ecocide

Have Garbage Will Burn: An Ecocide Update

Mark A. Ashwill Commentary , , , , , , , , , ,

Coarse particles (PM10), with diameters between 2.5 and 10 micrometers, are inhalable and can deposit in the upper airways, including the nose, throat, and bronchi. Burning is to Vietnam as baseball is to the US: a national pastime. It's one of the two primary methods of trash disposal, the other being burying rubbish in a … Continue reading Have Garbage Will Burn: An Ecocide Update

The Opportunities & Limits of Responsible Environmental Citizenship

Mark A. Ashwill Commentary , , ,

Source: International Criminal Court Bar Association (ICCBA) I do my best to be a responsible environmental citizen but I'm also an unwilling participant in a system that must change from below and above. On the bright side, this includes: Not littering Gently admonishing people for littering Picking up other people's trash Using my own cloth bag whenever … Continue reading The Opportunities & Limits of Responsible Environmental Citizenship

“This is a crime against our planet.”

Mark A. Ashwill Commentary , , , ,

Indeed. Three words that immediately popped into my head after glancing at this disturbing photo were fetid, macabre, and surreal. It is both sad and infuriating, yet another depressing example of ecocide. The oversized teddy bear is Brown of LINE (chat app) fame. Maybe a child or someone's girlfriend got tired of him. What better … Continue reading “This is a crime against our planet.”

Militancy for an Existential Cause: Environmental Protection in Vietnam

Mark A. Ashwill Articles, Commentary , , , , ,

Photo taken at the Golf Valley lagoon, which drains into Xuan Huong Lake. Credit: Paul Olivier Here's my latest essay for CounterPunch. Check out the first two paragraphs and follow the preceding link if you wish to read the article in its entirety. While most people use Facebook, the third most popular website in Vietnam, … Continue reading Militancy for an Existential Cause: Environmental Protection in Vietnam

Beyond the hype, a dirty side of Da Lat

Mark A. Ashwill Articles, Commentary , , , , ,

Trash is left at Lam Vien Square in the heart of Da Lat. Photo by Paul Olivier I was pleased to see VNExpress International publish this article by Paul Olivier. The dire situation that he describes applies to many cities and towns throughout Vietnam. Be sure to have a look at the comments. Paul criticizes … Continue reading Beyond the hype, a dirty side of Da Lat

The Normalization of Environmental Pollution

Mark A. Ashwill Commentary , , , , ,

Credit: MAA On a recent trip to Mรณng Cรกi in northern Viet Nam on the Chinese border, I had the chance to spend some time at a nearby beach. Above and below are photos of some of the items that were either left there by tourists or that washed up, e.g., country of origin, China, … Continue reading The Normalization of Environmental Pollution

Vietnam: Fewer Natural Forests, Increasingly More Golf Courses

Mark A. Ashwill Articles, Commentary , , , , , ,

This essay is from a website called TheVietnamese with the tagline Independent Journalism Matter. What it describes is yet another example of development in Viet Nam that is far from sustainable and of ecocide, defined as the destruction of the natural environment by deliberate or negligent human action. Who will benefit? That's easy. The company … Continue reading Vietnam: Fewer Natural Forests, Increasingly More Golf Courses

Trash, Trash, Everywhere, Everywhere!

Mark A. Ashwill Commentary , , , , , ,

Photo by MAA. This is a common sight in Viet Nam, especially in the countryside. Like a magnet, a small trash dump becomes a large one. Let's take a partial inventory of the items in this disgusting pile of garbage, shall we? ---lots of plastic bags (it can take up to 1,000 years for a … Continue reading Trash, Trash, Everywhere, Everywhere!