1.The first case study I selected was the Environmental Justice Case Study: Union Carbide Gas Release in Bhopal, India.

http://www.umich.edu/%7Esnre492/lopatin.html

India, which in our reading materials has a high country GDP (Figure 5.1), because it has become a sought after place to send business to but has a relatively lower quality of life compared to the U.S as the GDP per capita (Figure 5.4) is around $2500-$10,000 per year.  India today is considered a developing country, however back in 1969, it was relatively an underdeveloped country when Union Carbide (they make pesticides) opened up a plant in India. Pesticides were needed in India and this plant not only helped towards India’s agriculture growth, but part of their industrialization plan to help develop India. In this case study is about the worlds worst industrial disaster that occurred in 1984, where a chemical called MIC, which is very deadly, leaked into the ground and soil.  It killed about 2500 and injured over 400,000 people. Countries such as India, who are developing, are left vulnerable to being exploited by large corporations.

2. My Second case study is the Environmental Justice Case Study Marcropper in the Phillippines.
http://umich.edu/~snre492/Jones/marcopper.htm

In this case study a company called Marcopper Mining Corporation, has a mining operation in the Philippines.  The Philippines is another developing country with a Low GDP per capita between 2500 and 10,000 (figure 5.4 in our reading materials). The actual place where the mining plant is located, which is the Island of Marinduque is extremely poor. The plant puts off pollution that penetrates into the air and the water. The people on the island depend on fishing and farming as their way of living. However the plant has polluted the water, which in turn kills the fish. The water has gotten into their fields and impacted their agricultural way of life. People in the region are getting cancer due to the pollution caused by the plant.  In addition to impacting their livelihoods, it has contaminated most of their drinking water. The plant employs some 1000 people in the area and also puts millions of dollars into the economy, which has caused the struggle between benefits of the plant and it’s environmental effects on the health and wellbeing of the island’s population. Again this demonstrates the battle between the environment and development.

3. In both of these cases, big business is causing pollution to the population in developing countries. Companies take advantage of the vulnerability of developing nations. However, is not just developing countries that development causes pollution. I live in Bucks County PA, which is a suburban area. Although we do not have the extreme pollution conditions indicated in the cases above nor do I live In a developing country we still have some plants that cause high emissions. Being about 1 hour away from Philadelphia, which has many factories and oil refineries, pollutants from these plants do travel in the air to our area.  In addition we do have some more local plants such as US Steel and the Eureka Quarry that emit emissions. These pollutants also get into the soil and can even seep into the aqua tables and impact drinking water. Fisher and Porter Co, which is a manufacturing company that utilizes a chemical called TCE, was sited by the EPA because wells and soil around the plant were contaminated with TCE. Although it is hard to compare the devastation of pollution to my area and the cases above, the theme is the same, in the fact that development can cause environmental issues and ultimately impact the health of the people who reside in these areas. Yes big business can help an area prosper by brining jobs to an area, but at times it is at a detrimental cost.

Information on Fisher and Porter:
Changes in Groundwater Flow and Volatile Organic Compound Concentrations at the Fischer and Porter Superfund Site, Warminster Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, 1993-2009
http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5054/