Soenke Zehle on Wed, 30 Jul 2003 17:36:51 +0200 (CEST) |
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<nettime> E-Waste 'officially' becomes HR Issue |
The UN Special Rapporteur on Adverse Effects of the Illicit Movement and Dumping of Toxic and Dangerous Products and Wastes on the Enjoyment of Human Rights has recently turned to e-waste issues. The EDC review [1] includes Basel Action Network [2] and EarthJustice [3] materials submitted to the UN Commission on Human Rights. Good news, likely to intensify the convergence of environmental and human rights activism in general [4]. Earth Justice started as the legal defense fund of the much-maligned US Sierra Club, and many dematerialization-through-technology cyberlibertarians are also, and not necessarily paradoxically, wilderness advocates (for 'bionomics' promoters like Rothstein or Kelly, 'nature' represents the ultimate information economy). So maybe, their philanthropic support is coming full circle when they are finally paying for campaigns that address the hr-implications of e-waste. sz [1] <http://www.padrigu.gu.se/EDCNews/Reviews/HumanRights-Env.html> [2] <http://www.ban.org/> [3] <http://www.earthjustice.org/> [4] <http://www.amnestyusa.org/justearth/> Environment and Human Rights Linked Before UN Commission The case for linking human rights and environmental protection is receiving increased recognition as a prevailing legal norm, says an nonprofit environmental law organization based in the United States. The International Program of Earthjustice submitted its annual issue paper, "Human Rights and the Environment" at the 59th Session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in Geneva. [April 2003] Trends and themes in the field of human rights that are pressing enough to warrant the appointment of special rapporteurs include a Special Rapporteur on Adverse Effects of the Illicit Movement and Dumping of Toxic and Dangerous Products and Wastes on the Enjoyment of Human Rights. This special rapporteur, Fatma Zohra Ouhachi Vesely of Tunisia, highlighted a new trend in the area within her mandate - the export of hazardous electronic waste from developed countries for recycling in developing countries in Asia. As documented by many reports received from different sources, she wrote, these wastes are processed in operations that are "extremely harmful to human health and the environment, with severe implications for human rights." Improper disposal of electronic waste that contains heavy metals and pollutants poses a threat to human health. US exports to China, India, and Pakistan She cited a comprehensive report from the Basel Action Network, a Seattle based global network of toxics and development activist organizations, alleging that substantial amounts of hazardous electronic wastes are exported from the United States to Asian countries such as China, India and Pakistan for recycling. The report alleges that improper disposal of electronic waste that contains heavy metals and pollutants poses a significant threat to human health, leading to respiratory illness, skin infections, stomach diseases and other conditions. Computer or television monitors contain cathode ray tubes, which typically contain enough lead to be classified as hazardous waste when being recycled or disposed of. A typical computer monitor may contain up to eight pounds of lead. The report submits that such exports of electronic waste are contrary to the Basel Convention, to which the United States is not a party. Representing the United States, Malik Hasan, a neurologist and former owner of HMOs, said that his country remains "concerned that in a number of instances, unverified allegations were reported and often treated as fact" in the Special Rapporteur's report. Hasan told the delegates that the United States is currently making efforts to seek ratification of the Basel Convention. He acknowledged that nongovernmental organizations consider that this would do more to legitimize international waste dumping than it would do to prevent it. The United States "disagreed strongly with this characterization," and noted that by ratifying the treaty, the U.S. would gain in "the ability and responsibility to better regulate exports of hazardous waste." It would not legitimize international waste dumping, he said. Canadian exports to China The Basel Action Network report also alleges that hazardous electronic waste originating from Canada is being exported to Asia for recycling. One of the receiving countries, China, has banned the import of electronic waste, and the report alleges that Canada's refusal to honor that ban by furthering exports of electronic waste to China is in contravention of the Basel Convention. During a visit to Canada in October 2002, Vesely said she had an opportunity to raise the issue of the Basel Action Network report directly with the government. The government spokesman informed the Special Rapporteur that Canada is meeting its international obligations in the field of hazardous wastes and that Environment Canada is reviewing its definition of hazardous waste, including electronic scrap, as part of ongoing amendments to the Export and Import of Hazardous Wastes Regulations. Environment Canada has not issued any permit for the export of hazardous electronic scrap to any developing country, the spokesman said. Canada also prohibits the export of hazardous wastes to countries that have notified Environment Canada that they themselves prohibit imports of such waste. As of November 2002, China had not notified Environment Canada of any ban on the import of electronic waste. In view of the allegations of electronic waste export to China, Environment Canada has requested information from the Chinese authorities as to whether China has a prohibition on the import of electronic scrap. # distributed via <nettime>: no commercial use without permission # <nettime> is a moderated mailing list for net criticism, # collaborative text filtering and cultural politics of the nets # more info: majordomo@bbs.thing.net and "info nettime-l" in the msg body # archive: http://www.nettime.org contact: nettime@bbs.thing.net