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Article: Muck and morals: raw materials.(Basle Convention against export of hazardous waste now attacked by poor countries)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- September 2, 1995
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1995 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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IF MORAL issues were simple, the Basle Convention would be a clear victory against the forces of darkness. For decades businesses from rich countries used to dump poisonous waste in poor countries to escape environmental regulations at home--a trade described as "toxic imperialism" by Greenpeace, an environmental group. Last year, after a campaign by poor countries, such dumping was made illegal. Under the auspices of the Basle Convention, more than 100 countries agreed to ban the export of hazardous waste from the rich countries of the OECD to their poorer brethren.
But now the rights and wrongs of the ban look less straightforward. On September 18th in Geneva, a ...