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The Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz took advantage of the XXII edition of the National Environmental Award, held this Thursday at the Meliá Cohíba hotel in Havana, to proclaim that Fidel and Raúl Castro were "pioneers" in the protection of Cuba's natural environment, leaving a "legacy that is still relevant today."
The ceremony, organized by the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Environment (CITMA) under the motto "Fidel in Memory: Heritage, Awareness, and Environmental Action," was part of the celebrations for the centenary of Fidel Castro's birth. The event took an additional turn: Marrero used the microphone to express political support for Raúl Castro, recently accused by the U.S. Department of Justice for the downing of two aircraft from Brothers to the Rescue in 1996, in which four people lost their lives.
In his speech, Marrero recalled Fidel Castro's address at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, where the then-leader stated, "Use all the necessary science for sustainable development without pollution," and noted that "those strong international denunciations he made... back in Rio, that has gone down in history."
Regarding Raúl, the Prime Minister was equally generous: "He was not only a great continuer, but he was also one of the pioneers in environmental care," and cited as proof of that ecological sensitivity that the former leader ordered the creation of pathways for reptiles in the internal roads of hotels and the construction of six camping sites in areas where the coastline was damaged.
The environmental reality of Cuba, however, tells a different story. The minister of CITMA, Armando Rodríguez Batista, admitted in September 2025 that the garbage "is scattered all over Havana", a confession that hardly aligns with the narrative of decades of exemplary environmental protection.
In February 2026, fires from makeshift landfills and open burning of waste had become a daily occurrence in Havana, Matanzas, and Manzanillo, releasing dioxins and furans. The Almendares River receives more than thousands of cubic meters daily of waste. Since 2022, the Cuban government has identified 2,200 sources of water pollution across the country: 776 from industrial sources, 566 from agricultural sources, and 818 from urban sources.
The fire at the Supertankers Base in Matanzas in August 2022 emitted thousands of tons of harmful gases and pollutants, with reports of acid rain in the area. In Guantánamo, authorities have observed that the Guaso River has been turned into a dumping ground for years. In Moa, Holguín, the air pollution posing health risks caused by mining activities has been documented since 2011.
None of this prevented Minister Rodríguez Batista from concluding his speech with the rallying cry, "Long live the Cuban environment! Long live Fidel and Raúl! Long live a Free Cuba!" nor did it stop the Villa Clara delegation of CITMA from presenting a commemorative plaque with the motto "Science in Villa Clara is called Fidel."
Among the awardees of the day were the Abel Santamaría International Airport in Villa Clara, M.Sc. Frank Huerta López —a professor with 24 years of experience in environmental education in Matanzas—, Dr.C. María del Carmen Velazco Gómez —deputy of CITMA in Villa Clara with over 27 years of service—, and Dr.C. Maritza García García, president of the Environment Agency.
Marrero concluded his speech with a personal message to the former leader: "The people of Cuba are and will always be with Raúl. And we are eternally grateful for his work, his continuity of the legacy of the commander in chief, his personal example with his foot in the stirrup. We wish him much happiness on his upcoming birthday and a long life because we need him."
That the 22nd edition of the National Environmental Award primarily served to reaffirm the legacy of the Castros and defend Raúl against criminal charges in the United States accurately summarizes the gap between the regime's official narrative and the polluted reality of Cuba that suffers the consequences.
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