A Tale About the Future
Sitting on a rooftop, 3 friends look in the distance as the flame of their city's refinery glowed in the darkness of the night.
The sky seems to be on fire! - says Ale while pointing with his finger
That flame is really something beautiful - Man exclaimed. Just watch it shine, it seems that nothing turns it off.
Sofia enters the conversation
I don't think it is such a beautiful thing! The refinery has been founded for more than 60 years and being the oldest in the national refining system means that the impact on the atmosphere has been that great.
But how long is it? And what do you mean by impact? - Asked Ale - From here I calculate that flame 15 meters -he laughs- although it seems to measure even more, I have no idea but the flame looks GIANT!
Manu smiles and comments
My dad says Torch! and it has been on for about 7 or 8 years, they also call it "flairing", but what they tell me is like this because it resembles the Victory of the oil tankers! They live around here, don't they? my old man never liked to lose.
Well, I do not agree, - answers Sofía annoyed - it is more I believe that it is a waste of valuable resources as well as a significant source of greenhouse gases, maybe your father will win although we all lose because in the long run it degrades both the environment and the quality of life of future generations.
So they emit methane, sulfur dioxide, and those sulfurous compounds? - Ale asks a little worried- with reason my grandfather has started to have respiratory problems and I do not doubt that my younger brother also has them, who already has asthma, it is something that directly damages public health.
- Manu - he says - We do not have to worry so much, we know that the Earth's climate has always changed and that CO2 is a small part of the atmosphere, it cannot have a great warming effect, otherwise they would not be rehabilitating the 6 refineries in the country and increasing the national supply of fuels, much less building a new refinery in Dos Bocas.
-Sofia answers a little desperately
Not only is it CO2! There are also other substances such as Mercury, suspended particles smaller than 10 microns (PM10) and 2.5 microns (PM2.5), ozone, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide, without However, in at least 21 other cities in the country the air quality is poor and the authorities have not taken any action.
But how interesting - Ale reacts with astonishment - just recently I read a news story about a study that reveals that pollution from oil, coal and gas entails huge financial losses and that it kills around 4 and a half million people in the world every year, They are not as many as the Covid but hey is already a considerable number.
-Manu says- Well well...but we must make it clear that all the waste generated by the activities of this industry, such as spent catalysts and oily sludge, are deposited in drums, patios and rustic pits, this in order to no longer continue polluting natural spaces.
Sofía - You know better than anyone that regulations are not applied in our country, the pollution discharged by a coke plant inside the refinery has affected the land so much that some vegetables have stopped being produced and the harvests are decreasing, they simply no longer they are planted due to the toxicity of the soil, leaving several families without sustenance.
-Ale asks- And all this happens only by a refinery? What will happen when they finish building Dos Bocas? Things will surely change drastically around it, as has happened before, here where we live, water was searched and oil was found, and since that day everything natural has been lost.
-Manu says- But the Dos Bocas Refinery will generate only 135 thousand jobs in its construction, and it will be the start of a new era to produce wealth and energy sovereignty, it will transform Mexico of that we are sure here.
Many experts mention that if there is environmental degradation we could not define it as development - answers Sofía - because for a balance in the environmental, economic and social aspects to be truly sustainable, the projects of this government should predominate, but it seems that it was everything contrary.
Ale says - I am concerned that the mistake will be repeated once more, and above all that we are not prepared to assume the consequences that will come with the impact, it is a final decision, the refinery will be built and with that all habitable areas will grow exponentially and the region will be deforested further, rivers, lakes and parts of the ocean will be polluted, we will further endanger our wealth of natural resources and biodiversity, someone will have to plan it in the best way.
-Manu approaches and touches his head to answer
Well, I understand more what you say, important to be able to rethink the following steps, that we could design in a more sustainable way so that the ecological footprint decreases, find more friendly ways to design that inevitable development, how to manage industrial waste, water treatment, of electricity supply, I have listened to your points and on second thought, we still have time to do something, I think.
- Sofía - he says - Environmental compensation will be necessary, and of course there is time for that I have no doubt, despite the fact that there are international and environmental commitments that we are not fulfilling 100, to begin to inform ourselves and understand our relationship with nature and our basic needs will give us a future to believe in, we will not stop looking for it until we find it.
You are very right Sofi! - Ale responds enthusiastically - we have to redouble our efforts to protect and safeguard the cultural and natural heritage of Mexico, an inclusive and sustainable urbanization will give the capacity to plan and manage the next human settlements around the Refinery.
Sofia- concludes - We have to respond to the most pressing problem that we face as a species, the information will help governments to gain confidence to take the measures that are needed to face the climate crisis.
