GEOG 3EC3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 21: Petrochemical Industry, Love Canal, Rhine
18 Apr 2018
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Document Summary
An event impacting the environment due to human interaction. Impacts the economy, human health and biodiversity. Human activity must have been involved for the catastrophe to have happened. Minamata and seveso (ten days of hiding that there was an issue bernier said ten days about ten times, so i would think maybe that will be an exam question) Fukushima, 2011: not sufficiently protected from a tsunami. Ignored the warnings, hid reports, denied they knew anything. Bhopal, 1984: union carbide management ignored inadequate practices. Plant operators did not understand behaviour of reactor. Bhopal: cost-saving measures contributed to the plant"s disrepair. Union carbide: nothing wrong with the plant when confronted with the reality. Wellhead at the bottom of the sea floor was not properly installed. Hastened production no additional safety wells. Nothing put in place to address the considerable depth of the platform. Resources not in place to act immediately. Exxon valdez: no resources available to react quickly; fundamental lack of preparedness.
