Post 15 Irish Danielle M. Morales Gr. 7 - Nitrogen June 28, 2014 I have been watching developments surrounding the controversial Lynas rare earth processing plant in Kuantan, Malaysia. As an activist who has worked on numerous cases of toxic waste dumping and dirty technology transfer, this particular case drew my attention, mainly because it seemed to adhere to the template of similar cases I have encountered in the past (i.e. the so-called path of least resistance where a multinational company locates the dirtiest part of its operation in a country where environmental standards are less stringent). Moreover, this case piqued my interest because I have been an admirer of the Malaysian government’s leadership on sustainable development issues at the global level, and so was wondering how Malaysia would be approaching the issue of radioactive waste management and disposal, which is associated with the processing of rare earths. From our research and discussions with Malaysian groups who have been opposing the Lynas plant, it now appears that in applying for a license to be able to operate in Malaysia, the Australian company oversold its claims to the government when it initially gave assurances that it will operate according to best environmental standards and that no radioactive waste arising from the process will be disposed of in Malaysia, a key condition required by the authorities. The fact that Australia bars the entry of this radioactive waste back into the country where the rare earths are mined, means that Lynas now has to find an urgent and acceptable solution to its radioactive waste predicament. In its bid to secure a permanent license to continue operating in Kuantan , the company has been exploring ways to go around the problem among them, a reckless and dangerous plan to recycle the radioactive waste into various products that could then be deployed in Malaysia. Talk about recycling and distributing a clear hazard. Read the full article at greenpeace.org/seasia/ph/News/greenpeace-philippine-blog/a-radioactive-ruse/blog/49694/
Posted on: Sat, 28 Jun 2014 09:26:54 +0000
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