Abstract
These days people keep wondering whether the world is more dangerous now than it was before. Do natural disasters really happen more frequently or is it just that the damage they cause that has become greater? The situation is not quite clear. As a result of the globalizing world and advanced communication infrastructure, the number of known / reported catastrophes is relatively high, but that does not necessarily mean there has been an actual increase in frequency. The red mud spill in Hungary was a special combination of industrial and natural disasters. This is one of the reasons why it is very hard to pinpoint who is responsible for the event. Natural disasters tend to raise questions about responsibility that are different from those concerning industrial catastrophes. Interestingly enough, however, nature often plays an important role in industrial disasters. The present article is concerned with how the issues of responsibility are handled in the case of industrial disasters.
Highlights
Tom Massey, director of RWE Power, admitted in reply to a question that “Fifteen years ago, companies were saying that climate change was not relevant to business
The other dimension is the company’s perception of the ever-changing outside world. We consider this dimension as including the company’s geographical location, the ecological characteristics of the surroundings, biodiversity, prevailing winds in addition to demographics, and other characteristics such as the existing infrastructure, the population’s educational level, environmental attitudes, employment levels, and political institutions. Both dimensions are rather complex, but making a distinction is important as both corporate managers and regulators tend to devote serious attention to the first dimension, while the effects on risk of all the external factors have an inclination to be forgotten by both directors and the authorities
In the case of a potential accident, it is critical whether or not local inhabitants and disaster response organizations are prepared to reduce the adverse consequences of any accidents. Both the Bhopal and the Chernobyl disasters, and even this recent red mud catastrophe in Hungary, would have claimed far fewer lives if the authorities and inhabitants had been prepared for the possible occurrence of such an emergency
Summary
Tom Massey, director of RWE Power, admitted in reply to a question that “Fifteen years ago, companies were saying that climate change was not relevant to business. In order to continuously monitor the level of airborne dust in the affected areas, the National Service for Public Health and the Middle-DanubeValley Inspectorate for Environmental Protection, Nature Conservation and Water Management have been operating an integrated monitoring system since October 11. “In its ruling, the Budapest Court of Appeal named the Middle-Danube-Valley Inspectorate for Environmental Protection, Nature Conservation and Water Management as the building control and construction supervisory authority responsible for the Ajka mud reservoirs,” reported daily newspaper Népszabadság. This recent final ruling put an end to the legal debate whether it was the local notary or the environmental authority that should have inspected the condition of the walls of the ruptured reservoir. International experience and practice, which may serve as a starting point in finding a solution, do, exist in this field
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