JOliver looked into environmental racism in America. Oliver noted that toxic pollution can have adisproportionate impact on people of color, particularly black Americans. Last Week Tonight host, Oliver, cited studies showing that black Americans are exposed more to polluted atmosphere and are 75% more likely than whites to live near factories or plants.
Those disparities Hold when income is controlledOliver noted that black Americans who earn $200,000 a year were more exposed to pollution than white Americans who make $25,000 a year. This proves that racism is still more powerful than money. In fact, America’s current top five power ranking are: beef, racism, beef, viral videos showing soldiers reunited with their dogs, DJ Khaleds PR staff, and then money.
Oliver explored how and why this happened and how widespread the issue is today. Oliver started with the history of redlining (aka federal policies that prevented black Americans obtaining government-backed loans for homes in white areas). Many of the areas they could live were also zoned to industrial uses, essentially overlaying maps of communities of colour and industrial waste zones.
Oliver explained that history and zoning were only part of the story. It also involves who has the power and who can stop them. This is why polluters often assume black communities won’t be able o resist them.
Sometimes, pollution can be invisible. It can be difficult for people of color to alert you to the dangers of pollution.
Oliver cited the example given by the West Calumet housing complexIn East Chicago, Indiana, a federally-funded housing development was built on top a former lead smelter. The lead levels in the area were 200 times higher than the emergency levels for years. This is a problem when the spot you found it was the ground. Oliver said that this is a notoriously difficult place to avoid unless youre willing to play a very high-stakes version.
Even worse, residents were not informed that the government knew for decades that the area around the housing complex was toxic. Oliver cited reports from the government on the lead toxicity of the area in 1985 and 1998. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which declared West Calumet a superfund site in 2009, prioritized it for cleanup, but didn’t notify residents. Federal law doesn’t require agencies to inform tenants that a unit has been designated as a Superfund location. Oliver said that this is something I can’t understand.
He explained that Superfund’s purpose is to declare something in the government records as very dangerous. It is not ideal to do this and not inform those who are actually at risk. It’s like putting a “Do Not Lean Over the Fence” sign at a bear exhibit, and then having it face the bear side. The information is technically correct, but it does not do much to improve safety.
In 2016, after 31 years of delay and eight agencies, the government finally notified residents. Oliver stated that even though the government had taken steps, they were still utterly inept. Oliver mentioned yard signs warning children to stay away from grass and dirt. He deadpanned, noting that children don’t respect the authority of a weak sign.
The West Calumet example is extreme, but it is telling. 70% of hazardous waste sites on Superfund are within one mile from federally-aided housing. Without significant changes, the entire system is set up to make places that are already polluted worse. These areas are often called “environmental sacrifice zones”, as Louisiana’s Cancer Alley has a cancer risk that is more than 50 times that of the national average.
Oliver stated that when you add all of this together, a history of ineffective regulation, racist zoning and a government that continues prioritizes the profits of industry over people’s health, it becomes clear that we have a huge problem.
Biden’s administration has made environmental racism a priority. However, it also stated that race will not play a role in deciding where to concentrate efforts. Oliver said that this is quite fucking infuriating. The conservative-majority supreme court is likely to strike down an explicitly race-based policy, which leaves the US in a pretty fucking backwards situation. This problem cannot be solved if there are no solutions.
Oliver called for more support of local activists and strict zoning reforms to overthrow the current status quo. He stated that when the country names communities of color sacrifice zones, it is clear that the people who live there are disposable. Their children can’t play outside and their lifespans are shorter.
If we don’t take drastic steps to address environmental racism, this country will continue to be divided. Some are treated as if they are worth protecting and others as if they can be sacrificed.