How many times will it take til people learn that we cannot treat our planet as a giant rubbish tip?
Here I am at the relie´s home In Campos, Brasil, overlooking the Paraiba River. About a week ago some Klutz of dudious parentage and litlle intelligence tipped about 1500 litres op toxic waste into the ParaIba Riverupstream of here in Campos.
Everything in its path right to the ocean has been killed in the way of fish, lobsters,turtles aquatic snails etc. I have no doubt the carrion eating birds will also end up dead. Of course the local fishermen and their families may never recover from this, and that is very sad because they are already dirt poor.
Yesterday we went to Atafona, at the mouth of the river and the stench from the tons of dead fish is absolutely overpowering. The crab and prawn population is probably all but extinct and there are dead dolphins up and down the coast.
Atafona is suffering a double blow because the Atlantic has been eating away at the coast for years and many houses have been washed away. Naturally the first to go were those of the poorest of the fisherfolk. I Hadn´t been there for 12 years and the extent of the destruction in that time has really astounded me.
Studies have shown that the problem has been caused by the dropping flow in the river due to water wihdrawals upstream. God knows what will happen when sea levels rise as well.
This morning my nephew showed me a summary on the internet of 9 such occurences during the last 30 years in this same river. Apparently in all cases people have been arrested but no restitution has evr been made bcause the companies and their executives have no money.
Everybody is enraged about the current event but they are totally frustrated because they know nothing will happen to the perpétrators.
I know this goes on in other parts of the world as well.
Any suggestions for the sort of action that might be taken?
