 2019. Owned by PetroPerú, this aging pipeline cuts through the internationally protected Pastaza River area, transporting crude oil to the Talara refinery. Each spill from this pipeline contaminates the water and food sources vital to the Indigenous communities living nearby, causing irreparable harm to the communities who have long opposed oil drilling in their homeland.

The crude oil carried by the Norperuano is transported to Peru’s oldest and second-largest refinery, Talara, which has recently undergone a $5 billion upgrade financed by major global banks, including Santander. Despite its public commitment to avoid funding projects endangering protected areas, Santander financed around $1 billion to PetroPerú to complete this project. This financing supports a refinery capacity increase from 65,000 to 95,000 barrels of oil daily, prompting further drilling in Amazonia to meet this rising demand.

Santander’s financing directly contradicts its climate pledges, fueling problematic extraction practices at a time when Indigenous leaders and scientists declare the Amazon at a tipping point. We cannot stand idly by.

Sign the petition to demand Santander halt its financing of oil and gas projects in Amazonia. With the bank’s Annual General Meeting on March 22nd approaching, now is the time to act.

Santander ranks as the fourth largest financier of Amazonian oil and gas globally and tops among EU banks. This financing, including the Talara refinery upgrade, breaches Santander’s environmental policies and aligns it with the world’s major fossil fuel financiers, like JPMorgan Chase and Citi. The consequences of their financing are dire: Indigenous rights violations, corruption, pollution, and ecosystem destruction that never gets remediated.

In a time of major climate crisis, financing destructive extractive projects is not the legacy a bank trying to be ‘green’ should leave. By signing the petition, you’re not just voicing dissent; you’re joining a groundbreaking campaign to protect one of our planet’s most vital ecosystems.

This is not what a bank with a green policy should be financing. Will you sign the petition to Santander calling on the bank to stop financing the destruction of Amazonia?

Amazonia, a treasure trove of biodiversity and home to over 500 Indigenous communities teeters on the brink of destruction. The relentless expansion of oil and gas extraction pushes this ecological marvel closer to collapse. We must stand with Amazonian communities against the financial behemoths fueling this destruction.

Stand.earth’s “Exit Amazonia Oil and Gas” initiative has already seen success with Barclays committing to end financing for Amazonian oil and gas projects and with half dozen others making commitments to phase out oil and gas financing in the region. We are seeing the domino effect happening.

Confronting giants like Santander and Citi is daunting, but our history of significant victories for environmental preservation fuels my hope for the future. It is ambitious campaigns like this one that safeguard the most vulnerable ecosystems and push for new standards for financial institutions.

Let’s stand united for Amazonia, our planet, and future generations.