Environmental racism in the green province
Environmental racism in the green province
by Shodona Kettle and Andrea Castillo
Close your eyes and imagine yourself taking a dip in your local river.
The water feels cool against your skin. Sunlight dances across the rippling surface. Fish weave around your feet. The river is full of life. It’s the river you’ve always known, the river your community calls its own.
Now open your eyes.
The river runs black. A thick layer of oil coats the shore. The fish are gone. Even the sun seems to hide. The river is dead. A state of emergency has been declared: another oil spill has devastated the beloved river in Ecuador’s lush green province of Esmeraldas.
On March 13th, a section of the Trans-Ecuadorian Oil Pipeline (SOTE), which cuts across the Amazon, the Andes, and the coast, ruptured. Initially, it was blamed on landslides caused by heavy rains. Now, there are whispers of possible sabotage. According to Mayor Vicko Villacís, around 200,000 barrels of oil spilled into the Esmeraldas River. The impact has been catastrophic – for the rivers, for the Pacific coast, and for the people of Esmeraldas. Tragically, this isn’t the first time a disaster like this has struck the region.
Located on Ecuador’s northern coast, Esmeraldas is one of the most ecologically rich areas in the world, abundant in natural resources. Ecuador is a major oil producer, home to three refineries. The Esmeraldas refinery, opened in 1977 and run by the state-owned PetroEcuador, can process up to 360,000 barrels a day. It sits in a city with a large Afro-Ecuadorian population, surrounded by impoverished communities that have endured the plant’s toxic effects for decades.
Between 2012 and 2022, there were 1,584 reported oil spills in Ecuador – two major ones in Esmeraldas that severely damaged both the environment and people’s lives, with little government oversight or meaningful action. Esmeraldas is often described as a ‘forgotten province’ plagued by chronic state neglect in the face of environmental disasters, crumbling infrastructure, and rising insecurity.
This latest spill has affected nearly half a million people leaving many without access to clean water, food, or other essentials. What we are seeing is environmental racism in action. In this system, the lives of these people seem expendable. What matters is the national economy and the profit of a few. The environmental violence and racism in Esmeraldas are not accidents – they are rooted in a modern colonial structure that hides behind racist justifications.
Though the refinery’s location is often defended as ‘strategic’ due to its port access, the real question is: strategic for whom? That so-called strategy, wrapped in the logic of modernization and investment, has been an excuse to systematically impoverish and displace Afro-Esmeraldeño communities, their culture, and their land.
And when we talk about culture, we are not just referring to health impacts. We are talking about the tangible and intangible parts of a way of life. The river, a living entity with legal rights under Ecuador’s 2008 Constitution, is more than just a source of food. It’s where knowledge is passed down, where traditions are kept alive. Black women, in particular, are especially vulnerable. Many of their everyday activities like fishing, washing clothes, spiritual ceremonies, bring them into direct contact with these polluted environments, putting their health at long-term risk.
Today, the rivers and coastline of Esmeraldas are completely contaminated. The Emergency Operations Committee (COE) has closed access to beaches like Las Camarones, Las Palmas, and Las Piedras due to public safety concerns. For many who already lacked access to clean drinking water (only about 9% of the rural population has a public water system) the situation is now even more dire.
In a province where over 70% of the population is of African descent, Esmeraldas is rising up – on the streets and online – demanding justice, reparation, and recognition. From grassroots protests to digital campaigns, this historically marginalised community is calling out the systemic environmental racism and state abandonment that has become all too familiar.
For a region so central to Ecuador’s political economy, rich in biodiversity, natural wealth, and cultural heritage, it’s past time to prioritise the well-being of Esmeraldas’ people and the precious ecosystems that gave the province its name: La Provincia Verde, the Green Province.
As the black waters slowly recede, one thing is clear: the recovery must centre the lives and dignity of Afro-Esmeraldeño people. Their right to a healthy environment cannot be overlooked any longer. This time, environmental justice must be real, and it must last.