Judith Stegeman
In 2006 the access of the Probo Koala to Amsterdam’s harbour was denied. This ship carried toxic waste that should be processed in Amsterdam. Permission was denied in Amsterdam because the bad, unhealthy smell and the violation of the maximum amount of accepted waste. Another company in Amsterdam would have offered to process this amount of waste, but the shipping company found this sum of money too high. Then they just dumped the toxic waste in the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire, which caused ten people to die and many health issues among thousands of other people. Not to speak of the damage to the environment.[i]
This is only one example. In the news we hear often about chemical and environmental disasters caused by companies. These disasters and eco catastrophes cause damage to human beings and to the environment.
How many times this will happen again and again? What if we make the transition towards sustainable energy, renewable energy sources and a sustainable world? Will we be saved from these disasters then?
In the case of the Probo Koala the waste consisted of gasoline and caustic soda (natronloog). From research the damps of the dumped waste also appeared to contain toxic hydrogen sulphide (waterstofsulfide), xylene and benzene.[i] The example of Probo Koala is a case in which the waste is already there and has to be dumped somewhere. Normally this waste is being processed but this asks for a lot of energy and money.
If we would live in a sustainable world with sustainable, renewable energy sources this disaster would have never happened as there would have been no waste at all. Gasoline is a fossil fuel that would not be used anymore in a sustainable world. Energy would be provided by wind energy, geothermal energy and solar energy. These energy sources are renewable and the energy can be produced locally. As fossil fuels need to be transported to other countries, this is not necessary for renewable energy sources. Caustic soda would not have been transported in a sustainable world as resources and minerals will be used all over again. It is too bad to throw these sources away.
Also other kinds of disasters than the problem with dumping waste happen. Other disasters are for example explosions and fire in factories where is being worked with chemical substances, like happened at Chemie-Pack in Moerdijk[ii].
Another kind of disaster, which happens too often, are eco catastrophes caused by leaking oil in the sea which damage the sea and coast environment and the animals living around there. One of the most memorable disasters was the explosion at the oil platform Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. Eleven people died and millions and millions of litres of oil ended up in the sea, which caused a lot of damage to human beings, animals and the environment[iii]. In a sustainable world oil would not be necessary anymore as we will have enough renewable resources. Oil platforms will be redundant, which prevents such disasters to happen.
To conclude, in a sustainable world less eco catastrophes and disasters are likely to happen. Fossil fuels will be replaced by local, renewable energy sources and these do not have to be shipped, which prevents dumping and leaching. Resources and minerals will be kept in closed loops in a service based economy, where no new resources have to be produced, which makes disasters in factories less likely to happen. However, in order to get to a sustainable world we need the unsustainable measures to make the transition happen. We cannot foresee if this sustainable world will consists of new kinds of catastrophes and disasters.
[i] http://nos.nl/artikel/122976-probo-koala-de-feiten.html
[ii] http://www.nu.nl/binnenland/2707205/communicatie-jaar-ramp-moerdijk-nauwelijks-verbeterd.html
[iii] http://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2015/04/20/bp-olieramp-in-golf-van-mexico-vandaag-5-jaar-geleden-een-overzicht