“Strong safeguards and rigorous enforcement are needed to prevent this from ever happening again. If we can't protect a biodiversity hotspot like the Galapagos Islands from this kind of pollution, nowhere is safe. There's a dark symbolism to this Galapagos spill, which comes as fossil fuel pollution creates a climate crisis that will snuff out countless species around the globe.” Kristin Moswell, Center for Biological Diversity
Charles Darwin, came up with the theory of evolution in the archipelago of the Galapagos Islands. In the 1950’s, the government of Ecuador established Galapagos National Park, preserving 97% of the land area as well as designating the surrounding waters as a National Marine Reserve.
Ecuador declared a state of emergency Sunday after a barge carrying nearly 2,300 liters of diesel fuel sank at the Galapagos Islands.
A crane collapsed while loading fuel onto the ship at a port on San Cristobal, the easternmost island of the Galapagos chain. A heavy container of fuel fell to the deck, causing the barge to go down while the crew jumped overboard for their lives.
Soldiers and environmentalists immediately deployed barriers and absorbent cloths to stop the spilled fuel from spreading. Experts will assess the damage.
The Galapagos, which are part of Ecuador, is a United Nations World Heritage Site and is one of the globe's most fragile ecosystems.
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What a tragedy for this very fragile eco-system.
