The Toxic Ship
Description
An infamous voyage explores the hazardous waste trade and environmental justice
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. Its initial destination and then country after country refused to accept the waste. The ship ended up dumping 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the Khian Sea's voyage as a lens to elucidate the global trade in hazardous waste?the movement of material ranging from outdated consumer products and pesticides to barges filled with all sorts of toxic discards?from the 1970s to the present day, exploring the story's international nodes and detailing the downside of environmental conscientiousness among industrial nations as waste is pushed outward. Müller also highlights the significance of the trip's start in Philadelphia, a city with a significant African American population. The geographical origins shed light on environmental racism within the United States in the context of the global story of environmental justice. Activism in response to the ship's journey set an important precedent, and this book brings together the many voices that shaped the international trade in hazardous waste.
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Person
Simone M. Müller is Heisenberg Professor for Global Environmental History and Environmental Humanities at the University of Augsburg. She is author of Wiring the World: The Social and Cultural Creation of Global Telegraph Networks.
Content
- Cover
- Series Page
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Contents
- Foreword. Globalizing Environmental Justice by Paul Sutter
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction. US Waste in an Unequal World
- One. "A Classic Situation": Philadelphia and the Making of an Urban Waste Crisis
- Two. "Send It on a Caribbean Cruise": The Greater Caribbean as a US Waste Dump
- Three. "We Exist for the Good of Others": The Rise of Opposition in the Greater Caribbean
- Four. "The Most Tested Ash on This Planet": Producing and Discarding Standards of Toxicity
- Five. American Rules in a Global Environment: US Hazardous Export Regulations, from Caveat Emptor to Prior Informed Consent
- Six. Stop "Garbage Imperialism": A Global Campaign against the Unequal Trade in Waste
- Seven. Return to Sender: The Khian Sea's Voyage Home
- Conclusion. Living with the Toxic Commons
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
- M
- N
- O
- P
- R
- S
- T
- U
- V
- W
- Y
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