Pollution as Relational Breakdown

Research Focus

We explore a shift in how pollution is defined, moving from a strictly technical measurement of toxins to a relational breakdown in human responsibility. By contrasting modern regulatory frameworks with the Indigenous principle of Kanyini, we argue that pollution occurs when materials are abandoned and removed from cycles of care. While scientific categories like waste and externalities allow accountability to end, Anangu law emphasizes an eternal obligation to all substances as family. We suggest that modern waste regimes normalize environmental harm by displacing risk across time and space. We call for a relational repair where humans maintain lifelong custody of the materials they produce rather than allowing them to become orphaned.