One of the world’s worst environmental disasters happened 20 years ago in Bhopal, India. A large quantity of toxic was accidentally released, killing more than 50 000 people with many more facing health problems. At the same time, Greenpeace was one of the few organizations that actively brought this case forward to the public.
Every time around this part of the semester, this issue is brought forward to the University’s masses. I first learnt about Bhopal when I was a freshman here at Michigan. That was four years ago.
Union Carbide which was the owner of the leaked plant had never admitted its mistake. Instead of accepting the responsibility of the accident, it claimed that the leak in Bhopal was caused by industrial sabotage. Various litigations were made against the company in both the US and in India but progressed still lagged after 2 decades has passed. A website by Union Carbide explains why the company refused to be held accountable.
Union Carbine is now owned by Dow Chemical Company, a firm based in Michigan. Dow too refused to accept the responsibility of the accident. It asserts that Union Carbide had fulfilled their responsibility. Groups from the other side of the fence however insist that when Dow brought Carbide Union, Dow should also inherit the liability. I too believe Dow should accept the responsibility.
