International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal
Encyclopedia
The International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal (ICJB) is a coalition of disaster survivors and environmental, social justice, progressive Indian, and human rights groups that have joined forces to hold the Indian Government and Dow Chemical Corporation accountable for the ongoing chemical disaster in Bhopal
.
Bhopal disaster
The Bhopal disaster also known as Bhopal Gas Tragedy was a gas leak incident in India, considered one of the world's worst industrial catastrophes. It occurred on the night of December 2–3, 1984 at the Union Carbide India Limited pesticide plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India...
.
Stated mission
- To ensure adequate health care and rehibilitation for the survivors (and their children) of the Bhopal Disaster.
- To achieve a safe environment in Bhopal by proper remediation.
- To bring to trial those charged with crimes, and secure heavy punishment of the guilty.
- To pressure the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Union Carbide's current owner the Dow Chemical Company to realize these aims.
Beliefs
- The Precautionary PrinciplePrecautionary principleThe precautionary principle or precautionary approach states that if an action or policy has a suspected risk of causing harm to the public or to the environment, in the absence of scientific consensus that the action or policy is harmful, the burden of proof that it is not harmful falls on those...
- The Polluter Pays PrinciplePolluter pays principleIn environmental law, the polluter pays principle is enacted to make the party responsible for producing pollution responsible for paying for the damage done to the natural environment. It is regarded as a regional custom because of the strong support it has received in most Organisation for...
- The Right to KnowRight to know"Right to know", in the context of United States workplace and community environmental law, is the legal principle that the individual has the right to know the chemicals to which they may be exposed in their daily living. It is embodied in federal law in the United States as well as in local laws...
- International Liability
- Environmental JusticeEnvironmental justiceEnvironmental justice is "the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, sex, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies." In the words of Bunyan Bryant,...
Aims
- To bring Warren Anderson to criminal court in India.
- To bring Union CarbideUnion CarbideUnion Carbide Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company. It currently employs more than 2,400 people. Union Carbide primarily produces chemicals and polymers that undergo one or more further conversions by customers before reaching consumers. Some are high-volume...
Corporation to criminal court in India in the corporate person of Dow Chemical which acquired Union Carbide in 2001. - To get Dow Chemical to
- pay further compensation to the Bhopal Disaster victims;
- pay for the long term health care of the Bhopal Disaster survivors;
- release any medical information about the released gases that they hold as trade secretTrade secretA trade secret is a formula, practice, process, design, instrument, pattern, or compilation of information which is not generally known or reasonably ascertainable, by which a business can obtain an economic advantage over competitors or customers...
s; - pay for the environmental clean-up of the
- abandoned plant;
- surrounding land;
- ground water; and
- local drinking water supplies;
- provide clean & safe drinking water to communities with polluted water.