New AnalysesIs
Millions of Americans can find work in Well by modernizing roads and ports across America. President Biden said During his first State of the Union speech on March 1. It is important to do all this to withstand the terrible effects of climate change and promote environmental justice. This was the first instance of a U.S. President mentioning explicitly using environmental justice as a guide ideology for their policy goals.
The new infrastructure improvements are funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure LawThe aims to address the massive degradation that our natural world is experiencing due to human consumption of fossil fuels and throw-away plastics.
What does it really mean to advance environmental justice and why is it so important that the president talks about it in the State of the Union
Recognizing the harm
Advocates for environmental justice RootsCesar Chavez, a Latino farmer, sought better conditions for Latino farmhands in the 1960s by limiting their exposures to pesticides and other civil rights-era protests to the historically high levels of pollution poisoning low income communities of color.
These actions show that BIPOC communities are refusing to be used for national dumping sites.
Superfund sites, brownfield sites and abandoned mines and oils wells, chemical waste dumps and nuclear testing sites that are heavily polluted, as well as brownfield sites, brownfield sites and abandoned oil wells, have all been located near communities of color to avoid any concern for their welfare. Living near such high levels has resulted, in large part to historically high rates for cancer.
These sites are available for purchase There are many in MinnesotaTo detoxify, it takes years of investment. However, there is progress at home and nationally. Superfund sites in South Minneapolis are the former site of an arsenic-based pesticide factory. Beginning to heal. There is still much to do.
Disproportionate impacts
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) and the Minnesota Department of Health published the following: Life and BreathReport highlighting the ongoing threat that air pollution poses to Minnesotans. It is responsible for nearly 10% of all deaths (1.600 people) in the metropolitan area. Further, the report confirms how these life-threatening impacts disproportionately effect communities of color with lower incomes, who are less likely to have insurance.
The environmental justice movement has been created to change this reality. 1991The First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit was held in April, when leaders from all states, Puerto Rico and Chile joined forces. They developed 17 Principles of Environmental Justice which fundamentally changed how spaces are considered when talking about the environment in public policy contexts. They demanded that communities with diverse backgrounds have equal rights to determine the health outcomes for their populations.
White environmental groups that emphasized wilderness protection would see urban and rural spaces as integral parts of the environment. This is a significant shift from the White environmental organizations.
The broader environmental movement was finally addressing social determinants of human health such as access to education and housing. It also affirmed the sacred relationship between communities and the Earth.
This shift in thinking, combined with strong-willed advocacy, made it clear that Americans were not paying the full cost of the industry. This way of thinking was adopted by the highest office in America and became the guiding principle of current and future policy in one the most important speeches in American politics. This is a significant achievement for environmental justice advocates.
Executive Order calls for immediate action
Biden’s administration promotes environmental justice from their seventh day in office. Biden signed Executive Order (EO 14008), Tackling Climate Crisis at Home, and Abroad on Jan. 27, 2021. This document details the impressive number of substantive actions that the federal government is taking to address the disproportionately harmful effects of climate change and pollution on disadvantaged communities.
EO 14008 allows for the creation of a White House Environmental Justice Interagency Council, whose members include powerful people such as the Secretary for Defense, the Attorney General, or large parts of the current president’s cabinet.
Additionally, the order requires all federal agencies to develop programs, policies, and activities to address the disproportionately large and adverse health and environmental, economic, climate, and other cumulative effects on communities that have been marginalized, underserved, or overburdened due to pollution. These actions will all be recorded and made public in an annual fact sheet.
EO 14008 is part Bidens broader Justice40 InitiativesThey seek to deliver 40% of the benefits of investments in social climate solutions to historically disadvantaged communities, such as the development affordable and sustainable housing currently funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
It remains to be seen when local advocates for environmental justice in Minnesota will see the impact of these federal policy directives. Unfortunately, it is not possible to provide exact implementation details. This is a weakness of America’s policy process. However, the fact that these steps have been taken and that powerful political figures are advocating environmental justice is a significant step in the right direction.
Minnesotans concerned about the environment can support their local justice organizations such as MN350, until such effects are felt. On March 23 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm, MN350’s policy action team will be unveiling at a Virtual eventTheir new climate action program for Minneapolis is part a larger resident-led movement that aims to make the city a healthier and more sustainable place to live.
Benjamin Velani welcomes reader responses to [email protected].
