Sporco petrolio. Legambiente publishes figures and stories of corruption and pollution in Italy
Rights — di Redazione
Legambiente has presented Sporco petrolio, a dossier on corruption, pollution and wrongdoing in Italy caused by oil exploitation.
Sporco petrolio. Legambiente publishes figures and stories of corruption and pollution in Italy
Legambiente has presented Sporco petrolio, a dossier on corruption, pollution and wrongdoing in Italy caused by oil exploitation.
by Chiara Boracchi and Tommaso Perrone
The case of the Viggiano oil processing centre and of Tempa Rossa, in Basilicata, are the tip of an iceberg whose base conceals a network of scandals and crimes linked to oil exploitation. Over the past two and a half years, 189 people have been investigated: 97 for environmental and health-related offences, and 92 under investigation for crimes connected to corruption, fraud and tax evasion. The dossier Sporco petrolio – la lunga scia della corruzione, dell'inquinamento e del malaffare attempts to shed light on the consequences of oil and gas extraction in Italy. The figures and stories of the other face of black gold were presented on 8 April in Perugia, during the Festival internazionale del giornalismo.
Oil vs archaeology: the case of Thapsos and surroundings
Basilicata, however, is not the only region affected by the consequences of pollution and wrongdoing linked to oil extraction. Moving to Sicily, in the province of Syracuse, the story of the archaeological area of Thapsos, in the municipality of Priolo Gargallo, is emblematic: a site dating back to the thirteenth century BC that has suffered damage from pollution and loss of context due to the construction of one of the most heavily used jetties for the handling of Ragusa crude oil. According to Sebastiano Tusa, archaeologist and Superintendent of the Sea of Sicily, "this entire area is one of the richest in the Mediterranean from an archaeological standpoint." The petrochemical hub "has destroyed part of the contexts of the sites and has severely polluted the sea, making underwater excavations more difficult," Tusa continues. "About a mile to the south of Thapsos there is a wreck of great Greek-Hellenistic importance because it was carrying ivory destined for Syracuse. Our initial recoveries and preliminary investigations indicate that the sands on the seabed are impregnated with pollutants. This is a very serious situation, both from an environmental and a cultural point of view."
Voting in the referendum carries a profound meaning
"Going to vote on 17 April means sending a clear and unequivocal signal about the energy policy we want. Taking part in the referendum does not only mean wanting to place a limit on the duration of oil and gas research and extraction concessions within 12 miles: it means indicating what future we want for the citizens and territories of this country," declared the national president of Legambiente Rossella Muroni, commenting on the report.
The alternative to fossil fuels and wrongdoing
The end of the fossil fuel era is, in fact, not merely an environmental issue or one connected to the health of people and ecosystems. It is also an attempt to break a chain whose links are bound by negative dynamics rooted in wrongdoing, in a web of business interests and private gain that has little to do with Italians' hunger for energy. For all these reasons, Muroni concludes, people must go and vote on 17 April, to tell everyone "what future we want for the citizens and territories of this country; it means pushing Italy towards a clean future, free from the illegality, the risks and the pollution that characterise the oil supply chain."