London Olympics sustainability watchdog official Meredith Alexander's resignation protesting against the Games' inclusion of Dow Chemical as one of its sponsors has served to focus attention once again on the continuing tragedy at Bhopal, 27 years after the fatal gas leak at a local chemical plant owned by Union Carbide, since acquired by Dow. Dow's purchase of Union Carbide is, perhaps, analogous to someone buying a haunted house. True, the buyer did not bargain for a ghost in the house: he had no role to play in the unhappy events that created the ghost, nor did he pay for it when he bought the house;but there it is with him, whether he likes it or not. He can keep ranting that he just bought the house and so it is entirely wrong for the ghost to haunt him. But that would get him nowhere. He has to look to finally exorcise the ghost.
Dow should in fact see Bhopal as an opportunity to demonstrate good corporate citizenship.