Advocacy after Bhopal, 2001, by Kim Fortun: Book Review
The author traced the development of environmental advocates in
The sensitive and complex power structure with Union Carbide as an important employer in providing jobs in the Kanawha Valley and at the same time with many of the local politicians having connection with the company put the residents of the area and the employees in a position with almost nil bargaining power when negotiating for a higher standard of safety and more disclosure of information on the chemicals stored and produced in Union Carbide’s plants. The
The negligence of Union Carbide and the fact that it is oblivious to the health and safety of its employees, especially the African Americans who are in a lower social class, is a manifestation of the attitude of corporate
In a world where profit-making and global capitalism is taken for granted, and the livelihood of the poor very often depends on the establishment of factories and enterprises, any battle against these establishment tend to be an up-hill work. Although values and cultural concepts could be relative, respect for life, caring for the environment, or some other common values for the world, should be demanded of the most powerful organizations in the world, which, as anthropologists, we are able to provide an alternative choices to many and bring the awareness needed for actions to come through.
I’d like to end my report with a quote from the recent release of the annual result from HSBC, which I believe, should form the core values of all business establishments around the world.
“Underlying all these events is a question about the culture and ethics of the industry. It is as if, too often, people had given up asking whether something was the right thing to do, and focused only whether it was legal and complied with the rules. The industry needs to recover a sense of what is right and suitable as a key impulse for doing business.” - HSBC 2009 Financial Results