Globalization brings wealth and opportunity to many people around the world. But to poor slum dwellers in the failing state of Ivory Coast, it has brought horrible sickness and death after hazardous waste, shipped nearly halfway around the world, was stealthily dumped in backyards around Abidjan. This need not and should not have happened.
As reported in Tuesday's IHT by Lydia Polgreen and Marlise Simons, the waste - a fuming mix of petrochemicals and caustic soda - that started out in the Mediterranean and ended up in Africa could have been safely disposed of earlier in its journey. But Trafigura, the Swiss trading company that leased the tanker, balked at paying European prices. Instead, 85,000 people ended up seeking medical treatment, and at least eight have died.
This is an excerpt from a New York Times article I found in the International Herald Tribune. Do read it and draw your own conclusions.
This is the type of shit that leads to sarcastic illustrations such as these below.
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