Let Dow Sponsor The Olympics

Abstract

I have little sympathy for Dow Chemical’s claim that it has nothing to do with the tragedy that occurred at a Union Carbide chemical plant in Bhopal, India, in December 1984. When Dow acquired Union Carbide in 2001, it acquired a chemical firm that had been wounded and remained haunted by what had taken place in Bhopal. By gobbling up Carbide, Dow swallowed Carbide’s heritage and historical baggage. But activists and a few politicians based in London and India are now drawing a link between Dow’s sponsorship of the 2012 Olympics and the Bhopal tragedy. In a nutshell, they claim that Olympic ideals will be tarnished if the games are supported by a company that has taken away the lives and health of thousands of Bhopalis. I have no sympathy for this particular campaign. On three trips to Bhopal between 2004 and 2006, I saw firsthand what makes the most ...