The more a man wants to feel comfort, the more he needs to invent. The more he invents, the more he produces. The more he produces, the more he pollutes. Since the industrial revolution the mankind has been coming up with new technologies, which effected nature more seriously with every innovation.
The main evil standing behind this is toxic waste. Not the thing itself, but the way people think about it, how they handle it. By people I mean the companies and countries that are profiting before creating it in the first place, but later, when its time to make expenses to take care of it they act like it has nothing to do with them.
EU estimates its yearly production of waste for around 1,3 billion tons of which 40 million tons is toxic waste. Percentually it doesn't look horrifying, but the total amount of toxicity is alarming. Another concerning fact is categorizing of toxic waste. Just think of asbestos classified as highly poisonous and forbidden substance. Working on it's removal is not yet finished, even after decades of effort. If a wide-spread substance now considered harmless gets on a list of those, which are dangerous it will shatter all statistics. On the other hand, technologies are being developed to more carefully and effectively process toxic waste. That is at least one thing that allows us not to be pessimistic over perspectives of our environment.
Massive industrialization and economic growth of China and India brings up gloomy prognosis. Promised effort of these Asian giants to catch up with western world in economical efficiency and living standard brings also other questions. Are these countries able and willing to care about their waste responsibly? Every year the amount of toxic waste grows proportionally with its GDP. China became the industrial workshop for Western countries in last two decades.
The world economy has its own self protecting mechanisms. However, they do not seem sufficient. Roughly estimated 170 countries have signed (lot of them still hasn't ratified) Basel convention from 1989, which forbids exporting the toxic waste to the territory of signatory states without their permission or without the ability to process it safely.
The addition from year 1995 has toughened the statutes by directly prohibiting the export of toxic waste to developing countries. And still it hasn't covered up each hole in convention. EU has pledged in Lomé Convention not to export it's toxic waste to Africa. Along with that, states of Africa have committed in Bamako Convention in 1991 to refuse such offers.
Many of developing countries though do not want to give up their opportunity to process each category of waste from richer west, including toxic. They often guarantee, that they are technically able to do that, without having moral remorse when not fulfilling those guarantees. That applies not only to the poorest countries in equator Africa, but also India.
India has a long-term tradition in disposing waste, imported on huge cargo ships, in docks of Alang, state Gujarat. Local docks specialize on scraping old ships and are achieving global importance. Thousands of Indians found jobs there, which is to often take apart large wrecks by hands. These wrecks are full of various toxic substances. Different kinds of shipped garbage are transported to near areas, where hundreds of another companies and thousands of unqualified men, women and children deal with sorting the waste.
When western countries import waste to developing countries to put it on dumps, just to make it happen, they cover it with purpose of recycling to legalize it. It sound clever, ecological and in accordance with resolutions about keeping economic growth. There is a competition between China and India, and even African countries for earning opportunities from recycling. Even if they know, what they are not able to handle, will end up on illegal dumps.
This issue has no short-term solutions and economically developed countries will face a dilemma, whether or not putting their toxic waste away easily and cheaply by exporting it to developing world. More challenging and more expensive alternative is aiming on real recycling at home and even in developing overseas countries. Recycling business is predestined to grow. Even companies from smaller states can participate, including Slovakia, especially when they come up with technological innovations and new practical concepts.
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