Environmental injustice is when environmental practices adversely affect minorities, people with a low income, and people of color. This can often look like pollution being diverted towards minority communities or inequity regarding access to sustainable options.
This can have severe consequences. As with most social justice problems, minorities and low-income communities are most affected. Environmental injustice is all-pervasive and cannot be ignored.
The environmental justice movement
The environmental justice movementIt had a very tragic beginning. This movement began in 1982 in Warren County in North Carolina. The state government deliberately dumped 6,000 truckloads soil containing toxic chemicals in order to create a waste landfill.
Warren County residents opposed the introduction of chemicals to their community and unified against the landfill. To stop the protestors from moving, they marched and lied in the tracks of trucks. These actions led to over 500 arrests. This was the first time in American history that a landfill was used for arrest.
Unfortunately, Warren County’s government prevailed. These innocent citizens were overthrown by toxic waste. The battle was not lost. It attracted national media attention, which sparked the environmental justice movement.
Communities of low-income and minorities
It can be difficult for people to comprehend the environmental health risks posed by incinerators, landfills, and other harmful effects on low-income areas. While the average person may not be able to calculate every consequence of their carbon footprint when they throw their garbage in the trash can, there is a good chance that it is contributing to health problems. impoverished residents.
How does garbage contribute towards diabetes, strokes, heart disease, and other harmful diseases in low-income and minority communities? This question can be answered by looking at the history of American waste.
Let’s say that you just finished a cold, refreshing bottle of soda. You can now toss the empty soda bottle in the nearest trash bin and go about your day. The bottle will be taken to a garbage truck, which will collect all the waste and send it on its way. After a network involving transfer trucks, the soda bottles eventually arrive at one of three places: A recycling center, a landfill, or an incinerator.
It is possible that it will end up at a recycling centre since it is recyclable. However, more often than it won’t, it will end in an incinerator, or a landfill. These incinerators or landfills are Most likely, they are in low-income minority communities.
Incinerators and landfills contribute to water and air pollution. The government is contaminating communities that are low-income and of minorities by placing landfills in their communities.
Not only are these communities’ water supplies threatened, but their air quality is also negatively impacted through the proximity of landfills. Communities living near landfills breathe dangerous toxins into their air. These toxins have been linked in a variety of health conditions including birth defects. Residents living near a landfill have drastically reduced their quality of life. Living near a landfill makes it unpleasant and difficult to breathe.
By burning waste, pollutants such as mercury and arsenic are released into the atmosphere. These communities are now at high risk for a range of health conditions, including respiratory diseases and cancer. The ash that is produced by burning waste is toxic to the environment, and further exacerbates existing health conditions in the targeted communities.
The Black Belt: Environmental injustice
These issues are often seen as distant threats when we think about social justice issues. The environmental justice crisis is impacting areas near The University of Alabama.
It’s not surprising that Alabama’s Black Belt is heavily targeted for environmental injustices. Named for the region’s fertile, dark soil, the Black Belt was initially named for it. However, the region has been historically marginalized and continues to struggle with high levels of poverty.
To really understand the environmental problems that Alabama’s Black Belt is facing one must visit a town that is specifically focused on the environment: Uniontown, Alabama. In late 2008, millions if not billions of tons of coal-ash were transported from a predominantly black area in Tennessee to Uniontown. Uniontown is home to 84% Black residents, 49% of whom live below the poverty level.
This coal ash was dumped up to 100 feet from front porches of residents over a period of two years. Arsenic, lead, and other radioactive elements were some of the chemicals released by the coal ash into the community’s air. Residents began to experience respiratory problems, severe headaches and nausea, as well as other health problems. Residents were forced to endure pungent smells and extreme dust that contaminated all areas of their lives.
Uniontown residents joined together and filed a civil right complaint to Alabama’s Department of Environmental Management. The Environmental Protection Agency rejected the complaint due to insufficient evidence.
Uniontown’s situation has only been worsened by the denial of this complaint. The landfill is now owned by developers from New York and New Jersey. This has resulted in the landfill receiving approximately a million tons out-of-state garbage. Residents are being forced to move or face severe odors and health risks as a result.
Uniontown is but one example of many that show how our governments treat residents living in poverty and low-income areas.
Outdoors for everyone
In the past, environmental justice was primarily concerned with waste management. Environmental injustice has become a major issue. Lack of quality outdoor recreational areasIn areas that are poor or in minority.
The Senate recently introduced the Outdoors for All Act. This bill would provide funding for the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership. It supports projects that involve outdoor recreation in low-income areas, and works towards closing the environmental injustice gap.
The environmental injustices that are affecting our environment are unacceptable. They are getting worse every day. But there are ways to combat them.
First, recycling can reduce the amount waste sent to incinerators and landfills. We can reduce the likelihood of impoverished communities being exposed to severe health risks by reducing waste. Recycling not only benefits our environment, but also helps vulnerable communities. This is what you should keep in mind when you recycle a plastic bottle.
We must raise awareness of these vulnerable communities and amplify their voices.
These issues can only be solved with the help of the government. We can’t wait for the government to make positive changes to these issues. However, we don’t have to sit still. I encourage you to remain informed about the current state and hold your representatives accountable for any environmental votes.
Remember, you have the power to advocate for America’s most vulnerable communities. Educate yourself and raise awareness.To achieve environmental equality for all.
This story was published in The Environmental Edition. View the entire issue Here.
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