Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
waste treatment fi rms there (“Mozambique Environmentalists Defeat
Incinerator Plan” 2000). While the Mozambican government did have
to pay some of the costs, Denmark shared the expenses. And, despite EJ
activists' hopes that nonincineration technologies would be used, some
of the wastes were indeed incinerated in Europe.
Even so, the EJ coalition achieved its primary goal of “return to
sender”—exporting the wastes to a global North nation. Livaningo
reached out to a broad group of established TSMOs, including the Envi-
ronmental Justice Networking Forum (South Africa), Essential Action
(U.S.), Greenpeace International (Netherlands, Denmark, and Brazil), the
Basel Action Network (U.S.), and Oxfam's JOAP (UK), to amplify its
voice and augment any leverage it already had in order to achieve one
of the most impressive global-local EJ collaborations in the movement's
history. The South Africa-based EJNF lent a critical African presence to
the struggle. No less important was the legitimacy that Livaningo pro-
vided for its international partner organizations and activists who might
otherwise be viewed as “outside agitators” in Mozambique. And Green-
peace Denmark provided much needed credibility for Mozambican activ-
ists confronting the Danish government. Drawing on local, regional, and
international activist support, as well as international law and aggressive
movement tactics, the coalition succeeded. These external resources were
critical to the campaign, but the local activists' level of determination
and commitment to the struggle was what ultimately sustained the effort.
As Livaningo's Aurelio Gomes remarked, “We have nothing against
Denmark, and hope they have nothing against us. We just want them to
understand that here in Mozambique, while we may not be wealthy, we
will never compromise our health—that is all some of us have” (Puckett
1998, 26). Likewise, Livaningo activist Anabela Lemos commented, “We
just decided that we would not fail, although there were many times
when it looked as if all hope was lost” (“Mozambique Environmentalists
Defeat Incinerator Plan” 2000).
Although Mozambique is a democracy, it is still a young one. The
government is slowly becoming accustomed to the idea of being chal-
lenged by civil society groups, whether inside or outside its borders. As
Anabela Lemos (2004) commented, “Mozambique is a country where
people are scared to speak out, and still today, but it is getting better.
We are going through democracy after so many years. We are the only
NGO [nongovernmental organization] doing this work. If something is
wrong, we speak up, we don't talk just for talking's sake. When we
speak, we know we are right and we know we have to say it.”
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