Environmental Inequality And Environmental Environment

Environmental inequality from a social justice perspective is based on the notion that there is discrimination in the policies that allow for establishing the sites and permits for industrial waste, which results in minorities and those living in poverty suffering from a greater share of the effects of pollution. This leads to environmental racism which is the underlying fact that racial and ethnic groups that are underprivileged, are

In the book titled You May Ask Yourself, Conley talks about what conflict theory is. “The idea that conflict between competing interests is the basic, animating force of social change and society in general. (Conley 2015) Conflict theorists look at the inequality perspective of societal problems and they can be from poverty, race, or gender etc. An important area of focus among environmental sociologists is the relationship between inequality and the environment. In the article, All About Environmental Sociology, Dr. Cole talks about how environmental sociologists use conflict theory with inequalities in society like income, race, gender and how climate change negatively affects these people. Low-income people for instance have more of a chance to live in a worse area that may be subject to more environmental hazards. (Cole 2017) “Numerous studies have documented that income, racial, and gender inequality make the populations that experience them more likely to experience negative environmental outcomes like pollution, proximity to waste, and lack of access to natural resources.” (Cole 2017) I believe this is important to environmental

Environmental inequality, contrary to what we may imagine, is a social and political problem rather than a simple environmental problem. Environmental inequalities are deeply tangled with political, economic structures and institutions; adding more problems to the social inequalities that already affect our daily lives (Brehm, 2013). So, what exactly is environmental inequality? It refers to the fact that low-income people and people of color are disproportionately likely to experience various environmental problems by living in high risk and polluted areas. If we look at this problem closely we realize “that black, white, and Hispanic households with similar incomes live in neighborhoods of dissimilar environmental quality” (Downey, 2008) and that most people who suffer the consequences of living in neighborhoods with high hazard levels are racial minorities. This allows us to conclude that environmental inequality it is also linked to racism.

This article examines the rampant issue of income inequality that has plagued the United States for decades. From the 1970s onward, the 1% of Americans are accumulating more wealth created in the country, leaving the other 99% to scrounge around for the rest; some of these citizens live below the poverty line and may not know if they have enough money to keep the lights on for another month. Evaluating various other reports under the social interpretation of the social conflict theory, the results from most of these findings support the expansion of the labor union’s bargaining power to protect its workers as well as an overhaul of federal and state laws concerning taxes more likely paid by the upper class of citizens.

My report is on Environmental Justice across Class and Race. Environmental Justice is the fair treatment and fair distribution of environmental protection. It is the meaningful involvement of all people regardless or face, color, sex, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. It is the civil right of all people to be able to enjoy equally high levels of environmental protection. Environmental justice supporters have shown that this is no accident. Those communities of African American and Latinos, which are often low income, are regularly target to host hazards facilities that have negative environmental impacts.

The atmosphere of the 1950s to 1970s can be described as a time of intense turmoil in American history. In the 1960s there was a change in the way people viewed the environment and what as a nation they were doing to destroy it. Women again rose up to combat oppression inequality during the 1960s, as they have done in the past before. The Civil Rights came with a powerful force of change for the minorities of the United States and paved the way for other Movement to arise. In the trying times of the chaotic 1950’s to 1970s three of the most influential movements of their time emerged, the Environmental Movement, Women's Movement, and the Civil Rights movement, all would go onto changing the American way of life.

Environmental justice is a topic that plagues societies around the world, and has an impact on the opportunities available to admire the breathtaking world that is around us. Environmental injustice, in this case, is the lack of the equality and participation that is presented in communities. More likely than not, there is an absence

The issue that stands out to me as most important is that of environmental justice and environmental racism, as discussed in chapter 3. The book described environmental justice as "the efforts to ensure that hazardous substances are controlled so that all communities receive protection regardless of race or socioeconomic circumstances” (Schaefer). Environmental racism is the disproportionate impact of environmental hazards, mainly how intentionally neglecting the needs for pollution control in urban areas and its effects on the community’s health. Minorities and low-income communities are disproportionately impacted by polluting industries, environmental justice is the movement’s response to environmental racism.

As stated in the thesis, environmental injustice mostly affects minority communities. In a map presented by the Los Angeles Times, in Southeast LA there are 26 communities- which 83.9% of the inhabitants are of minority groups (Southeast, n.d.). Similarly, another map released by EPA from the 1990 U.S. Census illustrates that in places where there is 80 to 100% of people of color there is at least 2

In August of 2005, Hurricane Katrina vigorously tore apart the U.S. Gulf Coast Region killing at least 1500 people, ranking at the third deadliest hurricane in United States history. Author of Survival and Death in New Orleans, Patrick Sharkey (2007), looked specifically at data on New Orleans residents that perished during Katrina in an attempt to look at the communities that were most affected by this unfortunate disaster. The storm took the largest toll on the elderly population and by African Americans, who he argued were overrepresented in comparison to whites. The toll was not only physical but mentally damaging as well, due to the overwhelming amount of loss to their homes, family members, pets, and childhood neighborhoods in which

One of these aspects that results in the exclusion of people of color in the environmental movement is the lack of Black thought in environmental discourse. As a social construct, the terms nature and environment is able to take on definitions that can be changed and applied in a way that can apply to anyone who is in charge. Which is why, in part, the omission of Black bodies from discourse in environmental justice is sad, but not shocking. The exclusion of Black thought from environmental discourse is caused by the intentional exclusion of Black bodies by white environmentalist groups that do not define the “environment” in a way that is inclusive to Black people . One way they do this is by viewing the environment as something that is tangible or relating to non-human things such as air pollution, or saving trees and other things similar to that nature. Considering that these issues, while important, do not pervade Black life to the extent that living in clean houses, raising children, and ensuring safety for their family in toxic environments, the blanket definition of white environmentalism does not, and cannot, apply here . Yet, white environmentalists want to include Black people (predominantly women because of what they bring to the table ) in their movement, but they refuse to acknowledge the terms of Black environmentalism as an environmental movement. One reason that they refute these ideas could stem directly from the disproportionate socioeconomic status between Blacks and whites. This is evidenced in that many environmental activists are predominantly white upper class with above average income, while Blacks not only make considerably less money, but also live in housing shaped largely by federal housing politics, institutional and individual discrimination .

Poverty reduction and environmental conservation represent two of the main global challenges. The two targets constitute part of the eight Global Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Arising from the thinking that Environmental degradation and poverty reinforce each other since the poor are both agents and victims of environmental destruction; the poverty-environment hypothesis has become a major concern of international development agencies and policy makers. It is often argued that the poor are often the biggest victims of environmental destruction since they depend

Much has been written about Economic inequality and how it affects various aspects of quality of life. The literature is varied with recent works such as Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett’s Spirit Level which suggesting that economic inequality has a detrimental effect on several factors such as increased crime, increased obesity, and worse mental health within a country. Whilst other authors have seen economic growth as part of the development process as outlined by Simon Kuznets. Whilst there has always been a wide range of literature on inequality, this literature has expanded significantly since the Financial Crisis of 2008. The financial crisis seems to have sparked a vast amount of public disapproval which has been reflected in the increased literature and popularity as shown through French economist Thomas Piketty’s best-seller ‘Capital in the Twenty-First Century’

Living in a highly industrialized world that is ruled by capitalism, the concern for the environment often takes a back seat. Individuals or companies nowadays prioritize achieving optimal profit without putting into mind what their respective actions or productions may have an effect on the environment. They do not realize how important the role of our environment plays in the quality of human life. We can say that a good environment leads to a better quality life, while a bad environment could lead to a harmful and unproductive life. Now, it becomes unfair and unjust when the risks and costs of a company affect a certain group of people and on the opposite side of the spectrum another group of individuals enjoy the benefits without costs. The individuals that are affected badly are usually from Third World Countries where the distribution of risk and costs are not even (Low and Gleeson 1999). This is where Environmental Justice comes in. Environmental Justice mainly concerns the welfare of human beings (Low and Gleeson 1999). Talking about cities where capitalism surges from, it has been argued that these cities are ‘unfairly structured’ (Low and Gleeson 1999). Basically, what this is saying is that the wealthier you are, the better or cleaner the environment. On the other hand, if you are poor, then the environment around you will have more health risks. This kind of injustice or disparity is what adds fuel to the fire of environmental justice. In

Every living being are directly or indirectly depend on natural environment. Sustainability helps to balance financial, social, and environmental factors to facilitate responsible business decision making over the immediate and long term. . Sustainability refers to meeting the needs of present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (Oxford University press 1987, p.43). Sustainability is also being protective and aware of use of natural resources and development that meets the need of present and everything that is need for our survival and well being depends, directly or indirectly on our natural environment. According to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Sustainability is