20 July 2022 | Oscar van Dam

For years, the Isla oil refinery in Curaçao has put public health at risk. Environmental groups fear the refinery will reopen. But the court’s decision now provides even more clarity: from now on stricter rules apply.

Just like sun and beach, cold beer and cocktails, Curaçao’s Handelskade and Pontjesburg – just to name a few cliches – so refineries and ’emissions concerns’ also belong to the Kingdom’s largest Caribbean nation. This island is included in the top 3 most polluting countries in the world (per population).

Toxic emissions have caused some people to have chronic diseases and people to die prematurely. It has also led to the loss of nature in Curaçao and the destruction of homes, for example.

Then the refinery was closed in 2019. Due to the economic crisis in Venezuela, the lease contract was not renewed by PDVSA. Environmental organizations fear that a new partner means a new odor nuisance. The last decade has clearly shown that meeting international environmental standards has not been a priority for governments.

Breakthrough statement
The court’s ruling has now sparked optimism among environmental activists. Clean Air Everywhere has been proven right: environmental requirements are getting tougher and the government is obliged to enforce them if environmental standards are violated by new owners.

It is truly a breakthrough that the government is now dealing with the environmental standards of the World Health Organization (United Nations). “And because it’s not the standard that Curaçao set in 2020. According to the judge, it’s not a difficult situation,” said Gert Mulder of Clean Air Everywhere.

‘Curacao politics provides a bit of openness’
Environmental organizations point out that the government has provided ‘a bit of openness’ for decades. That’s worrying, thought Peter van Leeuwen of the Clean Environment Foundation in Curaçao (Smoc). “We had a lot of questions, for a long time, but they went unanswered.”

‘How do we prevent schools from being evacuated again, people getting sick and dying prematurely?’

“For years there was no enforcement and environmental standards were exceeded. What I want to know is how we can prevent schools from having to be evacuated again, people getting sick and dying prematurely due to emissions from the Isla refinery and its BOO power plant.”

He showed me two tables with government figures. Due to the closure of the refinery, the air has definitely become cleaner. “We no longer need to discuss who was responsible for emissions for years. Not exhaust fumes from cars and not from energy company Aqualectra, but refinery and power plant BOO.”

Disclosure is needed, now another press release from the government is published in June. “They want to switch to gas. That’s good, because it’s cleaner. But”, Van Leeuwen wondered, “What kind of gas? And will the BOO power plant at the Isla site also use gas? How can it be ensured in the new situation that no environmental standards are being exceeded?”

Criticism of environmental organizations
There has also been criticism on social media from environmental organizations such as Clean Air Everywhere for ensuring that people in Curaçao remain unemployed. Mulder believes the criticism is unjustified. Unions also reacted negatively to the decision. With the emphasis on WHO standards, the refinery will never be able to open again, according to union chairman Gherrel Remilia (Apri).

“It’s 2022, there’s a lot of attention to climate change. That means stricter standards. The government could have responded to this, but not yet. We just want to prevent people from getting into the stench again. The problem is with the government.”