125
6.2.8 Were the 12 Years Required for Stopping
the Acetaldehyde Process Long or Short? (Scientific
Uncertainty Framing)
Another way of framing is considering whether the period of 12 years was long or
short. The answer to this question is not simple. One view on this framing is “Not
short, but there was no other way”. As explained in the previous section, when neither environmental regulation nor previously available scientific knowledge was in
place, “resonance between government and science” occurs (Shigeo Sugiyama,
2005). Taking 12 years was definitely a bitter experience, but valuable lessons were
learned. First, science is a dynamic process. A certain level of uncertainty always
remains, and science is always updating itself. Thus, government and society must
not just wait for the “final conclusion” put forth by scientific study. Government
must not use “remaining uncertainty” as an excuse for not taking any action. While
science is ongoing research, society should prioritize human life, health, human
rights, and the environment. Second, the polluter should bear the “costs of pollution
prevention and control measures”. This is known as the “polluter-pays principle”
(OECD 1972). Thus, the company which has caused the pollution should pay for
the recovery of the environment and compensation for the victims.
Another view is “12 years was long”. Despite the lack of environmental governance and knowledge, the government should have reasonably been able to take
some measures, at least measures to restrict the fish consumption soon after
Minamata disease had been officially acknowledged. People of this framing are still
fighting in court claiming that the government had the responsibility, and the authority, to prevent the spread of the disease in the early stage in the 1960s and 1970s.
Table 6.1 Comparison of the cost of damage caused by Minamata disease in the area around
Minamata Bay to the cost of pollution control and preventive measures
(million JPY per year)
Cost for Pollution Control and Prevention Measures
123
Yearly average paid by Chisso Co.,Ltd., in the form of investments to control pollution
Total damage amount
12,631
Health damage
7671
Yearly average of compensation benefits paid to patients under the Compensation
Agreement
Environmental pollution damage
4271
Yearly average amount of expenditure for dredging work in Minamata Bay
Fishery damage
689
Compensation paid to the fishery industry computed as equal redemption of principal
and interest prorated as yearly payment.
Source: “Pollution in Japan – Our Tragic Experiences”, ed. by Study Group for Global Environment
and Economics, 1991
6 Role in Framing in Sustainability Science ― The Case of Minamata Disease
6.2.8 Were the 12 Years Required for Stopping
the Acetaldehyde Process Long or Short? (Scientific
Uncertainty Framing)
Another way of framing is considering whether the period of 12 years was long or
short. The answer to this question is not simple. One view on this framing is “Not
short, but there was no other way”. As explained in the previous section, when neither environmental regulation nor previously available scientific knowledge was in
place, “resonance between government and science” occurs (Shigeo Sugiyama,
2005). Taking 12 years was definitely a bitter experience, but valuable lessons were
learned. First, science is a dynamic process. A certain level of uncertainty always
remains, and science is always updating itself. Thus, government and society must
not just wait for the “final conclusion” put forth by scientific study. Government
must not use “remaining uncertainty” as an excuse for not taking any action. While
science is ongoing research, society should prioritize human life, health, human
rights, and the environment. Second, the polluter should bear the “costs of pollution
prevention and control measures”. This is known as the “polluter-pays principle”
(OECD 1972). Thus, the company which has caused the pollution should pay for
the recovery of the environment and compensation for the victims.
Another view is “12 years was long”. Despite the lack of environmental governance and knowledge, the government should have reasonably been able to take
some measures, at least measures to restrict the fish consumption soon after
Minamata disease had been officially acknowledged. People of this framing are still
fighting in court claiming that the government had the responsibility, and the authority, to prevent the spread of the disease in the early stage in the 1960s and 1970s.
Table 6.1 Comparison of the cost of damage caused by Minamata disease in the area around
Minamata Bay to the cost of pollution control and preventive measures
(million JPY per year)
Cost for Pollution Control and Prevention Measures
123
Yearly average paid by Chisso Co.,Ltd., in the form of investments to control pollution
Total damage amount
12,631
Health damage
7671
Yearly average of compensation benefits paid to patients under the Compensation
Agreement
Environmental pollution damage
4271
Yearly average amount of expenditure for dredging work in Minamata Bay
Fishery damage
689
Compensation paid to the fishery industry computed as equal redemption of principal
and interest prorated as yearly payment.
Source: “Pollution in Japan – Our Tragic Experiences”, ed. by Study Group for Global Environment
and Economics, 1991
6 Role in Framing in Sustainability Science ― The Case of Minamata Disease