Conclusion: Living with the toxic commons. by Paul Sutter -- Introduction: US waste in an unequal world -- "A classic situation": Philadelphia and the making of an urban waste crisis -- "Send it on a Caribbean cruise": The Greater Caribbean as a US waste dump -- "We exist for the good of others": The rise of opposition in the Greater Caribbean -- "The most tested ash on this planet": Producing and discarding standards of toxicity -- American rules in a global environment: US hazardous export regulations, from caveat emptor to prior informed consent -- Stop "garbage imperialism": A global campaign against the unequal trade in waste -- Return to sender: The Khian Sea's voyage home -- Conclusion: Living with the toxic commons.
Summary:
"In 1984, a ship carrying 14,000 tons of garbage from Philadelphia was refused entry by the state of New Jersey. This launched a year-and-half voyage of roaming the world's oceans in search for a dumping ground, as the cargo of "the world's most unwanted garbage" was rejected by country after country. The ship illegally dumped 4,000 tons of waste in Haiti under false pretenses, and eventually the waste's entire cargo "disappeared" and was illegally dumped in the ocean. It is a story involving subterfuge in cloaking the identity and movements of the ship, visits to many continents, many smaller countries that pushed back on the US trying to use them as a dumping ground, and eventual criminal convictions for the ship owners. Simone Müller uses this infamous voyage as a lens to better understand the structures and dynamics of the international trade in hazardous waste from the 1970s onwards"-- Provided by publisher. "In 1986 the Khian Sea, carrying thousands of tons of incinerator ash from Philadelphia, began a two-year journey, roaming the world's oceans in search of a dumping ground. First its initial destination and then one country after country refused to accept the waste. The ship ended up discarding part of its load in Haiti under false pretenses, and the remaining waste was illegally dumped in the ocean. Two shipping company officials eventually received criminal convictions. Simone M. Müller uses the Khian Sea's voyage to elucidate the trade in hazardous waste -- from outdated consumer products to pesticides and toxic discards -- from the 1970s to the present. The book details the downside of environmental conscientiousness among industrial nations as waste is pushed outward and examines the local and international activism in response to the ship's journey. Müller also sheds light on environmental racism within the United States in the context of a global story of environmental justice."-- taken from back cover.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.