The Sins of the West -or- Where ships go to die

In an attempt refocus attention on the practice of confession, Archbishop Gianfranco Girotti recently announced that the Catholic Church has doubled and modernized its list of seven deadly sins.

The Vatican's new catalog of vices lists the following "new" sins:

1. Environmental pollution
2. Genetic manipulation
3. Accumulating excessive wealth
4. Inflicting poverty
5. Drug trafficking and consumption
6. Morally debatable experiments
7. Violation of fundamental rights of human nature

News of the new list of sins coincides with a sobering report from the Washington Post that the Geophysical Research Letters, a scientific journal, says that carbon emissions must near zero in order to reduce the effects of climate change in the foreseeable future.

The news from the Vatican also coincides with a re-release of a 2007 segment by 60 Minutes on the ship breaking yards in Chittagong, Bangladesh. The 60 Minutes feature takes a close look at life on the sludge-covered beaches of Chittagong where hundreds of bare-footed men disassemble ships run aground primarily by Western nations. The steel from the ships goes to recycling plants that supply the vast majority of Bangladesh's steel.

Workers at the ship breaking yards work for approximately a dollar a day in dangerous conditions. In addition to providing steel, the beached ships also bring toxic chemicals, asbestos, lead and mercury to the shores of Bangladesh. Workers have no protection from the hazards, no health care or life insurance, and a high rate of injury and mortality.

In addition, the ship breaking industry, a multi-million dollar industry for wealthy businessmen, comes at a devastating cost for the environment. Chemicals and heavy metals tarnish the beaches and waters of Chittagong with no consideration of their far-reaching affects. Environmental concerns, say owners of the yards, are luxuries for wealthy nations to consider.

1. Environmental pollution
2. Accumulating excessive wealth
3. Inflicting poverty
4. Violation of fundamental rights of human nature

Such yards are also prevalent throughout India.