Greenpeace: PFOS scandal exposes systemic flaws

While the debate about PFOS and the Oosterweel works rages on, this dossier is also increasingly revealing underlying systemic errors in environmental policy. The scandal is a symptom of a broader disease, which is also manifesting itself in other dossiers.

29.06.2021 | Greenpeace Belgium

In recent weeks it has become clear that important actors in politics and administration knew about the disturbing soil pollution. This was discovered during the preparation for the Oosterweel works. However, the general public was deliberately not informed about this, because 'the shovel' simply had to go into the ground. And this while there were already serious warnings about health risks for residents in Zwijndrecht and the surrounding area.

Policy tailored to the polluter

The PFOS scandal is therefore symptomatic of the systemic errors in policy, which gives priority to short-sighted economic interests at the expense of the environment and health. All too often, the red carpet is rolled out for polluting industries or politics accommodates their wishes. Here too: PFOS polluter 3M reportedly even forced the Flemish government and Lantis to infamous settlement – which makes taxpayers pay for the clean-up costs and imposes a gag order on the PFOS contamination – by threaten to take away jobsResult: the Flemish government flat on its stomach and the environment and health once again in second place.

We also see in other dossiers in Flanders that major polluters often remain unscathed. Economic interest groups such as Essenscia for the chemical industry or the Boerenbond for large agricultural companies weigh too heavily on decision-making. They put the brakes on ambitious protection of climate, environment or health in order to keep everything the same for as long as possible in function of short-term profits. 

Health and environmental standards are therefore all too often watered down or swept under the carpet. This excessive entanglement between lobby groups and politics ensures that we are reaching our limits in all areas: CO2 emissions, air, nitrogen, soil and water pollution and excessive pressure on nature and open space. Not to mention the unfair distribution of these burdens, because it is often the socially and economically weaker groups that first and hardest experience the consequences of pollution and the climate crisis.

Fortunately, there are still alert citizens or environmental associations to sound the alarm and question or challenge permits for harmful developments. This citizen participation is a healthy additional check in a democratic decision-making process. Who can understand that the Flemish government is not taking that critical citizen into account? wants to shut the mouth?

Enough is enough! Time for a new approach

In Wallonia too, we see that concerns about climate, environment and residents are regularly ignored. For example, there is the Alibaba file at Liège airport. Alibaba is an e-commerce giant, the Chinese Amazon, so to speak. The company chose – with the approval of the Walloon government – Liège airport for their first logistics centre in Europe. A short-sighted economic choice that, due to a strong growth of trucks and air traffic and the occupation of open space, is detrimental to both climate, nature and health. Moreover, the Alibaba model stands for overconsumption, cheap products of poor quality and unfair competition with local traders.

Just like in Flanders Does the Walloon government also issue permits for mega-stables, such as those in Dottignies (Mouscron). This would be one of the largest in Wallonia and would be completely at odds with the government's intention to support agriculture that respects small producers and nature.

The expanding PFOS scandal in Zwijndrecht must become an important precedent for a fair environmental and climate policy. A policy in which the environment and health are paramount, the polluter pays for the damage caused, and there are conclusive plans to tackle the climate and nature crisis. Time to clean up not only polluted soil but also our environmental and climate policy!

Join in!

On Sunday 4 July, Greenpeace will take part in a citizen protest in Antwerp around PFOS: a march for a healthy city and port. Do you also want to make your voice heard? All information can be found here here.