HLS has a number forums in which visiting scholars can share insights of their research projects with the HLS community. One example is the Visiting Scholars and Research Colloquium, which recently hosted Jung-hoon Kim, a Professor of Law from Seo-Kyeong University in Seoul, South Korea. Professor Jung-hoon Kim recently conducted a study that examined the environmental conflicts surrounding the disposal of electronic waste (e-waste), such a circuit boards, through the lens of environmental justice in China. Kim suggested that the importer/exporter relationship of electronic waste between developing and developed countries has economic benefits that laced with egregious human rights violations that demand worldwide reform.
“In spite of the determination of the UN Commission on Human Rights that everyone has a right to live in a world free from toxic pollution and environmental degradation,” explained Kim, “violations of these rights occur in poor communities where companies illegally operate environmentally hazardous facilities.” To further explain environmental justice, Kim introduced a two-axis approach that provided for fair treatment and meaningful involvement in which the mutual needs of the importer and exporter countries are met. “Because environmental justice is a human right, it can be regarded as a goal of the entire human race… rich countries should not externalize their pollution treatment cost to poorer neighbors through imports.” said Kim.
Yet, due to the economic benefits of the trans-boundary movement of hazardous waste to both developed and developing countries, the problem continues. As Kim pointed out, the cost-benefit analysis to a developed country for exporting its hazardous waste in lieu of facing strict domestic regulations is too tempting. Likewise, this business creates many jobs for laborers and farmers in the developing country who have been hit by high unemployment and poverty rates.
To illustrate his point, Kim presented the case study of Taizhou, China, a small port industrial city whose e-waste intake skyrocketed over ten years from 10,000 tons in 1992 to 1,500,000 tons at the end of 2004. Upon import, the waste is handled by thousands of workers hired to extract bullion from the discarded electronics. “In addition to pollution and the frequency of injury among workers, the e-waste business is stripping countries of their domestic jobs and thwarting the development of environment-friendly technology,” he said.
To close, Kim proposed a World Environmental Organization (WEO). “The WEO could push for comprehensive regimes or governance to deal with trans-boundary hazardous waste, air pollution, water pollution, and climate change problems,” Kim explained. Among the possible benefits of the WEO would be identifying gaps in existing overage of international environmental problems and bridging interactions between international trade agreements to implement reforms. “The question of how to get worldwide participation is a difficult one… but we must begin to work towards a solution.”
