Reflection on Poisoned Profits

Looking from a standpoint of environmentalist movement, Poisoned Profits fits perfectly as a modern summary of an ever-existing problem. Abuse committed on our environment, including its continuous contamination, has been a repetitive problem for the humanity. With ground-breaking Silent Spring by Rachel Carson through Civil Action and the story of Erin Brockovich, the world learns personal stories of people directly affected by harmful pollution. Poisoned Profits, similarly to other literature we have come across in our course, tells a story of children and their families, victimized by self-righteous and uncontrolled companies, which on a daily basis choose to sacrifice the human health for their own profit.

I am sure that Schabecoffs' book made a profound impact on some politicians, litigators, as well as common men and yet, I hope for a truly monumental moment that would change people's attitudes towards environment and finally, influence the world of politics so that nature can be protected from its further destruction. It seems, however, that as long as money is involved in the decision-making processes, there is a higher potential for corruption, which inadvertently impedes upon a selfless commitment to environmental protection. Inasmuch as hazardous living conditions due to contamination exist not only in the US, but also in other parts of the world, a problematic tension between the private companies, the government, and the good for the people occurs around the globe. The recent story set in Nigeria proves how international companies destroy the environments of foreign countries - usually, the countries of high corruption and internal domestic conflicts between the government and its people: "A series of repressive and corrupt governments in Nigeria have been supported and maintained by western governments and oil corporations, keen on benefiting from the fossil fuels that can be exploited. As people and transnational oil corporations have been fighting over this “dark nectar” in the delta region, immense poverty and environmental destruction have resulted." [http://www.globalissues.org/article/86/nigeria-and-oil] Clearly, differences in regulations in different countries allow for abuses of environment everywhere and the lack of environmental law well-established and governed on an international scale further disallows awareness about a global need for environmental protection.

Finally, I am very grateful that we got a chance to speak with Schabecoffs. It is always so good to fully immerse in the topic and be able to understand it from several various perspectives. As for Poisoned Profits, I expended my knowledge and understanding of the book even further after speaking with its authors.