Presentation short abstract

From a decolonial environmental justice lens, this research analyses one of the oldest and most severe cases of oil pollution in the Peruvian Amazon, first unpacking the coloniality embedded in it and second examining transformative, holistic justice approaches to address historical injustices.

Presentation long abstract

Oil Block 192 (formerly 1AB) lies in the northern Peruvian Amazon, overlapping Quechua, Achuar, and Kichwa territories. As one of Peru’s oldest and most intensively exploited oil fields, it has caused historical impacts on the environment, health, livelihoods, social organisation, culture, worldviews, and collective rights. Despite significant advances led by Indigenous organisations in the pursuit of justice that resulted in the Peruvian State assuming responsibility for the environmental remediation of longstanding contaminated sites, implementation has been delayed, and there remains no clarity on how other historical impacts will be comprehensively addressed. After more than fifty years of oil extraction, the recognition of harm, remediation processes, and the very notion of justice remain deeply contested, perpetuating violence and impunity.

From a decolonial perspective, this research examines transformative, holistic justice measures that can address the historical impacts of oil extraction within these territories. Drawing on qualitative methods such as conversations with community representatives and documentary analysis, it, first, unravels how the coloniality of power (structural and institutional violence), knowledge (epistemic violence), and being (ontological violence) are embedded in this case, reproducing fundamental forms of harm that must be addressed; and, second, explores insights for rethinking current approaches—such as purely technical environmental remediation—and envisioning transformative, holistic justice frameworks, including decolonial environmental restorative justice and reparations from a Pluriversal standpoint.

The findings aim to contribute to Indigenous communities’ ongoing struggles for justice and to challenge the colonial foundations of the Peruvian state in order to envision pluriversal and more-than-human futures.