The idea of environmental injustice didn’t have a name in the beginning. It didn’t have much support either.
Robert Bullard, a young sociologist, collected data for a 1979 lawsuit filed by his wife. The lawsuit was about a landfill being built for a middle-class Black neighborhood of Houston. His work revealed that while only 25% of Houston’s residents were Black and all of the city’s landfills, as well as most of the incinerators, were located in Black neighborhoods.
Environmental justice is now widely recognized as a critical public health issue. Bullard is the father of this movement. He is the director of the Center for Environmental and Climate Justice at Texas Southern University in Houston.
He said that in the beginning, when he asked for help from environmental groups, they replied, Ah, that’s interesting. But isn’t that where the waste dumps and landfills should be? And civil rights leaders assured him that they don’t care about the environment.
He said that it would take 10 years of organizing and action by Bullard and others to make more people see the convergence of civil rights and environmentalalism. This convergence is known as environmental justice.
1990s Dumping in DixieBullard’s 18th book on environmental justice is titled “Earth Justice”, and he defines it as the principle of equal protection of environmental laws for all people and communities, regardless of their race, income, or where they live.
Dr. Lisa Patel (deputy executive director, Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health) said that where someone lives has a profound impact on their health.
A neighborhood’s health factors are not created by chance. These are the result of structurally racial policies, such as redlining, which make certain areas more susceptible for pollution, said Patel. Patel is also a clinical assistant professor of pediatrics at Stanford School of Medicine, Palo Alto, Calif.
Examples abound:
Redlined neighborhoods in the 1930s are still prone to high levels of air pollution. Redlined areas, which were often populated by Black, Hispanic, or Asian residents, were considered financially risky and deprived from investment. According to a 2021 report, redlining maps now align closely with maps showing the worst air pollution. Study in Environmental Science and Technology Letters. The risk of developing heart disease, stroke, heart attack, or death has been increased by air pollution.
According to a 2021 study of the population, people of color, such as Black, Hispanic, Asian, and other races, are more likely than others to be exposed to air pollution sources, regardless of their income. The journal is open for study Science Advances. Despite the fact that pollution has declined overall, these disparities persist.
According to a study, a redlined neighborhood is less likely to have cooling greenspaces, and more likely to have higher heat level, an average of 4.7 degrees Fahrenheit. Study published in Climate2020.
The Environmental Protection AgencyAccording to Heat, heat can lead to heart attacks, strokes, or other forms cardiovascular disease.
Bullard explained that this inequity is why life expectancy can vary greatly by as much as 20-years in ZIP codes that are just a few minutes apart. Virginia Commonwealth University offers research.
Patel has seen many examples of success in her own region of California. West Oakland was once a vibrant Black business district. But, it was largely deserted by the construction of freeways. Trucks serving the port must also use Interstate 880. This highway runs through areas where many residents are low-income or Black or Hispanic. Truck traffic is prohibited on the nearby Interstate 580, which runs through wealthier areas.
Patel stated that West Oakland has higher rates of asthma and heart disease than the Oakland hills.
Patel stated that climate changes will make it more difficult to achieve environmental justice. It has already made wildfires more destructive and severe, and exposed people to choking fumes. We have seen the Bay Area’s experience over the past few years that the more wealthy families are able to afford an HVAC system in their homes with filters to remove most of the pollution. Lower-income families cannot afford an HVAC system.
TSUs Bullard is optimistic and realistic as he looks towards the future.
We have made a lot more progress, and a lot of changes. There is still much to be done. He also said that while he has seen these issues move from rural backroads towards the White House and have seen some progress, it is still far from the transformative changes required, especially to protect communities against climate change.
He believes that younger people are more likely to see the connections between housing, transportation and education.
Bullard encourages people to get involved in their local communities. He advised that you start local. Start local to build relationships.
Patel encourages people who are concerned to talk openly about it. Surveys show that people underestimate the concerns of others about the environment. Talk to others about your concerns and do something about it.
She said that although we have made many mistakes as a society, we can learn from them. Here’s an opportunity for a sustainable tomorrow.
Patel stated that we were talking about clean air, clean drinking water, and livable cities. This is something I believe it is worth imagining, fighting for, and defending.
Michael Merschel is a writer at the American Heart Association.
Find the Here is the complete opinion section. Do you have a comment about this issue? Send a letter to editorYou just might be published.
