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Essay / The consequences of the global waste trade
Table of contentsImpact on the environmentLifestyle changes among residentsThreats to wildlifeManagement and recycling of solid, electronic wasteBasel ConventionIn this advanced era of urbanization and industrialization, Waste production volumes are increasing alarmingly. According to the World Bank, 1.3 billion tonnes of waste were generated globally in 2012, bringing a person's footprint to 1.2 kilograms of waste per day. However, at this continued rate of waste generation, it is predicted that by 2025, this rate will increase to produce 2.2 billion tonnes of waste globally (World Bank Canada, 2018). In order to manage waste safely, all countries must work properly on their waste management and recycling programs. Should developing countries be allowed to dispose, for profit, of toxic waste shipped to them from developed countries? No, this should not be allowed. There will be many consequences related to the dumping of toxic waste from developed to developing countries. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The imminent effects of this action on the environment and humans will be serious, even if it generates profits. However, dumping toxic waste can impact the atmosphere, land, water and humans. This will also lead to a change in lifestyle among people who reside near these dumpsites or depend on water bodies used to dump toxic waste and more importantly, it will affect wildlife that feed on vegetation and toxic water. Additionally, another argument is that many developing countries do not have solid waste management, e-waste management, and even recycling programs to manage all waste. Other key points include the law(s) to end the global waste trade, i.e. the Basel Convention, to further prove my point that the global waste trade should not be allowed. Environmental Impact There are many key points and arguments associated with disagreement over allowing global waste trade. trade in waste for profit. However, the main reason lies in the impact on the atmosphere of developing countries. Dumping toxic waste will add toxicity to the air and can cause serious health risks to people. Therefore, waste disposal also has an effect on land and water in developing countries. According to National Geographic, waste dumped on land can cause toxicity in the air and also trigger harmful toxic chemicals to seep into the soil, poisoning groundwater and making the land infertile and water unusable (National Geographic, 2009). However, if the waste is dumped into a lake, the toxicity will primarily kill all marine life. The remainder that survives can be hunted and humans will consume not only the fish, but also the toxins such as mercury. People who rely on this water source for their daily tasks could be left without water or at serious risk to their health if they use this water (National Geographic, 2009). Although, as we have seen previously, some serious repercussions of toxicity caused by waste on human health, let us name some diseases related to air and water pollution and discuss their biological effects. The following table mentions certain pollutionair depending on the chances of developing them (Jasarevic, Thomas & Osseiran, 2014). The main disease linked to water pollution is diarrhea. According to the World Health Organization, lack of drinking water causes up to 842,000 deaths per year worldwide. Other diseases include arsenicosis, fluorosis, schistosomiasis, helminthiasis and sepsis in children (World Health Organization, 2018). Lifestyle changes among residents. If people occupy an area and waste is dumped there, it will prevent their access to safe and clean land. water. This may force them to migrate elsewhere or travel daily to more distant locations to access clean water and food or commute daily due to poverty. An article published in Independent (2017) explains that the lifespan of people living near or in landfills is 35 years. One of the many examples of such people is Amish Das, an Indian man living with his three children, his wife and his wife's sister's family in a shack in the middle of the dump. He wakes up and scans the garbage dump for food for his family and that's what they feed on. Sadly, Das lost his youngest daughter aged 2 to an illness caused by eating all those toxins in the food they eat. This example shows that many people are stuck in a cycle of poverty and yet developing countries like India collect waste for profit and simply dump it on their land, making their own environment toxic (Rachel England, 2017) . Wildlife Threats Leachate is a byproduct of water. which seeped through the waste. Leachate seeps into the ground, poisoning groundwater (Kristianna Weber, 2016). This leads to contaminated water bodies and the wildlife that depends on them for survival suffers the effects. As mentioned in Silent Springs, one of the effects of leachate that birds experience is the thinning of egg shells and the loss of developing chicks (Rachel Carson, 1962). However, the WWF Living Planet Index (2016) indicates that the leading cause of species deterioration is species exploitation, while the second leading cause is habitat loss and degradation (World Wildlife Fund, 2016). What A Waste highlights some waste management practices among countries belonging to different income level rankings. This helps determine the difference in waste management practices in a low-income and middle-income country. In terms of recycling, it is very unregulated and expensive in low-income countries like Pakistan, Kenya, Serbia, etc. However, middle-income countries like Mexico, Fiji and Jamaica have regulated recycling programs and use advanced technology and processing, but the informal sector is still involved but recycling rates are still quite high ( Daniel Hoornweg & Perinaz Bhada-Tata, 2012). Nevertheless, when it comes to solid waste, low-income countries rarely practice composting due to lack of knowledge and almost never incinerate e-waste due to high operating costs, leading all waste to end up in a landfill. Although middle-income countries practice composting, they repeatedly fail due to contamination and operating costs. In terms of incineration of metals and other electronic waste, some incinerators are used, but these countries still suffer from financial difficulties, resulting in the dumping of..