E-waste ships of doom and sacrifice zones

They call them “ships of doom”. As one country tightens up regulations, the e-waste exporters scour around looking for some weaker, even more “developing” country. When the Global North boasts that it has dematerialized, that it has reduced its CO2 and pollution, know that the waste, toxins, CO2 and a galaxy of other pollutants always rematerialize in poor countries. It’s a magic trick.

“Over the past three decades or so, Africa has become an attractive destination while at the same time other countries have also become conscious about the dangers of e-waste in their territories,” said Kalale Fobisse, a climate change consultant. African environmental expert Nnimmo Bassey explained to Deutsche Welle that, “Other nations are getting more conscious about waste in their territories and they are rejecting toxic waste from polluting countries and suddenly Africa has become an attractive location.”

That toxic dust and smoke. Timothy Ngnenbe wrote about it for Graphic Online: Thick, dark and foggy smoke made its way into the atmosphere. The dense clouds of smoke containing toxic gasses spread across the Old Fadama slum, located at Agbogbloshie in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana, impeding