This document discusses the concept of ecological debt, which refers to the environmental costs that wealthy countries and elites have imposed on poorer nations and local communities through activities like carbon emissions, biopiracy, and environmental damage. It argues that ecological debt increases the vulnerability of these nations and communities. The document examines ways to quantify ecological debt using metrics like ecological footprints and considers how repayment could be achieved through mechanisms like debt cancellation, redirecting military spending, and ending fossil fuel subsidies.

1. Ecological debt: how we ask for
its repayment?
CENSAT Agua Viva – FoE
Colombia
Friends of the Earth International
Bali, 2007
Juana Camacho email:
deuda@censat.org

2. WHAT IS ECOLOGICAL DEBT
CARBON DEBT
BIOPIRACY
EVIRONMENTAL LIABILITIES
UNPAID COSTS

3. WHERE WE STAND
ECOLOGICAL DEBT IS OWED BY RICH
ELITES
ECOLOGICAL DEBT INCREASES VULNERABILITY OF
LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND COUNTRIES
MONEY SHOULD BE USED IN MAKING THE PLANET
A BETTER PLACE THAN IN DESTROYING IT

4. HOW TO QUANTIFY
ECOLOGICAL DEBT
ECOLOGICAL DEBT IS ABOUT CRIMES, HUMAN RIGHTS
VIOLATION, IS NOT POSSIBLE TO QUANTIFY HUMAN LIFES
BUT WE NEED RESOURCES TO FACE
IMPLICATIONS OF ECOLOGICAL DEBT
BUT WE NEED RESOURCES TO FACE
IMPLICATIONS OF ECOLOGICAL DEBT
resources have to be raised in a
justice framework

5. HOW TO QUANTIFY
ECOLOGICAL DEBT
Ecological footprint as main starting
point
What do market prices stand for?
Do the math

6. Debitors or Creditors?
Credit after Debt prior
to transfer to transfer
Top 10 creditors
Malaysia 178,389 39,673
Venezuela 26,160 35,360
Indonesia 11,216 128,940
Paraguay 8,693 2,162
Latvia 5,764 475
Botswana 5,728 614
Colombia 4,795 28,900
P N Guinea 4,619 2,507
Gabon 3,983 4,310
Uruguay 3,614 5,901

7. Where the money should come
from?
• Debt cancellation: USD 728 bn
1996
• Military spending redirection:
USD 1 tn 2006
• Ecological debt repayment?
• Redirection of fossil fuels
subsidies