The
REAP Report -- TOXIC WASTE - Dump It Where?
All
countries, big and small, are facing the problem of how 'to
properly and safely dispose of their toxic waste'.
Waste
such as dangerous chemicals and pesticides, many of which are
known to cause cancers and other health problems including birth
defects.
Some
big countries like the United States and Russia for instance
bury such waste far away from where people live.
The
waste is first put in special containers, then buried or in
essence locked away in concrete bunkers or holding rooms buried
deep in the mountains, caves or large underground holes in desert
areas.
However,
small islands like the Cook Islands have no such areas to dispose
of their toxic waste. These small countries must try and make
special arrangements with the larger countries to ship their
toxic waste off island and bury it in 'their back yard' so to
speak.
Recently
Cook Islands News (10 Dec. 2002) reported on a plan to ship
100 tonnes of toxic waste from 10 Pacific Islands including
the Cook Islands, to Queensland, Australia.
This
plan, financed as part of an AusAid package, has caused much
community protest and outrage amongst Australia's residents.
They
question why their health should be threatened? And ask what
if something goes wrong? What if just one of the trucks has
an accident and the waste spills out?
Many
Pacific Islands countries like the Cook Islands oppose the shipping
of nuclear waste through international ocean waters just in
case an accident should occur. They say the waste should be
treated and buried in the country that made the waste.
That
same question is now being asked by people in Queensland about
waste from the Cook Islands. Accidents do occur be they on the
ocean or on land. And in the event of an accident who will be
responsible and who will pay? People and the natural environment
will both be at risk.
The
question is not one that is easily answered as the voice of
protest and concern over toxic waste rises from small islands
and bigger ones. For in the case of toxic waste none of us are
isolated from the risks involved.
Cook Islands News, 20 January 2003
