The One Damaging The Earth Must Be Judged

The world, our world, is asking for help from us every day. Shouting and calling but how much do we hear? Steps are being taken to define issues such as ecological damage, large-scale damage, destruction or loss of ecosystems as a crime in Europe.

The world's problem is not just waste. The destruction of forests, the irresponsible consumption of water resources, the endless use of energy, the continuous continuation of concreting, the uncontrolled growth of industrialization and many similar events destroy our world. You can control plastic waste, recycle it, but can you prevent Amazon forests being burned for a profit? Of course you can prevent… How? Of course, if you characterize such acts as a crime and have this crime prosecuted, you can of course prevent it.

Regionally, we think that it is possible to take steps in the name of sustainability by determining many standards by considering the criteria of that geography. We would like to provide you with some examples;

Deepwater Horizon explosion, 2010

The explosion of the "Deepwater Horizon" oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010, which killed 11 workers, led to an unprecedented environmental disaster. According to scientists, 15 million liters of crude oil mixed into deep blue waters; that is, between 70 thousand and 100 thousand barrels. The well was closed 85 days after the explosion. The damage was such that it was not possible to fish in this bay for years. According to estimates, hundreds of thousands of creatures perished terribly.

Oppau explosion, 1921

On September 21, 1921, a mixture of 4,500 tons of ammonium nitrate and sulphate exploded at the famous BASF plant in Oppau, Germany. The sound of the explosion was heard up to 300 km away, and the whole factory and all the surrounding buildings were destroyed. Even 30 km away from the explosion, traffic stopped due to glass shards. Nearly 600 people lost their lives; 2,000 people were injured and 6,500 people were left homeless.

Exxon Valdez accident, 1989

On March 24, 1989, the Exxon Valdez tanker jammed into a reef in Alaska while on its way to California. Within a few days, 11 to 38 million gallons of oil had spilled into the sea; that is, 42,000 to 144,000 m3. For this reason, it is considered one of the greatest human-made disasters on earth. Following the accident, 100,000 to 250,000 seabirds, at least 2,800 otters, 300 seals, 247 eagles and 22 whales were reported to have perished and died. It was not possible to count fish and salmon ... Even in 2010, oil was still extracting from the sand and soil around.

Love Canal toxic disaster, 1953

It turned out that the company named Hooker Chemical Company dumped 22,000 tons of toxic waste into the Love Canal ditch in the northwest of New York between 1940 and 1953. It was suspicious that hundreds of children and adults from the vicinity of Niagara started to flock to hospitals with similar complaints. There was an abnormal increase in the rate of leukemia, asthma, epilepsy, and many more. After some investigation, the reason was found. Extremely toxic substances such as benzene and dioxin, as well as hundreds of different carcinogenic compounds were found in very high amounts in samples taken from water and soil. After this disaster that caused hundreds of deaths, the area was completely evacuated, kept in quarantine, and it was not possible for years to clean.

Minamata Disaster, 1932

In Minamata, Japan, the company Chisso Corporation dumped all its industrial waste into the sea for nearly 30 years, causing the highly toxic methyl-mercury to accumulate in all seafood in the bay. All of the people and animals fed on these seafood suffered mercury poisoning. The disaster led to a terrible disease called Minamata disease, which was discovered in 1956. This neurological disease caused by exposure to high amounts of mercury leads to loss of vision, body paralysis, coma and death. 2265 people were diagnosed with Minamata, 1784 of them died in pain.

Halifax Explosion, 1917

The disaster, caused by the explosion of a French cargo ship full of ammunition in the port of Halifax, killed 2,000 people. About 9000 people were also injured. The explosion created a tsunami in the harbor and revealed a wind that squeezed the air, causing trees to break off and railways to warp.

Kuwait oil fire, 1991

In 1991, as Iraqi military forces withdrew from Kuwait after the Gulf War, they set fire to around 700 oil wells. After 7 months, only about 400 of them could be brought under control. It is estimated that about 1 billion barrels of oil was burned. This is the nuclear winter of the world according to scientists. The area burned wildly for months and turned black as it was. In almost the entire Northern Hemisphere, the smoke of the fire circulated, descending into our cities as acid rain.

Grandcamp explosion, 1947

In the incident, also known as the Texas explosion, the French-flagged Grandcamp, carrying 2,300 tons of ammonium nitrate, exploded in the port of Texas. Around 600 people died near the port, some could not even be identified. Nearly 5000 people were injured, 2000 people were left homeless. Currently, most people refer to this as the biggest industrial disaster to happen in the US.

Chernobyl nuclear disaster, 1986

April 26, 1986. The explosion in the 4th reactor of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant caused a disaster that would last for many years. The radiation released by the explosion of the reactor was 200 times more effective than the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The disaster, which the Russians sought to hide from the world for a long time, was revealed when abnormal levels of radiation were noticed in the Scandinavian skies. In the explosion that killed 31 people in the first stage, 4000 people who participated in the rescue and cleaning works lost their lives within 1 year. By 2004, 4000 cases of thyroid cancer were seen in Ukraine, Russia and Belarus in children under 18 years of age. Numerous children, adults and animals have been mutated. Scientists estimate that between 30,000 and 60,000 people will die from the types of cancer caused by Chernobyl. After the disaster in Turkey, it will increase the rate of cancer in a very serious way and its effects has entered a period of ongoing even today. The rate of cancer patients in 1986 doubled in the Marmara Region and tripled in the Black Sea in 1987 and caused the death of many of our people.

Bhopal disaster, 1984

The toxic gas leak caused by an accident at the pesticide factory in Bhopal, India, on the night of June 2 to June 3, killed nearly 4000 people within hours. More than 550 thousand people were affected. Within two weeks, 8,000 people had died. And experts estimate another 8000 people subsequently died due to this gas poisoning. Bhopal is still considered the world's largest and number one industrial disaster.