Tunisian Pollution: When 'Developing' Means 'Disposable'
Al Jazeera chronicles the general strike in Gabes, Tunisia, where over 200 people are hospitalized with respiratory issues, blaming a local chemical plant. Yet, this isn't just a ‘local’ problem. The Gabes Chemical Group (GCK), a state-owned enterprise, has been dumping phosphogypsum into the Gulf of Gabes for decades, a byproduct of processing phosphates for fertilizers exported globally . This
environmental catastrophe isn't unique; it's a blueprint. While Western nations outsource dirty industries and demand cheap raw materials, communities like Gabes bear the brunt. One might wonder if the headlines would scream louder if those 200 hospitalizations were in, say, Luxembourg. This isn't just about an overloaded industrial plant; it's about a global economic order that profits from
poisoning communities it deems 'out of sight, out of mind'. The question isn't if it’s toxic, but for whom .