Working in Durban

All 9 of us have been busy at work here since our first Monday (the third day of the trip). I am lucky enough to work at the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance. It's an environmental rights group that fights for the rights for Durban citizens to live in a clean environment. That, however, is nearly impossible. Residential and industrial areas are built literally next door to each other. And pollution runs rampant, which has plagued the community for years. Levels of asthma and cancer are far above any norm. Government lacks the fortitude to fight this as they do not dare to risk losing companies to other resource-rich companies that might be more friendly to their polluting ways. Thus, it has been left to SDCEA to fight the battle.
I have been helping them fight against an emission that has been producing a powerful cat-urine odor at night and early in the mornings. This odor is more than just a nuisance; it has been giving people headaches, sinus-issues, and nausea. And these effects last long after the smell has gone. Many schools in the area have been affected, not just directly by the smell, but by unhealthy staff and students. And this has been going on for twenty months. The health department has said that locating the offending industry as a very difficult challenge. But if this difficult challenge is not worth taking, what challenge is? It is an incredibly frustrating battle to fight, but also a worthwhile one. People deserve a cleaner environment to live in. When people’s health is being so dramatically affected, everyone is losing productivity and happiness unfairly. Businesses need to clean up their negative externalities (econ55 coming in handy) and I am proud to be part of the fight to force the offending party to stop their poisoning. It’s not what I may have expected to be doing here, but I could not be prouder to be part of it.