Milazzo oil refinery
We had to close the windows last night: the air stank of gas. That's right, like a chemistry lab when all the Bunsen burners are on. Or when the burner is slow to ignite on your gas cooker and some gas leaks into the air. Except that the refinery is several kilometres away across the bay. And the whole town of Milazzo was inundated with the reek of gas. People outside went home. You simply could not be outside with the chemical toxins in the air. The oil refinery, in the local newspaper the following morning, blamed the smell on an oil tanker (there is always an excuse). But: oil tanker, or oil refinery – who cares where it comes from? The issue is this: there should be NO smell in the air, no toxins released into the atmosphere, because thousands of people live nearby. Which brings us to the crux: there should be NO oil refinery in an area where thousands of people live in close proximity. I’m particularly aware of it because I have Norwegian friends visiting at the minut...