DUMPING OF TOXIC WASTES BY U.S. COMPANIES IN TH

This research paper discusses the extent, implications and possible solutions to the growing use by global transnational corporations (TNCs) with significant American ownership of less developed countries (LDCs) in the Third World as a dumping ground for toxic or otherwise hazardous waste products.

The preponderant part of the world's toxic waste is produced in the developed countries. Due to the stringent environmental laws in force there, much of that waste is either exported to or produced in the Third World by American-owned global TNCs under conditions which pose serious risks to the health of workers and residents of LDCs and to the world's ecosystems. Most of these exports and local production do not violate any international or domestic laws. The justifications offered by the global TNCs for their dangerous practices are unconvincing and hypocritical. Economic neoliberals point out and environmentalists tend to ignore the practical pollution realities which accompany the industrialization of much of the Third World. Business interests and neoliberals place too much faith in industry and market self-regulation. Voluntary solutions are impractical for American TNCs as long as their major international competitors are not subject to similar restraints. The only realistic solution is the adoption and enforcement of multilateral international regulation of toxic waste exports to and disposal in the

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publicized incidents and protests from many countries, 117 nations adopted in 1989 the Basel Convention on the Control of the Transborder Movement of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal, 28 I.L.M. 649 (1989). The Basel Convention placed the burden on exporting countries in the developed world to obtain from each importing country its consent together with a statement that "facilities and a contract exist for the environmentally sound disposal of wastes" (Vu, 1994, p. 397). Walker (1992, July) said that Convention "is full of laudable but vague statements of principle that are neither precise nor enforceable" (p. 34). It exempted from its terms waste material exported for recycling, an exemption which was eliminated by a subsequent amendment adopted in 1995. The amendment went into force in early 1998 in the EU, other OECD countries and many LDCs; however, the United States refused to sign it. The United States gave as its reason the argument "that a ban on exporting for recycling would put more pressure on raw materials" (Global, 1995, 22 September, p. 1). Karliner (1997) said the Basel Convention, even as amended, has largely been ineffective: products such as pesticides and other chemicals banned or severely restricted by the
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2187
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page)

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