Francia Márquez, An Environmental Activist & The New Vice President Of Columbia

In a radical departure from the past, Colombia’s last elections resulted in Francia Márquez becoming the first black vice-president.

Afro-Columbian, she and Gustavo Petro ran a campaign that put the needs of the poor and the environment ahead of those of the wealthy.

Their manifesto promised a departure from the reliance on fossil fuels into a more sustainable resource.

This election comes at an essential time. Just a few weeks before this, a ruling in a court of the Santander province gave the go-ahead to two pilot fracking projects.

Columbia had previously banned hydraulic fracturing, as well as all methods of non-conventional energy deposits.

Overturning this ban would lead to a greater reliance on fossil fuels.

Fracking can lead to polluted air and water by releasing tonnes of methane, an even deadlier greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.

The country’s political scene has been dominated by the affluent and well-connected.

Gustav and Márquez hope to be a breath of fresh air. Márquez has been an agent of change in the past.

Stories

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