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Amy Zader Program for Teaching East Asia China: Environmental Issues and Challenges Summer Institute

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jGBZz O5CDU

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See Shapiro (2012) Chapter 6, Environmental Justice and the Displacement of Environmental Harm Examples of Environmental Injustice: Love Canal Japan nuclear power plants

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Comes from TVs, cellphones, computers, printers, batteries, etc. Each made up of hundreds of materials and metals Makes up nearly 5% of all solid waste, nearly the same as plastic 80% of US e-waste sent to be recycled actually gets illegally exported

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Once a rice village in southern China 1990s: began to see the economic benefits of accepting imported e-waste 2001: First received attention for e-waste related pollution By 2005/2006 the problem had continued: 21 villages handling E-waste 80% of E-waste was imported to China Increasingly waste is coming from within China

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http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1870162_1822148,00.html

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DIOXINS chemical components formed during combustion; collect in oil and sediment HEAVY METALS contaminates soil and water (lead, zinc, iron, cadmium, copper, mercury, arsenic, etc.)

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88% of children suffer from lead poisoning High rates of miscarriage Long-term exposure to heavy metals is carcinogenic Damage to central and endocrine systems

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Exporting Harm, Basel Action Network, 2001 Toxic Tea Party, Greenpeace, 2007

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2000: illegal to import e-waste into China Has a dedicated policy and legislative mechanisms in place to deal with e waste BUT has a poor record of implementation; corruption and loopholes exist

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No legally enforceable federal policies or standards US has not ratified the Basel Convention US government does not keep track of e- waste exports Case of Denver electronics

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http://www.greenpeace.org/internationa l/en/campaigns/climate-change/cool- it/Campaign-analysis/Guide-to-Greener- Electronics/ Industrial Ecology: material and energy flows through industrial systems Circular Economy

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Poverty vs. Poison? National and international attention on Guiyu has forced officials to clean it up If not Guiyu, where will e-waste go?