Conservation, ecological justice and harm to nature - Environmental Harm: An Eco-justice Perspective - page 79

Every living thing on the earth has been exposed to some
level of human-made toxic substances. Lead, strontium-90,
pesticides, and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) pervade
our environment and reside in all of our bodies. This is a
relatively new phenomenon, occurring mainly after World
War II, as the production and use of hazardous substances
increased exponentially in warfare, agriculture, electronics,
and a range of industries, including transportation and
housing. (Pellow, 2007: 26)
The phenomenon of 'e'-waste is another waste type that requires
critical scrutiny (as does the notion of 'recycling' when it comes to
its international transfer). Just as nylon represents the front end of
the chemical revolution (and the pervasive presence of plastics in
the environment) so, too, the microchip initiates a whole new era of
commodity production (and its expansion into every realm of social
life).
Electronic waste or e-waste consists of discarded computers, TV
sets and mobile phones. Indeed, 'The electronics industry is the
world's largest and fastest growing manufacturing industry, and as a
consequence of this growth, combined with rapid product obsolescence,
discarded electronics or E-waste, is now the fastest growing waste stream
in the industrialized world' (Basil Action Network and Silicon Valley
Toxics Coalition, 2002: 5). According to the United Nations, about 20
million to 50 million tons of e-waste is generated worldwide annually
(UNEP, 2006). The waste contains toxins such as lead and mercury or
other chemicals that can poison waterways if buried or release toxins
into the air if burned. Much of this waste ends up as transfers from
rich countries to the poor.
Plastics are used in the manufacture of electronic devices through
to shopping bags. The use of plastic materials reached approximately
100 kg per year per capita in North America and Europe in 2005
and is expected to increase to 140 kg by 2015. The rest of the world,
particularly Asia, is likewise set to increase its use of plastics (UNEP,
2011: 22). Plastic is not going to go away in the near future.
Plastics have been found on beaches, in coastal waters and their
sediments, and in the open ocean on the surface as well as in seabeds
including the continental shelf. Debris has been found in deep water
canyons, at abyssal depths.
The environmental harm stemming from plastics in the ocean
varies according to size and composition of the material. Threats to
biodiversity and individuals manifest in physical damage through