Originally published here. For important background, see Rachel Carson's Silent Spring.
Green issues are sometimes very complex. We need to recycle many things, like electronics, but we certainly don’t want to poison others in the process. Efforts to protect the environment and conserve valuable resources must be coupled with proper health and safety procedures. Unfortunately, just saying this doesn’t make it happen. Developing countries are becoming a dumping ground for much toxic waste while proper environmental health and safety is being ignored, both by local opportunists and suppliers of e-Waste from developed nations. From Greenpeace:
This shocking documentary from Greenpeace shows how “second hand goods” exported to Ghana for reuse are actually causing horrendous pollution. “People in the developed countries bring them here to bridge the digital gap but in actual fact they are creating a digital dump.”
Ghana — The latest place where we have discovered high tech toxic trash causing horrendous pollution is in Ghana. Our analysis of samples taken from two electronic waste (e-waste) scrap yards in Ghana has revealed severe contamination with hazardous chemicals.
Similar problems occur in China and, surprisingly, even in developed countries. See related information about toxic waste dumps all over the world here.
However, you can also read good news about environmental protection in Europe and the effect it is having on US companies.
Original text copyright © 2008 James K. Bashkin
Don't forget to see my other environmental articles on Gather (like Hydrogen Powered Cars- A Press Release from Air Products) and at Chemistry for a sustainable world, Sustainability and the environment, and Solar Power. Activism is going strong at here at Gather and at Care2.com.
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Comments: 20
This points how how we are accountable for disposal beyond the time it leaves our hands. Responsible disposal includes use of responsible disposal vehicles.
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Thanks for your interesting and informative articles.
The waste dumping into third world countries has been a hot discussion for a long time.
It's amazing to me that China would pollute as it does. There will be hell to pay one day.
I remember one of the chapters on China discussing the possibility that there might be riots - due to damage done by pollution and because of the large gap in income and opportunities. It raised the question that there might be a civil war one day between the rich cities and the poor countryside.
I'm not surprised to hear that there will be brutal repression and retaliation.
As I see it, our only hope in that arena is that the West stays strong enough and will influence what happens in China in a positive way. The environment is everybodies business - but it was the West who polluted China in the first place. Guilty as charged!
Now we need to work together to protect Mother Nature.
I hope that different groups like EPA can get President Obama to stop these practices.
This is just utterly sickening.
Around here we complain because New York City ships it's garbage up here to our landfills.
But at least they have to follow all the laws. How can we get away with dumping like this and not have to follow our laws just because it's not our country....it's STILL our garbage.