HC9-The politics of waste

Question 1

3 (global) perspectives on waste

Answer 1

◍ Environmental perspective:
pollutant, danger to ecosystem
◍ Human rights perspective:
causing health issues
◍ Trade: valuable material,
“good“ or international service trade (case of recycling)

Question 2

increasing waste (globally)

Answer 2

after WO11 world nedded to be build up again.

cold war: Russia VS wanted to innovate

planned obsolence

Question 3

planned obsolence

Answer 3

a policy of producing consumer goods that rapidly become obsolete and so require replacing, achieved by frequent changes in design, termination of the supply of spare parts, and the use of non-durable materials.

Question 4

global waste trade

Answer 4

countries, citizens, companies connected by the circulation of goods and services of waste

production and disposal is political!

Question 5

Harvey‘s (2007) Spatial Fix

Answer 5

cheaply shipping garbage to other places

consumption-> garbage/waste ->local disposal system reaches capacity->crisis situation-> spatial fix

Question 6

Who benefits? from global waste trade 1

Answer 6

hypothesis 1:

beneficial for all countries involved:

hazardous waste constitutes raw materials inputs into industrial and manufactoring processes, so countries with little natural resources can benefit.

kritiek: waste is often badly recycles in exporting countries AND structures for reusing are lacking in importing countries

Question 7

who benefits from global waste trade? 2

Answer 7

hypothesis 2:

mainly beneficial for global north. they reduce environmental regulations to attract direct foreign investment. But, they do not relocate the production, they export the negative externalities. pollution haven hypothesis

Question 8

pollution haven hypothesis

Answer 8

The Pollution Haven Hypothesis argues that firms will seek to avoid the cost of stringent (strenge) environmental regulations (and high energy prices) by locating production in countries where environmental norms are laxer.

CHINA: empty containers to ship, but quality of waste was too bad. IS political because china is being held responsible for making our oceans their landfills (aldus Trumpie)

Question 9

Toxic colonialism (Pratt, 2011)

Answer 9

◍ Process by which ‘‘underdeveloped states are used as inexpensive alternatives for the export or disposal of hazardous waste pollution by developed states”
◍ Maintaining global inequality through unfair trade systems
◍ Colonialism: economic dependence, exploitation of labour,
cultural inequality

Question 10

5 problems of regulating waste trade

Answer 10

○ Lack of clear, uniform definitions of waste -> different interpretations (continuous export of hazardous waste under the label of “raw materials“) what is hazardous?

○ Illegal shipments: false permits, bribes, improper labels (e.g. recycling) (Pratt 2011)

○ Lack of authoritative bodies to punish the illegal trafficking

○ lacking ability to monitor: what is inside the container?

○ Lack of international coordination: who controls this?

Question 11

metaclad in mexico

Answer 11

local/global scale

○ NAFTA Article 1110: protect international companies and their investments from local corruption vs. Rights of local communities to
protect against environmental hazards

did not want wastyard in their backyards-> laws lacking fairness

Question 12

urban mining

Answer 12

It means recovering and reusing cities’ waste materials, such as concrete, bricks, steel reinforcements, roofing materials, copper pipes or aluminum

Question 13

anti-poor environmental discourse

Answer 13

Environmentalism of the poor is a set of social movements that arise from environmental conflicts when impoverished people struggle against powerful state or private interests that threaten their livelihood, health, sovereignty, and culture. Part of the global environmental justice movement, it differs from mainstream environmentalism by emphasizing social justice issues instead of emphasizing conservation and eco-efficiency.

YAMUNA RIVER, INDIA, YAMUNA PUSHTA