Thursday 26 July 2012

GEN - UK e-waste illegally dumped in Ghana


A few weeks ago I wrote about a Greenpeace report that explained the illegal dumping of electronic waste in Ghana.  Today, I will further discuss this issue through my discussion of the Guardian’s “UK e-waste illegally dumpedin Ghana”.  This article was written in 2011, three years after the report, which was written in 2008.  It seems Panorama and the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) conducted a joint investigation which showed that a third party company had been sending electronic waste from Environment Waste Controls (EWC) to West Africa, which eventually ends up in Ghana.

The third party company had been buying television sets for £1.50 to £2.00 each (4.60 GHS to 6.13 GHS), then exporting them to Ghana or Nigeria.  As per the Waste Electrical and Electronic (WEEE) Resources Regulations of 2006, electronic waste that has been tested and is in working condition could be exported, no problem.  The thing is,
the EIA hid tracking devices inside television sets which had been disabled beyond repair and left them at the Merton and Croydon sites. Several weeks later, according to the group, GPS signals indicated that one TV had been shipped to Nigeria, ending up near a well known e-waste recycling centre, and one was found to have arrived in Ghana.
This shows that the checks were either not carried out or not properly done.  The WEEE states that these sets must be sent to another core country, not to West Africa.  In response to this report, EWC claimed working at preventing this from happening again.

As in the Greenpeace article, the Guardian Environmental Network explains some of the hazards of electronic waste on the environment and on humans, such as chemical mixtures and lead found in different parts of television sets.  We must remember that when this waste is stripped in less than ideal conditions, these substances are released.

Also, it seems that the electronic waste trade has become a part of organised crime, something I do plan to explore in the future.  Until then, here is a quote by Lawrence Summers:
I think the economic logic behind dumping a load of toxic waste in the lowest wage country is impeccable and we should face up to it.

Wednesday 18 July 2012

PC - Managing the Other of Nature


This week’s article is a peer-reviewed article I saved a while back and forgot about.  I am afraid that it must be paid for to be read but it is well worth it!  “Managing the Other of Nature: Sustainability, Spectacle, and GlobalRegimes of Capital in Ecotourism” shows an example of how culture affects our view on nature and how capitalism globalizes the western viewpoint.  Bandy begins by explaining how ecotourism is an expansive system.  He then provides a discussion as to whether ecotourism fits into the ecology or the economy categories, showing that despite appearances, it is far more economical than ecological.  Once this is done, he is able to explain how ecotourism has affected the core, in that ecotourism is a way of consuming the other, as though this is a way of preserving that same other.  Next, is a discussion of whether this is a form of colonialism or a form of giving the locals autonomy.  I will not discuss every detail, as this is a rather long article at twenty-four pages, however I hope you enjoy what I do discuss!

As you can see by my choppy summary, this article brings up some very important issues that are completely ignored by what I would think (but hope I am wrong) is the majority of eco-tourists.  The thing is, though advertised as a sustainable form of travel, ecotourism is nothing more than the commercialization of a problem in a way that could easily worsen that same problem.  Ecotourism started with the new frontier.  People wanted to experience what they were increasingly losing to capitalism: nature.  Along with nature came other cultures in exotic places.  Initially, only the wealthiest could experience these things, but then volunteer opportunities began to sprout so that the middle class could join in at a more affordable price.

Now, it is proposed that nature preserves be put into place to increase environmental protection of these locales, while contributing to the local economies.  With this comes the ecotourist, who can play the part of environmental ambassador.  In my personal experience, this is not always the case.  When I was a volunteer in Ghana, I expected other volunteers to be philanthropists of sorts, but many turned out to be seeking work experience or resume filler in an exotic place.  They were all very nice people, however their care for the environment and the culture was in my opinion often rather limited.  Returning twice to the same village and meeting more volunteers, I have seen the same thing.  There are always one or two volunteers who, like me, care very much for the environment and the culture of the country, however the majority are merely looking for an exotic experience that will improve their resume.

My favourite quote from the paper felt like it was talking to WaPreG and one of our aims in helping to achieve our goals associated with preventing waste in Ghana:
After her research excursion to the highly profitable and privately owned Rara Avis ecotourist reserve in Costa Rica, Tensie Whelan issued these words of support: “Over and over again, I saw small chunks of the environment being saved by people who had an economic interest in doing so, whether it was villagers saving rainforest habitat in order to raise iguanas for sale, or private individuals preserving and maintaining virgin rainforest as an attraction for tourists ...If we are to save any of our precious environment, we must provide people with alternatives to destruction.”
The reason I found it is related to WaPreG is that we must do just that: give people alternatives for creating waste.  The great thing is I have many ideas and I know the Ghanaians I will work with all have even better ideas and I can’t wait to start brainstorming with them and then spreading the word together!  This also shows how ecotourism and waste prevention are linked.  Any tourist in Ghana is exposed to the Ghanaian culture of creating waste.  No matter where these tourists find themselves, be it in the rich parts of Accra or volunteering in Jinbong, Northern Region, the average tourist likely consumes more than the average Ghanaian, thereby creating more waste for the Ghanaian landscape.  Ghanaians are proud of their country and are extremely accommodating to foreigners.  This mix should come together to improving their own ways and then encouraging tourists to do the same!  It is far more frustrating for me to see a foreigner toss a pure water sachet than a Ghanaian.  Foreigners are only doing what they see Ghanaians do, however most would never do this in their home countries, whereas Ghanaians ARE in their home country!

Many organizations do seek to preserve the communities in which they work.  The problem, however, is that though they are found in less developed countries as tour operators, they are based in overdeveloped countries, meaning the locals are still not in charge.  The majority of this industry is controlled by companies based in overdeveloped countries, so the benefits continue to be robbed from the locals.  At the same time, ecotourism is not a way to protect environment and cultures, so much as yet another race for the bottom line, i.e. the highest profits possible.

In a sense, we can postulate that ecotourism is a new, less aggressive colonialism.  In the past colonialism was much harsher than what we see now.  The thing is, only those who made it to the colonized lands saw what really happened.  In travel literature and art from these times, those remaining in the old world were given an inaccurate view of what was happening in the new world.  Now, because of media and higher rates of travel, many from the core believe colonialism does not occur, however can we really say this?  When reading up on actual corporate activities in the less developed world, we learn of activities similar to those we reject when reading overdeveloped nations’ history books.  When reading about the economy and development, we are shown that there is one linear way of doing things.  Often, when I read Engineers Without Borders blogs, I feel so frustrated because of the condescending tone many authors use when discussing how things are done in Ghana.  Just because it is different from the overdeveloped nations’ way of doing things, does that necessarily make it wrong?

Ecotourism as an industry has corporations within, most (I would assume by the nature of the industry) of which are either multi- or trans- national.  Most of the money these corporations make returns to overdeveloped nations, not the local communities.  Can we really say this is not a modern form of colonialism?

This week’s quote by John Urry can be found at the beginning of the week’s article:
Contemporary societies are developing less on the basis of surveillance and the normalization of individuals, and more on the basis of the democratization of the tourist gaze and the spectacle-isation of place.

Thursday 5 July 2012

OGP - Whats So Bad About Plastics


Ghana is one of the many countries that has been inundated with plastic bags, particularly single-use.  One thing that sticks out in my mind whenever I am not in the country is those black plastic bags that often don’t make it to the customer, let alone to a second use.  They seem to be intentionally designed this way.  Because of this, the only place in Ghana that I recall not seeing these bags was at Kakum National Park when I went on the canopy walk.  When reading the introductory paragraph of “What’s So Bad About Plastic Bags?” by Zion Lights, my previous point is made.  It seems that in the United States alone, 60 000 plastic bags are used every 5 seconds!  I can only in imagine in Ghana, where plastic bags are used for every little thing, including such things as banku!  As can be seen in Ghana, plastic bags don’t break down, releasing toxic chemicals instead.  Even when they are sent to be recycled, it is difficult to do so and they often block machinery in these plants.  They are generally a terrible product.

Because of all the different ways plastic bags pollute the environment, they are also hazardous to human and animal health.  By blocking drainage systems, they help cause flooding or stop the water from flowing.  When the water stops flowing, it becomes the perfect breeding place for diseases that can seriously harm human health.  This one is huge in Ghana.  I nearly cried when I saw a river that was not only so filled with garbage that I could not see the water, but the river was barely flowing, due to the extent of the pollution of that river.  When I researched it in 2009, Korle Lagoon had already been cleaned twice, though how many more times will this occur?  Cleaning a lagoon does not sound to me like a very easy task!

Due to the difficulty in recycling plastic bags, most either go to landfills (despite being sent to be recycled) or are sent to Asia.  When the plastic bags arrive in Asia, they are recycled in sweatshop conditions with open-melting methods, which are terribly toxic.  This is in the United States.  In Ghana, however, when I researched Korle Lagoon for a paper about waste management, I found nothing about recycling.  Now, a google search shows that in general, recycling is all about pure water sachets, which is good, since along with black plastic bags, they are the most visible of Ghanaian plastic waste.  I did, however, see in the job opportunities of the Keep Ghana Clean website that they are requesting people collect all their plastic waste.  When delivered to one of their dump sites, people can make 1000 ghs per kilo of plastic waste delivered!  This may not be the best way to prevent plastic waste, but it is a great way to at least reduce it.  I just hope people will not be looking for ways to use more plastic so they can have more plastic waste.  Now I understand why I saw children going around collecting sachets; all plastic is included, though, so they should take it all!  I am curious what is done with the plastic after that.  For them to have 1000 ghs per kilo, they must be either affiliated with Trashy Bags, or else are doing something similar on their own.  I can approve of it if they are making something new, rather than just piling them up in a landfill.

Moving along to animals, I have already discussed how plastic affects the ocean when I discussed Garbage Island.  This is not the only way plastic bags affect animals, though.  The most obvious way animals are affected by plastic bags is suffocation from eating plastic shards, which can easily come from the bags as they break down.  With further breakdown of plastic, smaller organisms both on land and in water may eat these, which eventually get eaten by humans (in case that is your main concern), meaning we are inadvertently eating plastic.

Garbage Island also brings up the environmental, non-animal, impact of plastic in general.  Watching the movie, one scene shows a jellyfish coming towards the camera until it got closer and we saw it is a plastic bag (not the best picture but still).  The North Pacific Gyre is not the only place affected by plastic bags.  As stated in “What’s So Bad About Plastic Bags?”, the Wild Studies Institute estimates that 80% of the ocean’s garbage comes from land, since all land drainage systems end up in the ocean.  In Ghana, all waste is tossed anywhere, as people see fit.  Because of this, plastic bags fly around until caught by water and then flow through the systems (when still flowing) to the ocean.

According to a 2002-05 study of marine debris in southern Chile (Zion Lights), marine debris tended to be found in particular areas of the ocean, however this was not the case for plastic bags.  Plastic bags could be found in all parts of the study area.  This is something that is easy to believe after having sat in the water on a Ghanaian beach.  With the water flowing onto me came plastic bags; occasionally other shards of plastic also came, but primarily plastic bags.

“What’s So Bad About Plastic Bags?” does give a likely culprit.  I don’t want to get into that because I feel the best way to solve this problem is to do so by changing our habits, rather than fighting “the man”, whomever that is in this case (read “What’s So Bad About Plastic Bags?” to know).  When living in a capitalist society, change comes through consumer choice.  Look at Wal-Mart moving to more sustainable food products on their shelves; they didn’t do so for ethical reasons, they did so because that is what their consumers are increasingly gravitating towards.

It is possible to eliminate plastic bags, as can be seen in Bangladesh (Zion Lights).  That country banned plastic bags over a decade ago, due to massive floods caused by blocked storm drains.  Since then, other regions large and small have been following suit.  Others, though not completely banned, have imposed a fee for every plastic bag.  In Ghana, the fee is already there in a sense, however a ban is not.  A ban would make a huge difference to Ghana’s landscape!  Imagine banku in traditional containers instead of in plastic bags!  Plastic bags were not always found in Ghana, so why not return to the pre-plastic bag culture?

Like any other form of consumption, there are many ways to reduce, if not eliminate the use of plastic bags.  Most importantly, we need to rethink how we see plastic bags.  I have spoken to Ghanaians who remember the introduction of plastic bags to the country and they are not that old!  So this isn’t so much a re-thinking as a returning-to-the-old-thinking kind of situation.  Any time we go to use a plastic bag, we must ask ourselves why we are using it.  Do we really need that bag?  If so, why do we need it?  Could it be replaced with something else?  Chances are it can.  By thinking about our plastic bag usage, we will automatically reduce and reuse.  As we do this and once we have gotten our journey under way, we can re-educate others about this issue.  How, you may ask?  Talk about it!  Talk about why you are reducing plastic bags and how!  The more we do this, the sooner we can remove our dependence on such an unsustainable product.

This weeks quote by Mason Cooley follows the theme of the post quite closely:
Human society sustains itself by transforming nature into garbage