Oil spill causes “national emergency” in Trinidad and Tobago

An oil spill in Trinidad and Tobago from a “mystery ship” last week has led prime minister Keith Rowley to label the situation a “national emergency.” Trinidadian authorities have reportedly been unable to fully contain the spill. Given the unknown ownership of the ship and its origins, authorities are unsure how much oil may remain in the vessel and when they will have the situation fully under control. 

The oil has covered various beaches and damaged a reef, per reports. Furthermore, “the spill comes at the height of Carnival, threatening the tourist business that is crucial to the dual-island nation's economy. Just how badly tourism will be affected remains unclear. A cruise ship carrying 3,000 people docked in Tobago on Sunday,” says CBS.

Amid the high costs of cleanup and the impacts of the spill, Trinidadian authorities are considering calling for international aid and support. “Several unidentified countries have offered to help, and discussions about those efforts are ongoing,” according to Rowley, notes AP. 

(T&T Guardian, CBS, The Guardian, AP)

Oil spills are not new to the oil-producing nation. Previous spills in Trinidad and Tobago—and their cleanup efforts—have caused major controversy and criticisms by environmental defenders, as highlighted, for example, by Common Dreams and The Guardian in 2021 and The Dodo in 2014.

Ecuador

• “The government in Ecuador is considering ways to avoid closing the 43-ITT oil block, located inside Yasuní National Park in the eastern Amazon, despite the results of a national referendum last year to halt drilling,” reports Mongabay, explaining government arguments that the national economy needs the revenue in spite of the impacts of numerous oil spills and environmental damages. 

• Voice of America describes the recent diplomatic disagreements between Ecuador and Russia, following Ecuador’s decision to send Russian weapons to the US in exchange for help confronting organized crime. 

Argentina 

• An assessment of Argentina’s voting trends during the election last year revealed that “the country is seeing the emergence of a right-wing electorate,” with an ideological gender gap widening among conservative Argentine voters, reports Americas Quarterly.

• The sharp increase in gas prices, brought about by Milei’s economic reforms, has caused fuel consumption to decrease almost 10% in January alone, according to EFE.

Venezuela

• Wall Street Journal analyzes the impact that Wall Street had on the US decision to lift sanctions against Venezuela, showing that “a group of powerful Wall Street investors had been feeding Washington a stream of evidence that showed Venezuelan bonds were being traded by investors with ties to Russia.”

• “The U.S. government has seized a Boeing 747 cargo plane that officials say was previously sold by a sanctioned Iranian airline to a state-owned Venezuelan firm in violation of American export control laws,” reports AP.

• El País draws attention to the unknown whereabouts of Tareck El Aissami, the former Minister of Petroleum - among other government posts -  and one of Maduro’s closest advisors. There has also been no word regarding potential legal implications against him for his role in the PDVSA-Crypto scandal last year.

Brazil

• Racial disparities remain widespread in Brazil, with recent public policies to address racial inequality only affecting a small proportion of Black Brazilians, write Michael França and Alysson Portella in Americas Quarterly. 

• Brazil’s local elections, which are to be held in October this year, will be influenced by the ongoing investigation into former president Jair Bolsonaro, says Reuters. The country’s right-wing opposition has been weakened in light of the recent arrests, search warrants, and demands by the police. 

Colombia

• Colombia has declared a “prison emergency” given the increase of gang activity and violence in penitentiary centers, reports CNN. Security measures in prisons are expected to be strengthened in the coming days.  

Mexico

• “Mexico’s government exempted state-owned Petroleos Mexicanos from a series of taxes for a period of four months, effectively giving the debt-ridden company billions of dollars more in liquidity,” reports Bloomberg.

• “A fall of more than 40% in hydro output meant that only 22% of Mexico's total electricity output came from clean sources last year, compared with 26% in 2022 and over 27.5% in 2021… Greater fossil fuel use also meant Mexico's power emissions increased by 11% last year to more than 175 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), and the highest in over five years,” notes Reuters.

Darien Gap Migration

• “The head of Panama’s National Migration Service predicts a 20% increase in migration through the Darien Gap in 2024. (La Estrella de Panamá)” (via Americas Migration Brief)

Regional Relations

• Mauricio Claver-Carone, former US official during the Trump administration, said that Latin America would be a priority for the president in the event of a second Trump administration, reports La Política Online. 

Global Development

• In World Politics Review, Judah Grunstein argues that Bob Marley’s vision of “One Love” has significant implications for global development efforts.