December 19, 2025
From the phosphate-laden air of Gabes, Tunisia, to the PFAS-contaminated water of communities in Australia, a shared reality emerges. When authorities place economic interests above human life, the environment and the people who depend on it pay the price.
In Gabes, once a coastal paradise where oases met the Mediterranean, decades of phosphate processing have poisoned both sea and air. Children grow up breathing toxic gases. Fish stocks have collapsed. Respiratory illness and cancer have become disturbingly common. Despite years of protests and citizen activism, government responses remain slow, partial, and inadequate.
Halfway across the world, communities in Australia’s Blue Mountains are confronting a different form of contamination. But the pattern is familiar. “Forever chemicals,” known as PFAS, have been detected in drinking water linked to industrial and defence activity. Reassurances of safety have failed to calm public concern. This has prompted demands for transparency, independent testing, and legal action.
Together, these cases reveal a universal truth: environmental crises are not merely technical or regulatory failures. They are social and moral ones. When decision-making excludes the people most affected, trust erodes. Harm deepens. Injustice becomes entrenched.
From Gabes to Australia, the message is clear: authorities must not only speak to local communities — they must listen to them. Ignoring them does not only threaten people and the environment. It legitimizes injustice and turns it into the norm.
For the Arabic version, click here.
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