ECOCIDE- MAN MADE ECOLOGICAL DISASTERS

 

“The rules of our world are laws, and they can be changed. Laws can restrict or they can enable. What matters is what they serve. Many of the laws in our world serve property - they are based on ownership. But imagine a law that has a higher moral authority… a law that puts people and planet first. Imagine a law that starts from first do no harm, that stops this dangerous game and takes us to a place of safety….” Polly Higgins, 2015

“We need to change the rules.” Greta Thunberg, 2019

 

Man-made disasters have an element of human intent, negligence or error involving a failure of a man-made system, as opposed to natural disasters resulting from natural hazards. Such man-made disasters are crime, arson, civil disorder, terrorism, war, biological/chemical threat, cyber attacks etc. Floods, storms, earthquakes, droughts, forest fires and volcanic eruptions are among the most devastating types of natural catastrophe. But some disasters are man-made. These include explosions, major fires, aviation, shipping and railway accidents, and the release of toxic substances into the environment from industrial establishments. Man-made pollutants can threaten human health and compromise the natural ecosystem and environment. Man-made pollution is generally a byproduct of human actions such as consumption, waste disposal, industrial production, transportation and energy generation from thermal power plants. When you picture flooding, the word “natural disaster” probably comes to mind. However, many floods are anything but natural, stemming from plumbing systems, appliances, and other man-made inventions. Our sprawling cities and consumption of fossil fuels also have a direct impact on the environment. These activities are also causing changes in global weather patterns, leading to an increase in natural disasters like floods and wildfires in forest. The term, “technical disaster” defines the source of a disaster and the term, “environmental disaster” describes the results of problematic man-made interferences with the natural environment. Environmental disasters are defined as man-made damages to the natural environment that result in disease and death of living beings; including, plants, animals and human beings.  Environmental disasters can result from technical accidents, human, technological or mechanical failure or carelessness. They can also be the consequence of long-term environmental pollution, such as, the greenhouse effect or the destruction of the ozone layer.

The Tragic Effects of Man Made Disasters

·       Gas Leaks- Gas leaks tend to be some of the most dangerous disasters, because they seem innocuous until it's too late.

·       Oil Spills- Oil spills are some of the most familiar man-made disasters, devastating to people, the environment, animals and global socio-economics.

·       Nuclear Meltdown.

·       Industrial Fires and emissions.

·       Illegal mining.

 

Environmental impacts of illegal mining can occur at local, regional, and global scales through direct and indirect mining practices. Impacts can result in erosion, sinkholes, loss of biodiversity, or the contamination of soil, groundwater, and surface water by the chemicals emitted from mining processes. Mining disasters can occur either from mining tunnels collapsing, burying the miners working underneath the earth, or by the spillage of hazardous chemicals employed for dissolving the minerals to be extracted. An example is in the mining of gold, during which cyanide is used, and often carelessly spilled on farming land. The collapse of architecture, buildings, bridges, or dams can also be followed by destructive consequences; e.g., the breaking of dams can release enormous amounts of water resulting in devastating flooding, or spillage of chemicals. Accidents in transportation, whether by airplane, ship, train or motorized vehicle can have disastrous effects, e.g., by the involvement of large numbers of passengers, by spilling huge amounts of oil or chemicals, or by causing fire, collapse of buildings or blockage of passage ways. Forest fires in arid areas can also be caused by human carelessness of e.g., by leaving behind pieces of broken glass – enough to incite a fire. Most mining activities are extremely high-risk for not only the environment, but also those who do the actual physical labor. Some of these impacts have long-term consequences, such as the contamination of soil and groundwater that can take years to rectify.

 

Some worst man made eco disasters

As environmental calamity appears imminent every time humans look to widen their grasp over the nature. Let us look at 10 most notorious man-made environmental disasters — both forgotten and infamous — that could have been prevented.
Dust Bowl

The market-driven agricultural practices of U.S. farmers — plowing the virgin topsoil of the Great Plains and monoculture farming — led to one of the most disastrous ecological events in the nation’s history. Between 1930 and 1940, drought conditions and depleted farmland caused severe dust storms, some reaching 10,000 feet in the sky and called “Black Blizzards.” An estimated 2.5 million people were displaced and the catastrophe compounded the Great Depression, creating what some have called the country’s “most hard time.”

Poison in Minamata Bay

From 1932 to 1968, the Chisso Corporation of Japan released industrial wastewater with high levels of mercury into the sea around the city of Minamata. The mercury poisoned the marine food chain and in turn thousands of residents became ill, leading to the discovery of a new neurological condition called Chisso-Minamata Disease. To date, more than 1,700 people have died from the disease, which can cause convulsions, loss of sight and hearing, paralysis, coma and death.

Ecocide in Vietnam

The Rainbow Herbicides showered over the jungles of Southeast Asia included Agent Blue, Purple and Pink, but Orange accounted for more than half of the nearly 20 million gallons of deadly chemicals used by the U.S. military between 1961 and 1971. The cost to human life was horrifying and the large-scale destruction of the region’s environment led to the coinage of the word “ecocide.”

Gas leak death in Bhopal

In what is considered the world’s worst industrial catastrophe, 32 tons of deadly chemical gases named  methyl isocyanate leaked into the city of Bhopal, India, on Dec. 3, 1984, and an estimated 9,000 people died immediately from the invisible, air-born poison. The final death toll over the ensuing weeks has been estimated at 20,000 and hundreds of thousands of residents suffered permanent injuries. Today, the Union Carbide plant, the site of the disaster, remains a toxic waste site contaminating the groundwater in Bhopal.

Catastrophe at Chernobyl Nuclear Plant

First there was Windscale in 1957, then Three Mile Island in 1979, but when a nuclear reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant in Ukraine had a meltdown in 1986, it became the worst nuclear power plant disaster in history. The United Nation’s Chernobyl Forum Report estimated the total number of deaths from cancer caused by the radiation exposure to be 4,000.

The Exxon Valdez oil spill crisis

Although it is the most infamous oil spill in history, the Exxon Valdez catastrophe that dumped 11 million gallons of oil into the Prince William Sound of Alaska in 1989 is actually far from the largest on record. The Gulf War oil spill in 1991, for example, resulted in at least 160 million gallons of oil entering the Persian Gulf. Nonetheless, Exxon Valdez heightened public awareness of the great environmental costs of oil spills and led Congress to pass the Oil Pollution Act in 1990. Tragically, clean-up efforts such as high-pressure washing of shorelines that followed Exxon Valdez also had detrimental effects on the once pristine ecosystem of the sound.

Dying oceans and sea

When the cod population crashed in the historically abundant waters off of Newfoundland in 1992, 40,000 people lost their jobs and the effect on the region’s marine ecosystem was devastating. Today, fishing stocks from Iceland to Chile are overfished and suffering. The writing on the wall couldn’t be clearer: The world’s oceans are being pushed to their ecological limits. And, diminishing populations of fish don’t just affect the great predators of the seas, they bring the economies and livelihoods of their human predators down with them.

Perfect storm over Lake Victoria

Today, the largest lake in Africa is the center of a perfect storm of environmental crises: chemical and raw sewage pollution; overfishing; a plague of water hyacinth plants; exploding algae blooms that suffocate flora and fauna. Additionally, the lake’s border is shrinking by as much as 150 feet in some places. Forty million Africans in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania are dependent on Lake Victoria for their livelihoods and sustenance making this one of the worst unfolding environmental disasters.

Rape of the Amazon

Twenty percent of the Amazon rainforest has been lost to logging, soy-farming, cattle ranches and roads in recent decades. The damage to the forest’s biodiversity is inestimable and the release of large amounts of carbon held in the forest’s flora could be accelerating global warming. Some experts now believe the way to mitigate deforestation of the Amazon could be to create better jobs through sustainable development. "It's no good people saying the Amazon has to be the sanctuary of humanity and forget that there are 20 million people living there," said Brazil's President Luiz Lula da Silva.

Our warming planet

Jellyfish swarms, Melting glaciers, Lakes turned to desert, and Spreading disease. All are testimony to global warming. The effects of global warming caused by increased greenhouse gases read like descriptions of the Great Tribulation in The Bible. The first climate change conference was held in 1963 and with increasing urgency, scientists have been raising red flags ever since, warning us that because of unchecked consumption of fossil fuels, the human species is approaching a critical threshold where we will no longer be able to influence the warming climate.

India has also seen its fair share of disasters over the years resulting in significant loss of lives. While nature’s behaviour is not in human hands, reducing its impact certainly is. But the bigger concern has been man-made disasters that have been a result of human carelessness, callousness, or sheer lack of foresight and planning that has ended up with large number of innocent people losing lives, all of which were preventable. It is appalling to see that the government seems to learn nothing from each tragedy and life just seems to move on with little concern or value for human life. But it’s not government alone that must be blamed, after all, it’s we the people, that allow the government of the day to move on with little accountability or punishment to those in power at the political, bureaucratic or business level. It’s time for accountability. Here are some worst man-made disasters in India which have caused substantial damage to the immediate environment.

 

Bhopal Gas tragedy

Recalling the night of December 2-3 1984 in Bhopal still sends a shiver down the spine of those who were there that fateful night when toxic Methyl Isocyanate (MIC) gas leaked from the factory owned by Union Carbide. The gas silently spread out engulfing the densely populated areas around the factory.

People woke up and ran outside desperately gasping for breath only to take in more of the deadly gas. Many died in their sleep while others went blind. Over time, several people suffered from post trauma diseases, while many continue to suffer even today. This was one of the worst chemical disasters globally that resulted in over 10,000 losing their lives (the actual number remains disputed) and over 5.5 lakh persons affected and suffering from agonizing injuries. The tragedy was a result of human error and poor supervision at the factory. Unfortunately, several industries in India still continue to operate with very little government pressure on implementation of safety protocols as per Standard Operating Procedures laid down by the authorities.

Baghjan gas leak

The 2020 Assam gas and oil leak, also referred as the Baghjan gas leak , is a natural gas blowout that happened in Oil India Limited's Baghjan Oilfield in Tinsukia district, Assam, India on 27 May 2020. The blowout occurred at Well No. 5 in the Baghjan Oil Field, resulting in a leak of natural gas. The leaking well subsequently caught fire, and has resulted in two deaths, large-scale local evacuations, and environmental damage to the nearby Dibru-Saikhowa National Park. The Baghjan Oil Field is located in Tinsukia District in the State of Assam, near Baghjan village, which has a resident population of 4,488 persons. The nearest towns are Doom Dooma and Tinsukia. Baghjan Oil Field is located near the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park in Assam, and is also in proximity to Maguri Motapung Beel, a natural wetland. Dibru-Saikhowa National Park is the only riverine island wildlife reserve, globally. It contains a variety of rare and endangered species, including the Gangetic Dolphin, which is endangered, as well as herds of wild horses, tigers, capped langurs, hoolock gibbons, slow loris, and several rare butterflies and fish. The Dibru-Saikhowa National Park is also connected to Namdapha National Park via the Dehing-Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary. These regions are part of the Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot. Baghjan Well No. 5, from which the leak occurred, is located at a distance of 900 meters from the park and adjoins a buffer forested region surrounding the park. It is also close to the Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot.

This disaster can be attributed to the deliberate environmental authorization policy of the Central Government which exempted all oil and gas firms conducting exploratory drilling from legal requirements for environmental clearances. Prior to the leak, in 2020, the region witnessed protests after the Government of India announced that they had authorized Oil India Limited to explore the area under Dibru-Saikhowa National Park for hydrocarbons. A subsequent investigation by Assam's State Pollution Control Board found that Oil India Limited had begun drilling at the Baghjan Oil Field without obtaining prior environmental clearances in accordance with legal requirements under the Water (Prevention of Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, Air (Prevention of Control of Pollution) Act 1981 and Environment Protection Act 1986. Oil India Limited had also failed to conduct mandatory public hearings before beginning drilling. The Eco-Sensitive Zone around Dibru-Saikhowa National Park was reduced in size at the request of Oil India Limited in order to allow the well to be established. In 2013, the Baghjan Oil Field was inspected by a team from the National Board for Wildlife, which criticised the Government of India for ratifying the breach of wildlife norms after Oil India Corporation had already begun operating in an eco-sensitive

The 2017 Ennore oil spill

 The oil spill occurred on 28 January 2017 when an outbound empty tanker BW Maple collided with an inbound loaded oil tanker Dawn Kanchipuram at 04:00 local time. It was unexpected. The two ships collided at 4 am on 27 January 2017. In the morning, the Kamarajar port authority released a press statement that there is no damage to the environment and no casualty or injury to persons. It also indicated that both vessels are safely anchored and the extents of damage to the vessels are under assessment. By afternoon, oil spill sheen was visible with dead turtles being washed ashore and residents of nearby coastal areas reporting a strong smell of oil. The Indian Coast Guard confirmed they were assessing the situation and providing assistance required. The Coast Guard also said that the spill would be contained in less than 24 hours. Investigation into the cause of the collision began on 29 January 2017. On 30 January 2017, the Kamarajar Port released a note claiming that there is no major damage to the environment or injury to persons and some sheens of oil traces were observed. It also stated that an oil boom was deployed as a precautionary measure around the vessel Dawn Kanchipuram to contain seepage if any. The ship was subsequently brought into the port and berthed it after its cargo was discharged and vehicle inspections for damage assessment did not yield any evidence of an oil spill barring 'some sheens of oil traces', the press note said. The fishing community claimed that hundreds of fish had died and that they were unable to go for fishing because the spillage had come up to the shore.

 

The 2010 Mumbai oil spill 

This occurred after the Panama-flagged MV MSC Chitra and MV Khalijia 3 collided off the coast of India near Mumbai on Saturday, 7 August 2010.  MSC Chitra, which was outbound from South Mumbai's Nava Sheva port, collided with the inbound Khalijia-III, which caused about 200 cargo containers from MSC Chitra to be thrown into the Arabian Sea. Khalijia-III was apparently involved with another mishap on 18 July 2010. This also shows that better navigational foresight could have avoided the disaster which caused immense damage to immediate biosphere.

Bellandur Lake pollution

It is a lake in the suburb of Bellandur in the southeast of the city of Bengaluru and is the largest lake in the city. It was used for landing amphibious aircraft during British rule .It is a part of Bellandur drainage system that drains the southern and the south-eastern parts of the city. The lake is a receptor from three chains of lakes upstream, and has a catchment area of about 148 square kilometres (37,000 acres). Water from this lake flows further east to the Varthur Lake, from where it flows down the plateau and eventually into the Pinakani river basin. It is currently highly polluted with sewage, and in May 2015 the foam covering the water surface caught fire and burned for hours. The lake caught fire again in January 2018. Bellandur Lake is a major water body which is located in one of the three main valleys of Bengaluru. It forms a part of the Ponnaiyar River catchment, and water from Bellandur flows to Varthur Lake, ultimately joining the Pennar River. Currently, most of Bengaluru's treated and untreated sewage is released into Bellandur Lake, severely polluting it, resulting in a depletion of wildlife in and around the lake. Residential and commercial activities in the region have resulted in increasing the silt deposition in the lake and have caused loss of underground water recharge. The Bellandur Lake was a prominent catchment area with a good green cover and was a watering hole for the region's numerous, indigenous wildlife. But 30 years of unplanned urbanization have taken a toll on the lake, now several species are gone from the area, including kingfishers, parakeets, wood pigeons, kites, cobras, rat snakes, monitor lizards. As more and larger apartment complexes come up on the lakes shores, more such species will disappear. The problem goes back to 1980s when unplanned growth broke the chain of tanks and lakes feeding the Bellandur Lake. This reduced the amount of rain water reaching the lake to recharge it. The development also resulted in letting in untreated sewage water from housing societies and using the lake surrounding area to dump solid waste. Even industries from surrounding areas started dumping their waste into the lake. The combination of all these factors has led to a decline in the once robust ecosystem of the lake which now resembles a stinking cesspool. Residents in neighboring areas complain of an odious stench that rises from the lake as a result of uninhibited sewage and chemical dumping from nearby industrial units. The presence of industrial chemicals in the water causes the lake surface to catch fire regularly. The main source of the problem comes from the fact that the lake doesn't completely come under any one civic body. The lake is under the jurisdiction of multiple agencies and civic bodies thus leading to lack of accountability.

 

 

Indian Vulture crisis

Nine species of vulture can be found living in India, but most are now in danger of extinction after a rapid and major population collapse in recent decades. As recently as the 1980s there were up to 80 million white-rumped vultures (Gyps bengalensis) in India, but today the population numbers only several thousand. Population of three Gyps vultures in South Asia decreased by about 95% in the 1990s. A major contributing factor in declining populations of vultures is believed to be widespread use of drugs such as diclofenac, once commonly used as a livestock anti-inflammatory drug. Usage of diclofenac is banned in India. The IUCN Red Data Book has listed Gyps bengalensis as "critically endangered". In winter 2012, 56 vultures in three species (Eurasian griffon, cinereous vulture, Egyptian vulture) and 10 steppe eagles were found dead at Jorbeer dumping site. Six Eurasian griffons were found dead in May 2013 due to dehydration and wing weakness. The area has been declared as a conserved forest area, but the dead animal dumping site is not part of the protected area. The dramatic vulture decline observed across India presents a range of ecological threats, by influencing the numbers and distribution of other scavenging species. Increased feral dog populations have been reported all over in India, posing many associated disease risks such as rabies to humans and wildlife. India already accounts for a very high incidence of rabies cases, and an absolute shortage of quality anti-rabies vaccine in rural areas can aggravate the problem even further. Similarly, increased crow populations at carcass sites near settlement areas pose a risk of infections to poultry, domesticated birds, and humans. Prevalence and concentration of diclofenac residues in ungulate carcasses is important for India's threatened vulture populations. A small proportion (< 0.8%) of ungulate carcasses containing lethal levels of diclofenac is enough to cause the observed rapid decline of vultures’ population. Vultures previously played an important role in public sanitation in India and their disappearance has resulted in a number of problems, and as such numerous conservation schemes are in place to assist in the recovery of vulture populations.

The sudden collapse of the natural animal disposal system in India has had multiple consequences. The carcasses formerly eaten by vultures rot in village fields leading to contaminated drinking water. The disappearance of vultures has allowed other species such as rat and feral dog populations to grow. These newly abundant scavengers are not as efficient as vultures. A vulture's metabolism is a true “dead-end” for pathogens, but dogs and rats become carriers of the pathogens. India has an estimated 18 million feral or stray dogs, the largest population of carnivores in the world, which has led to increase in leopards invading inhabited areas preying on feral dogs leading to conflicts with humans. The mammals also carry diseases from rotting carcasses such as rabies, anthrax, plague etc. and are indirectly responsible for thousands of human deaths.  Interestingly, according to Parsi beliefs, Earth, Fire, and Water are sacred elements, and both cremation and burial are sacrilegious. For the deceased Parsi to reach heaven, vultures serve as intermediaries between earth and sky. The dead body is placed on a Tower of Silence where vultures, by consuming the body, liberate the soul. Due to the decline in vulture population, Parsis have been obliged to drop these ancient customs for reasons of hygiene, since now bodies take six months to disappear.

 

 

The Pasarlapudi blowout

This was an oil rig blowout that took place on 8 January 1995 in Pasarlapudi, near Amalapuram in the East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, India. It was the largest blowout ever recorded in the history of the India's oil and natural gas exploration with a fire that engulfed drilling site. The fire continued for 65 days. Initially Neil Adams Fire Fighters (NAF, Houston) was hired to bring fire under control. After ONGC disagreed with their strategy NAF left and it was finally brought under control on 15 March 1995 by International Well Control. The blowout did not cause any casualties, but the drilling rig was destroyed. Damages to the drilling rig were estimated at Rs 9.2 crore crore as well as about Rs 7 crore of damage to equipment at the well site area.

 

The idea of disaster is usually associated with human suffering caused by natural events: tsunamis, hurricanes, earthquakes, floods. However, human-created disasters stemming from war, the conduct of repressive regimes, the use of sanctions, and economic and social policies represent an equally important dimension of disaster. These practices have political goals and produce a range of negative social and economic conditions beyond their stated aims. They cause human suffering, especially among vulnerable groups, disproportionately women, children, older people and poor people. However, to oversee and recognize the misery and sufferings of human race due to deliberate man-made disasters, the world has devised its own mechanism to hold the concerned entities responsible for the same and take punitive action as per defined laws through several internationally recognized organizations like the UNHRC, ICJ etc. But, there appears to be no credible organization either nationally or internationally which could speak for the rights of the Earth hold the Man responsible for such deliberate and willful crimes against the Mother Earth. The concept of “Ecocide” as an international crime originated in the 1970s, after the use of Agent Orange by the United States during the Vietnam War devastated the local people and wildlife. Ecocide is criminalized human activity that violates the principles of environmental justice, as by substantially damaging or destroying ecosystems or by harming the health and well-being of a species including humans. Ecocide has not yet been accepted as an internationally punishable crime by the United Nations.

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In 2010, the proposal to amend the Rome Statute to include an international crime of Ecocide was submitted by Polly Higgins into the International Law Commission (ILC). The ILC is the UN body ‘mandated to promote the progressive development of international law and its codification’. The purpose for creating the offence of Ecocide as the 5th international Crime Against Peace is to put in place an international law at the very top level. 122 nations (as of 2015) are State Parties to the Rome Statute excluding India. International Crime (which is codified in the Rome Statute) applies not only to the signatory States. If and when a person commits a Crime Against Peace, the International Criminal Court has powers to intervene in certain circumstances, even if the person or State involved is a non-signatory. The Rome Statute is one of the most powerful documents in the world, assigning ‘the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole over and above all other laws. Crimes that already exist within the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court under Article 5 of the Rome Statute are known collectively as Crime Against Peace. They are:

1. The Crime of Genocide
2. Crimes against Humanity
3. War Crimes
4. The Crime of Aggression

The Crime of Ecocide is sought to be included by an amendment. The inclusion of Ecocide law as international law prohibits mass damage and destruction of the Earth and, as defined above, creates a legal duty of care for all inhabitants that have been or are at risk of being significantly harmed due to Ecocide. The duty of care applies to prevent, prohibit and pre-empt both human-caused Ecocide and natural catastrophes. Where Ecocide occurs as a crime, remedy can be sought through national courts and the International Criminal Court (ICC) or a similar body. Currently there is no overriding mandatory duty of care to prohibit, prevent significant hazards or harm, or to pre-empt by assisting to those who are facing Ecocide. Governments, business and finance are not legally bound to be accountable for some of the biggest Ecocides, despite the risk to both humans and nature. By creating a crime of Ecocide, the enforcement of a global primary duty (to stop activities that cause significant harm) ensures that all subsequent decisions are made whereby people and planet are put first. By criminalising Ecocide at an international level, a global duty of care is created.

 

Man-made disasters are only a grim reminder that Earth cannot take more of human waste. If we don’t control our activities now, our coming generation in years will get to suffer. India is a still an under developed country which requires a lot of change in its environment laws and policies. India needs to make a stronger stand and give out a firm message at global level. Most of our industries still violate environmental laws and protocols. Our children need to be taught about sustainability and environment protection. A lot of change has taken place in past couple of years, like more and more planting of trees, concept of corporate social responsibility induced amongst companies, installation of garbage bins at many places, wide awareness programs amongst children and other class of people. But there are still millions of people unaware about environment impact and its consequences. A lot has been researched and written in this area. Change is positive and motivating, but it is not enough. Just becoming part of international conferences and protocols won’t bring about a change. Things need to be done at grass root level. “If not so then it will not be soon when human race becomes their own reason of extinction.” We must act soon and we must act now.