ENVIRONMENT COMMUNICATION

CAMPAIGNS ON

DISASTERS-Pratiksha Mishra

II semester, MS Communication

CONTENT

• Introduction to Environment Communication

• Case Studies:- National- Bhopal Gas Tragedy International- Gulf Oil Spill• Conclusion

WHAT IS ENVIRONMENT COMMUNICATION?• Environment Communication is the study

of sharing of information related to environment and its prospects.

• The wide umbrella of Environment Communication caters to different area like:-

Studying the components of the Environment Analyzing the factors affecting the

environment Critically assessing disasters and its aftermath Bringing out campaigns to spread awareness

INTRODUCTIONAIM:- to present an overview of 1 National and 1International campaign that commenced after a man-made disaster.

PROCEDURE:- • Detailed research on the Cause and Effect of

the disaster.• Government and First-party intervention.• Highlighting public awareness by campaigns

conducted to spread awareness.

CASE STUDY - 1- Bhopal Gas Tragedy

BHOPAL GAS TRAGEDY

Date- 2nd December 1984Place- Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh

REASON• Gas leak from Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL)

pesticide plant’s storage tank.• The cause of the disaster remains under debate. The Indian government and local activists argue that slack

management and deferred maintenance created a situation where routine pipe maintenance caused a backflow of water into a MIC, tank triggering the disaster.

Union Carbide Corporation (UCC)

contends water entered the tank

through an act of sabotage.

REPERCUSSION • The initial effects of exposure were coughing, severe eye irritation

and a feeling of suffocation, burning in the respiratory tract, breathlessness, stomach pains and vomiting. People awakened by these symptoms fled away from the plant. Those who ran inhaled more than those who had a vehicle to ride. Owing to their height, children and other people of shorter stature inhaled higher concentrations.

• Estimates vary on the death toll. The official immediate death toll was 2,259. The government of Madhya Pradesh confirmed a total of 3,787 deaths related to the gas release

CAMPAIGN• Greenpeace India Campaign(Bhopal gas Tragedy). Led

by Ms. Karuna Raina

• Bhopal Group for Information and Action. Led by Ms. Rachna Dhingra

They indulged in Street protest; hunger strikes, self-immolation and appeals were made to economic valuation of the environment.

• A local journalist Rajkumar Keswani published a series of reports exposing safety lapses in the plant.

The headline of his first article in September 1982 screamed: “Save,please, this city.”  

His last report was published in a national Hindi newspaper Jansatta and local newspapers in June1984 in which he warned of the impending disaster. Six months later catastrophe struck.”

FINDINGS…• More than 2000 animals were dead from the effect of the

gas and were disposed of all together in the nearby river. • In 2009, Narain’s Organization made a report stating that

the found samples from around the site contained chlorinated benzene compounds and organochloride pesticides which were 561 times higher than the national standard.

 • Activists have proved that since the site wasn’t cleaned; the

groundwater so extracted has toxic chemical waste making the water contaminated for more than 20,000 people in the area.

 • In 2007, 1,029,517 cases were registered and decided.

Cases awarded were 5,74,304 while 4,55,213 were rejected. Total compensation awarded was US $250 million.

 

GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION

• Legal proceedings involving UCC, the United States and Indian governments, local Bhopal authorities, and the disaster victims started immediately after the catastrophe.

• The Indian Government passed the Bhopal Gas Leak Act in March 1985, allowing the Government of India to act as the legal representative for victims of the disaster, leading to the beginning of legal proceedings.

• In March 1986 UCC proposed a settlement figure, endorsed by plaintiffs' U.S. attorneys, of $350 million that would, generate a fund for Bhopal victims.

• In May, litigation was transferred from the United States to Indian courts by U.S. District Court Judge. Following an appeal of this decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals affirmed the transfer, judging, in January 1987, that UCIL was a "separate entity, owned, managed and operated exclusively by Indian citizens in India".

WHAT I DRAW FROM IT…..The Bhopal gas tragedy had severe Environmental Impacts:-Visible: Biodiversity loss, Food insecurity (crop damage), Genetic contamination, Loss of landscape/aesthetic degradation.

Potential: Air pollution, Global warming, Soil contamination, Waste overflow, Surface water pollution / Decreasing water quality, Groundwater pollution or depletion.

Estimated loss of Life:- 10, 000 human lives, over 2000 cattle and over 200 acres of agricultural land.

The movie- Bhopal: Prayer for Rain gives a striking account of the catastrophe.

CASE STUDY - 2

- The Gulf Oil Spill

THE GULF OIL SPILL• Spill Date: 20 April – 15 July 2010• Place- Gulf of Mexico near Mississippi

River Delta, United States.

REASON• On 20 April 2010, high-pressure methane gas from the well expanded

into the drilling riser and rose into the drilling rig, where it ignited and exploded, engulfing the platform

• The explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, a sea-floor oil gusher flowed for 87 days, until it was capped on 15 July 2010.

• The US Government estimated the total discharge at 4.9 million barrels (210 million US gallons)

REPERCUSSION • In 2013 it was reported that dolphins and other marine life continued

to die in record numbers with infant dolphins dying at six times the normal rate.

• One study released in 2014 reported that tuna and amberjack that were exposed to oil from the spill developed deformities of the heart and other organs that would be expected to be fatal or at least life-shortening.

• Another study found that cardiotoxicity might have been widespread in animal life exposed to the spill.

• A risk that increase in microbial activity might reduce subsea oxygen levels, threatening fish and other animals

CAMPAIGNThe US campaign group Public Citizen initiated a ‘Lets Help Ourselves’ campaign:-Responders used 5.5 million feet of boom (a barrier placed in water) to collect and absorb oil.Over 30,000 people responded to the spill in the Gulf Coast working to collect oil, clean up beaches, take care of animals and perform various other duties. The campaign was highlighted in the regional and national newspapers.

FINDINGS…• Number of wildlife species threatened by the spill. Threatened species

include sea life such as whales, tuna and shrimp; dozens of species of birds; land animals such as the gray fox and white-tailed deer; and amphibians such as the alligator and the snapping turtle.

• At least 30 species of birds the Audubon Society says are potentially threatened by the oil spill. These include marsh birds, ocean-dwelling birds and migratory songbirds. Among the most vulnerable species is the brown pelican which was only recently removed from the endangered species list. The spill is especially devastating for bird populations because it coincides with the beginning of breeding season.

• 25 million number of birds that traverse the Gulf Coast per day, and which are potentially at risk from the oil spill. According to the LA Times Greenspace Blog, "Late spring is the peak time for neo-tropical songbirds moving from the Yucatan Peninsula to make their first landfall in Louisiana," and "more than 70% of the country's waterfowl frequent the gulf's waters."

GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION• About a month after the oil spill, Transocean announced that they

would provide $500 million to fund an independent research program that would study the impacts of the spill on the environment and public health.

• At the outset, the twenty-person GoM board adopted five main research themes to focus on:

o physical movement of the oil and dispersant, o degradation of the oil and its interaction with the ecosystem, o environmental effects of the oil and dispersant, o development of technology for improved response and remediation, o the effects of oil and dispersant on human health.

• GoM funded studies have examined where the oil went after the spill, and how the oil affected many types of marine life, including deep-sea coral ecosystems, seabirds, and jellyfish, to name just a few.

WHAT I DRAW FROM IT…..• A method of treating the oil spill, "in-situ

burning" or burning oil in a contained area on the surface of the water, was adapted by the Government. It has negative effects on the environment.

• Over 8,000 animals (birds, turtles, mammals) were reported dead just 6 months after the spill, including many that were already on the endangered species list.

• Keeping aside the role of Government, the public aided in a large scale to check the menace in every way possible.

FINAL INFERENCEMy case studies were based on the campaigns done on the ‘Bhopal Gas

Tragedy’ and the ‘Gulf Oil Spill’. Both the disasters were catastrophic in nature and the massacre caused by them is impending. People associated with both

the disasters are still bearing the brunt of the calamity.

The Bhopal Gas Tragedy throws light on the carelessness of the imperials that took away umpteen lives. The fault lay on both sides of the coin as the then;

Indian Government led by Rajiv Gandhi, gave a clean chit to the mother company and also aided the culprits to elope away from India. The aftermath of

the tragic occurrence has left its mark in several ways, one being the genetically damaged babies being born in the city of Bhopal.

On the other hand the Gulf Oil Spill caused major threat to the marine beings. Due to the blockage of sunlight into the sea, many phyto-planktons had to disappear; this in turn led to imbalance in the deep sea ecosystem. A large number of sea birds lost their lives too, as their wings were coated with the

grease and hence they could not fly.

Both the disasters were man-made and could be certainly avoided at various levels. The local governments should be more aware of the issues hovering

around the area. I believe that active public participation is the key to reduce the harmful and fatal effects of these disasters. Media played a huge role in

bringing out awareness of the impending upshots.

THANK YOU

FOR SITTING THROUGH THIS…

-any queries??