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Visit Sunny Chernobyl: And Other Adventures in the World's Most Polluted Places

Page 33

by Andrew Blackwell


  generation of electricity by, 5–6

  model at Chernobyl Museum, 4

  New Safe Confinement for, 31–32

  nuclear lava in, 30

  scale model of, 29–30

  sequence leading to failure of, 12–13

  Shelter Object around, 28–29, 30–31

  visitor center, 29–32

  Chernobyl town, 34–38

  China

  as biggest CO2 emitter, 221

  government jobs in, 240

  journalists unwelcome in, 208–9

  lead poisoning in, 217

  as major e-waste importer, 207

  polluted cities in, 231

  Climate change

  forests as protection from, 158

  oil sands mining and, 44, 60–61

  oil’s part in, 77

  Coal mining in China, 232–245

  changes in industry, 233, 242

  coal bosses, 232–36

  dangers of, 233, 243

  pollution from coal, 221, 237–38

  Sad Coal Man, 224–25, 230, 239–240, 245

  small mines, 237, 242

  visit to a coal mine, 239–245

  wages for, 243

  Dead zone, Chernobyl area, 19–20, 35

  Dragline mining of oil sands, 54–55

  Electricity generation

  from fossil fuels, 112, 221, 238

  nuclear, 5–6

  renewable energy in China, 221

  Electronics recycling, 206–19

  countries involved in, 207

  government representative for, 214–15

  processes of, 211–13, 214, 215

  shipping arrangements for, 207

  60 Minutes report on, 207

  souvenir chips bought by author, 214

  toxic hazards of, 206

  Environmentalism

  beauty and, 226

  Christianity and, 269–270

  division of humanity and nature in, 171–73, 179–180, 292

  of Hilton Kelley in Port Arthur, 80–84

  in India, 248

  nature-as-purity concept, 172–73, 280, 281, 292

  oil sands development fight, 44

  scorned by soy farmers, 186–87

  Exclusion Zone

  checkpoint at entry to, 14

  dead zone, 19–20, 35

  distribution of contamination, 17–18

  itinerary through, 15

  Kolachi (buried village), 20

  Pripyat (deserted city), 22–28

  Pripyat River, 32–33

  reactor visitor center, 29–32

  Red Forest, 21

  as Zone of Alienation, 34

  Fort McMurray, Canada

  CO2 emissions from, 60–61

  described, 44–45

  duck holocaust in, 41–42, 54

  oil’s influence on, 49–50

  Great Pacific Garbage Patch

  challenge of cleaning up, 126, 127, 128, 129

  challenges getting the voyage started, 121, 122, 124–25

  Chernobyl compared to, 127

  discovery of, 118

  Eastern and Western patches, 120

  as an ecosystem, 119

  fishing net in, 138–39, 146–47

  galaxy compared to, 148

  inaccessibility of, 120, 148–49

  nonvisual nature of, 147–48

  not an island, 118, 119, 126, 148

  origins of material in, 119–120, 129, 149

  plastic confetti in, 126–27, 129

  questions needing research, 149–150

  size of, 119

  varied nature of, 142

  voyage from, 151–55

  voyage in, 146–151

  voyage to, 117–18, 129–146

  Greenpeace

  on cancer due to Chernobyl, 36

  Cargill negotiations, 190–91, 199–200

  on Crane Lake, 66

  oil sands activism by, 67–68

  people excluded from environment by, 179–180

  on shipping electronic waste, 207

  Guiyu, China, 206–19

  described, 205–6

  pollution in, 206, 215, 216–17, 219

  temple tour by children, 215–16

  India

  environmentalism in, 248

  environmental law in, 260, 261

  ghats in, 256, 257, 262–66

  holy rivers in, 247–48

  judiciary rulings in, 260

  as land of contrasts, 249–250

  origin of name, 247–48

  sexual abuse of children in, 257

  Kasei (ship taken to Garbage Patch)

  crew of, 122–25

  daily life on, 135–37

  described, 121

  going aloft, 142–43

  misgivings about, 121–22, 124, 125

  oddity of, 123–24

  previous Garbage Patch voyage of, 129

  propeller fouled by net, 138–39

  squall false alarm, 151

  steering, 132–33

  Kiev

  Chernobyl Museum, 3–4

  electronics black market, 9–10

  fled after Chernobyl accident, 2

  journey to Chernobyl from, 14

  practices after Chernobyl, 2–3

  radiation detector sought in, 6–7, 9–11

  radiation levels in, 14, 18

  Linfen, China

  Audi sales in, 233–36

  billboards on outskirts, 229

  coal pervading, 232

  drum tower in, 222–23

  healthy civic life in, 223–24, 225–26

  as most polluted city in the world, 220–22, 223, 229–232

  Sad Coal Man symbol of, 224–25, 230, 239–240

  Spring Festival in, 223–24

  tourist attractions in, 227–29

  Oil drilling

  by big vs. small companies, 106–8

  continuing on Spindletop, 103–9, 110–12, 115

  equipment for, 104–6

  kerosene as original goal of, 76

  original Lucas oil well, 75, 76, 88–89, 113, 114–15

  process of, 105

  stripper fields, 106

  Oil sands

  air pollution from, 56

  amount in Canada, 43

  amount of oil produced from, 56–57

  as dirty oil, 43–44

  duck holocaust due to mining, 41–42, 54

  helicopter tour of, 68–71

  Keystone XL pipeline from, 73–74

  land reclamation, 57, 59, 61–62, 63–66

  older dragline system of mining, 54–55

  overburden covering, 59

  process of removing oil from, 43, 47–48

  salaries paid for mining, 55–56

  size of mining equipment, 54–55, 58–59

  sulfur byproduct from, 48–49, 69

  Suncor bus tour of, 50, 53–59

  tailings mountain from mining, 69

  US attitudes toward, 43, 44

  Oil spills

  Deepwater Horizon, 113–14

  Eagle Otome tanker, 89–90, 102

  fishing after, 94–95

  pelican rescue after, 92–93, 95–97

  work generated by, 90–93

  Pollution

  in Beijing, China, 219–220

  Blacksmith’s list, 230–32

  in Chinese cities, 231

  from coal, 221, 237–38

  from electronics recycling, 206, 215, 216–17, 219

  in Ganges river, India, 248, 270

  in Linfen, China, 220–22, 223, 227, 229–232

  oil industry, 56, 78, 81, 83, 84–85

  sources in India, 260

  Port Arthur, Texas

  cancer in, 84–85

  Chamber of Commerce slogan, 91–92

  Eagle Otome tanker accident, 89–90, 102

  expansion after oil discovery, 76

  Keystone XL pipeline to, 73–74

  Mardi Gras Ball, 85, 86–88

 
poverty in, 79

  refineries surrounding, 78–79

  refinery pollution in, 78, 81, 83

  ship channel, 89, 90, 97–102

  Project Kasei

  current line crossed, 155

  daily life at sea, 135–37

  debris collection technique, 139

  first debris sightings, 133–34

  goal of the voyage, 128–29

  mahimahi caught, 145–46

  motto of, 121, 128

  NOAA waypoint, 140, 141

  ocean-current model testing, 140–41

  plans to maximize data, 144–45

  scientific shortcomings of, 134–35, 140–41, 144–45, 147–150, 154

  watches for debris, 130–31, 133–35, 140

  Radiation detectors

  function of, 7–8

  noise made by, 19–20, 21

  Radiation levels

  adaptation to, 26

  at beginning of “dead zone,” 19–20

  checked after Chernobyl area visit, 39

  after Chernobyl accident, 29

  confusing measurements of, 8

  in Kiev, 14, 18

  at Kolachi, 20

  in Pripyat, 24–25, 27

  at Pripyat turnoff, 21

  in the Red Forest, 21

  standards for, 18

  in town of Chernobyl, 18

  Sad Coal Man, 224–25, 230, 239–240, 245

  Santarém, Brazil

  Cargill terminal in, 159, 167–68

  rivers meeting in, 161–62

  selection as destination, 159

  Soy farmers in Brazil

  environmentalists scorned by, 186–87

  local dislike of, 180

  local environment changed by, 181

  not major cause of deforestation, 189

  small farms bought by, 180–81, 182

  southern migration of, 185–86

  soy moratorium, 190–91, 198–201

  Spindletop, Texas, 103–12

  archeology sites, 109–10

  continued drilling, 103–9, 110–12, 115

  natural gas storage in, 109

  original Lucas oil well, 74–76, 88–89, 113, 114–15

  overdrilling at, 88

  Yamuna river, India, 254–55

  black water of, 247

  cleanup programs, 260–62

  cremation ground beside, 254–55

  as dead river, 252

  diversion into canals, 251–52

  eutrophicated segment, 261

  groundwater depletion and, 262

  ISBT highway bridge, 257–59

  kayaking plans for, 266

  monsoon floods and, 253

  as most polluted river, 249

  Najafgarh drain, 267–68

  offerings to, 253, 258–59, 263, 264, 268

  Okhla Barrage, 256

  Ram Ghat, 262–66

  rowboat trip on, 251, 252–55

  scavenging from, 254–55, 258–59, 263, 264

  as sewage canal, 251, 252, 253

  suicides in, 264–65, 266

  yatra along, 266–67, 269, 275–299

  Mention of specific companies, organizations, or authorities in this book does not imply endorsement by the author or publisher, nor does mention of specific companies, organizations, or authorities imply that they endorse this book, its author, or the publisher. Internet addresses and telephone numbers given in this book were accurate at the time it went to press.

  © 2012 by Andrew Blackwell

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  Book design by Amy King

  Maps by Jamie Tanner

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Blackwell, Andrew

  Visit sunny Chernobyl : and other adventures in the world’s most polluted places / Andrew Blackwell.

  p. cm.

  Includes index.

  ISBN 978-1-60529-445-2 hardcover

  ISBN 978-1-60961-456-0 ebook

  1. Tourism—Environmental aspects. 2. Pollution. I. Title.

  G156.5.E58B53 2012

  363.73—dc23

  2011053229

  Distributed to the trade by Macmillan

  2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1 hardcover

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