Both natural and man-made environmental disasters and hazards affect people of color and minorities worldwide. Minorities are the most affected by environmental burdens that reduce quality of life due to discriminatory regulations of the 20th century, 19th-century colonialism, and current racist or neocolonial practices.
What is environmental racism?
Environmental racism refers specifically to the disproportionate burden of environmental hazards and disasters placed upon minorities, particularly people of colour from lower socio-economic groups. These communities suffer from environmental injustice all over the globe. This includes higher levels of pollution, toxins, habitat destruction and lower quality natural resources. It is vital to seek environmental justice for the disenfranchised as the world works to correct racist systemic regulations that allowed these disproportionate impacts to occur.
Examples of Environmental Racism
Pollution
The WHO reports91% of people live in areas where pollution levels are higher than the recommended limits, which results in more than 7 million deaths each and every year. People of colour and those with lower socio-economic standing are the most affected by high levels of pollution. are exposed to greater dangersMore than white communities Higher socio-economic groups. The United States has low-income black and Hispanic communities. Higher levels of exposure to Nitrous dioxide, which can be associated with respiratory diseases or infections. Many studiesSimilar correlations have been found between high levels of air pollution and low socio-economic status in Hong Kong and New Zealand, as well as Ghana.
These high levels of exposure can be explained by many factors. People with lower income live in areas that are further from cities, where factories and industrial facilities emit pollutants into the air. This is particularly true in cities that have been subject to excessive pollution. discriminatory zoning laws or redlining, which reduced non-white communities to the industrial parts of cities and subverted voters power, effectively reducing their ability for improvement.
Toxic Chemicals
The 2016 Flint water crisis highlighted the high levels of lead contamination in black communities across the United States. Flint, Michigan, a town made up of 57 percent African Americans, was exposed after it switched its water supply to a nearby source to reduce costs. Residents complained about foul-tasting water and health concerns. It was largely ignoredThis illustration shows the spread of environmental inequality when resources and political power of minority communities are restricted or restricted.
Similar protests were held in Puerto Rico. Disposal of toxic coal ashlandfills that released toxic toxins (such a radioactivity, heavy metals, and arsenic) into their atmosphere, affecting the health local residents, who are largely non-white.
E-waste dumping
As the world’s electronic waste has The number of people who have been impacted by the recession has increased over the past decade.Countries and industries have found a neocolonial solution to avoid costly recycling processes and strict disposal regulations: they are now exporting their electronic waste to the global South. An estimated 80 percent of electronic garbageExports to countries in Asia or Africa, sometimes in the disguise of charity or donations. These countries lack the infrastructure to properly recycle and dispose of waste, which increases the risk of contamination. These toxic substances can be exposed to the locals.
Exposition to higher temperatures
According to income and race, the distribution of surface temperature and natural cooling sources is also inequitable. Areas inhabited primarily in lower-income communities Reduce the amount of greenspaces or natural water resourcesThese reduce the surface temperature. These communities were subject to redlining in America in the early 20th Century. They received lower real estate values, limited credit access, and systematic disinvestment. This resulted in fewer residents. environmental amenities These help to reduce surface temperatures and clean the air, such as green spaces and urban tree canopy. These communities can be subject to heatwaves. urban heat islandsExtreme heat can pose a serious health risk, especially in the United States, where extreme heat has the highest rate of death from any weather-related disaster.
Climate Change Burden
Climate models predict an increase in world temperatures over the next decade. These rising temperatures will undoubtedly Communities are affectedHigh temperatures and heatwaves are more likely to those who have less cooling resources. Already, communities in Latin America, Asia, and Africa are already seeing the effects of rapid climate changes on their livelihoods. This affects their sources of income, physical health, and also damages their environment. These countries and communities do not have the same resources and resources as their more wealthy counterparts in the Global North. They have historically contributed the greatest to global warming through rapid and sustained industrialisation. It is important that climate resilience policies prioritize people with less resources, who have historically been marginalized by racial inequality and colonial exploit.
Photo by Hermes Rivera