Foreign Aid & Civil Society

NGO’s Claim Victory

By Dweep Chanana ⋅ February 15, 2006 ⋅  Email this post ⋅ Post a comment

This may not have made it to your headlines. The French President has ordered a ‘toxic’ ship home.

The ship had been the rallying point for much of the environmental community. It had been on its way to a ship breaking yard in India, where the ship - decommissioned in 1997 - was to be taken apart. However, it was lined with asbestos, which placed those that worked on it at direct risk.

For this one, that Greenpeace has managed to delay (but not yet avoid), several others continue. Thousands (millions?) of used computers get sent to developing countries as ‘donations’, if not outright junk - so that the mercury, lead, and other chemicals can be taken apart and recycled. No developing country allows such things to happen within their borders. Life is cheap, but certainly cheaper in the poor countries.

Equally interesting, is how the NGOs rallied to this cause. A similar case I remember was of Shell and the Brent Spar oil platform. Then, Shell turned out to be right to dump the platform in the sea, but Greenpeace had its way regarldess. I cannot but agree that this ship should not make it to India, not without significant compensation and safeguards. Greenpeace is claiming this as ‘victory for Indian workers’. I stop short of that. I wonder if the worker that is now without a job, and may die anyway from hunger, will share Greenpeace’s enthusiasm