Amazon Watch is a left-of-center environmentalist organization that focuses on preventing development and urbanization in the Amazon rainforest. The organization has in the past cooperated with disbarred attorney Steven Donzinger, who was involved in what a federal judge characterized as an “egregious fraud” against Chevron relating to an oil spill in Ecuador. ¹

Amazon Watch has opposed the use of zero carbon nuclear energy. ²

Activities

Amazon Watch was created in 1996 with the stated purpose of protecting the Amazon rainforest and advancing the rights of the local indigenous peoples. ³

Amazon Watch provides funding to individuals who live in indigenous communities to protest investments that would develop the natural resources of the Amazon or urbanize such areas. This funding incentivizes indigenous communities to oppose development efforts across the Amazon. ⁴

On January 24, 2021, Amazon Watch announced that it successfully helped convince Credit Suisse, Dutch lender ING, and France’s BNP Paribas to cease their investments in oil production in Ecuador. ⁵

Amazon Watch conducted a media campaign to push the Biden administration and firms such as JP Morgan Chase, BlackRock, and Citigroup to commit to limiting development in the Amazon rainforest. ⁶

Donzinger Controversy

In 2014, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York ruled that a $9 billion⁷ judgment against Chevron relating to an oil spill in Ecuador, was the product of fraud spearheaded by lawyer and activist Steven Donzinger and barred Donzinger from attempting to share in any proceeds from its enforcement. ⁸

The ruling referred to Amazon Watch as a “central player in Donziger’s publicity campaign.” In assessing Amazon Watch’s complicity with Donzinger, the court found that “[a]lthough Amazon Watch’s public materials did not bear Donziger’s name, Donziger himself drafted many Amazon Watch materials.” For instance, the court found that Donziger wrote a letter in Amazon Watch’s name to the Securities and Exchange Commission, calling upon the SEC to investigate Chevron for alleged failure to inform shareholders regarding the scope of an oil spill in Ecuador. ⁹

The court ultimately concluded that the Amazon Watch letter authored by Donziger grossly exaggerated the estimated financial liability that Chevron was facing, alleged to be $6 billion, despite Donziger being informed by his environmental consultant that the estimate was too high. ¹⁰

Opposition to Nuclear Energy

Amazon Watch was one of more than 600 co-signing organizations on a January 2019 open letter to Congress titled “Legislation to Address the Urgent Threat of Climate Change.” The signatories declared their support for new laws to bring about “100 percent decarbonization” of the transportation sector but denounced nuclear power as an example of “dirty energy” that should not be included in any legislation promoting the use of so-called “renewable energy.” ¹¹

Nuclear power plants produce no carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gas emissions, and as of 2021 accounted for 19 percent of American electricity production—the largest source of zero carbon electricity in the United States. ¹² An October 2018 proposal from The Nature Conservancy noted that zero-carbon nuclear plants produced 7.8 percent of total world energy output and recommended reducing carbon emissions by increasing nuclear capacity to 33 percent of total world energy output. ¹³

Funding

In 2019 Amazon Watch received $1,804,960 in grants and contributions. ¹⁴  The organization reported $1,807,867 in total revenue,¹⁵ $1,783,957 in expenses,¹⁶ and $294,813 in net assets after accounting for all liabilities. ¹⁷

Leadership

Atossa Soltani is the founder and president of the board of Amazon Watch, where she served as executive director for eighteen years. ¹⁸ Prior to joining the organization, she worked at the Rainforest Action Network from 1991-1996. ¹⁹ She is a board member of the left-of-center Christensen Fund. ²⁰

1. Fisher, Daniel. “Judge Calls Chevron Verdict Product Of ‘Egregious Fraud,’ Unenforceable.” Forbes. March 4, 2014. Accessed April 24, 2021. https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielfisher/2014/03/04/judge-finds-chevron-verdict-product-of-fraud-and-unenforceable/?sh=752bce6926a2
2. “Group letter to Congress urging Green New Deal passage.” Earthworks. January 10, 2019. Accessed July 27, 2023. https://www.earthworks.org/publications/group-letter-to-congress-urging-green-new-deal-passage/
3. “About us.” Amazon Watch. Accessed May 11, 2021. Available at: https://amazonwatch.org/about
4. “Amazon Defenders Fund” Amazon Watch. https://amazonwatch.org/get-involved/amazon-defenders-fund
5. Neghaiwi, Brenna, et al. “European Lenders Exit Amazon Oil Trade After Scrutiny by Campaigners” Amazon Watch. https://amazonwatch.org/news/2021/0124-european-lenders-exit-amazon-oil-trade-after-scrutiny-by-campaigners
6. Marshall-Hallmark, Pendel.  “Banks are Budging!” Amazon Watch. https://amazonwatch.org/news/2021/0125-banks-are-budging
7. Fisher, Daniel. “Judge Calls Chevron Verdict Product Of ‘Egregious Fraud,’ Unenforceable.” Forbes. March 4, 2014. Accessed April 24, 2021. https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielfisher/2014/03/04/judge-finds-chevron-verdict-product-of-fraud-and-unenforceable/?sh=752bce6926a2
8. Chevron Corp. v. Donziger, 974 F. Supp. 2d 362 (S.D.N.Y. 2014).
9. Chevron Corp. v. Donziger, 974 F. Supp. 2d 362 (S.D.N.Y. 2014).
10. Chevron Corp. v. Donziger, 974 F. Supp. 2d 362 (S.D.N.Y. 2014).
11. “Group letter to Congress urging Green New Deal passage.” Earthworks. January 10, 2019. Accessed July 27, 2023. https://www.earthworks.org/publications/group-letter-to-congress-urging-green-new-deal-passage/
12. “Nuclear explained.” U.S. Energy Information Administration. Accessed July 25, 2023. https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/nuclear/us-nuclear-industry.php
13. “The Science of Sustainability.” The Nature Conservancy. October 13, 2018. Accessed July 25, 2023. https://www.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-insights/perspectives/the-science-of-sustainability/
14. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Amazon Watch. Part I, lines 8-10. 2019.
15. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Amazon Watch. Part I, line 12. 2019.
16. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Amazon Watch. Part I, line 18. 2019.
17. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Amazon Watch. Part I, line 22. 2019.
18. “Staff and Board.” Amazon Watch. Accessed May 11, 2021. Available at: https://amazonwatch.org/about/staff-and-board
19. “Atossa Soltani, 2013 Hillary Laureate.” Hillary Institute. Accessed May 11, 2021. Available at: https://www.hillaryinstitute.com/atossa-soltani
20. “Atossa Soltani, 2013 Hillary Laureate.” Hillary Institute. Accessed May 11, 2021. Available at: https://www.hillaryinstitute.com/atossa-soltani