For my case I chose “Environmental Justice Case Study: Union Carbide Gas Release in Bhopal, India” from the Colby- Sustainable development webpage (http://www.umich.edu/~snre492/lopatin.html). This case study deals with the release of toxic material from the Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal, India. The pesticide plant was located near the poorest sector of the population (similar to the Camdem, New Jersey video linked in the module 5 text) and when the leak occurred, nearly 40 tons of methyl isocyanate flowed from its containers over a two hour period. According to the report, even if plant workers knew about the leak earlier, safety standards at the plant would not allow them to do anything about it. The leak killed 2,500 people, and injured about 400,000, with the toll still rising as of this current day.

For my second case study, I chose “Environmental Justice Case Study- Marcropper in the Phillippines” by Gerald Christopher Aguila, Joy Anne  Aplasca, Paolo Miguel Babasa, Loisa Castro and Beverly Ann Gulaga from the docslide webpage (http://docslide.us/documents/environmental-justice-case-study.html). This case study also deals with environmental justice issues. In this case study, Marcropper, a mining corporation was dumping mining waste into the bay and waterways on Marinduque island in the Philippines. According to this case study, it was dumping waste at the rate of 2.5 tons per second (length of time unspecified). This dumping of waste destroyed the fisheries (The government actually declared the fishery dead in this area, major upset for local fisherman), caused major health problems (skin rashes, respiratory problems including cancer) and affected the land that the people rely on heavily for agriculture. Once again, this mining operation was located on an island with very low poverty levels, just as in Bhopal. 

These two cases have a strong connection to where I currently live. Currently there are plans underway to construct a new Methanol  plant in Tacoma, Washington. This plant, (scheduled to break ground in 2017) would be the largest in the world. Placement of this plant, just as in India and the Philippines is in the industrial portion of Tacoma, which is also intermixed and adjacent to the lowest income housing portion in the city. With the negative effects of Methanol production (Environmental, health and even water consumption) we could stand to learn a few valuable lessons from both the Marinduque Island and Bhopal examples. Local tribes and city government see the associated economic benefit of having the methanol plant, but not nearly enough attention has been given to the possibilities of catastrophes, the massive amount of water required during the production process (nearly equal to the usage for the entire city) and the health concerns for those living near the plant, as well as the fisheries and wildlife likely to be affected by the plant. With water in the Greater Tacoma are already being asked to lower water usage by 10% due to little snow pack (still an issue) this is definitely not the time or place to consider building the plant here, in the Puget sound. The negative effects of  building the world’s largest methanol refinery in the Puget Sound region are far-reaching. This area is too sensitive ecologically to accommodate such an industry.