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A man holds a turtle with its body full of oil, in a community contaminated by oil spills and the proliferation of “verdin” on the waters of Lake Maracaibo, in Zulia state, Venezuela, 12 July 2023. The shores of Lake Maracaibo, the largest in Venezuela, are thick and green, since the accumulation of oil, the product of numerous spills, and the proliferation of a solid bacterium in the area have created a swamp, whose putrefaction affects the health and economy of the locals. The situation is, according to residents and environmentalists, an emergency, something that the government ruled out, although it admitted that there is a problem due to the proliferation of the bacteria called “verdin“, without mentioning the oil spills, but assured that this does not affect the “excellent conditions” in which the estuary is located. (Photo by Henry Chirinos/EPA)
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