Venezuela’s failing lifeline

Diego, Manuel and Miguel fishing in Lake Maracaibo, in Cabimas, Venezuela. The lake has been polluted by oil leaking from damaged pipelines. Gas flares and leaking pipelines from Venezuela’s once-booming oil industry, hobbled by US sanctions and mismanagement, are polluting towns and the major lake. — ©2023 The New York Times Company

EACH morning, José Aguilera inspects the leaves of his banana and coffee plants on his farm in eastern Venezuela and calculates how much he can harvest – almost nothing.

Explosive gas flares from nearby oil wells spew an oily, flammable residue on the plants. The leaves burn, dry up and wither.