Summary Of The Intersectional Environmentalist By Leah Thomas

The novel, “The Intersectional Environmentalist" by Leah Thomas, employs readers to view environmental justice related movements and initiatives from a perspective that includes historically marginalized groups of people, particularly the BIPOC community. Mainstream environmental movements tend to focus on environmental conservation without considering social and economic disparities that stem from environmental issues. By integrating diversity in environmental justice practices, environmental concerns can be approached in an equitable manner that is beneficial to all people. The author also highlights a continuing theme throughout the novel: intersectionality, or the “cumulative way various forms of discrimination intersect, particularly in …show more content…

In the community Altgeld Gardens, built after World War II for primarily Black war veterans, residents experienced an abnormally large group of people in the community suffering and eventually passing from lung cancer in the early 1970s. It was then discovered that the neighborhood was constructed over an old car company dump and had high levels of asbestos. Hazel M. Johnson, an environmental activist, described the community as being engulfed in what she termed 'a toxic doughnut' due to its proximity to the dump site. Instances such as the aforementioned Altgeld Gardens crisis occur across the country, predominantly in communities of color and low income communities. Thus, the importance of integrating environmental conservation and restoration, such as cleaning up Superfund Sites, is interlinked with civil rights movements. With the climate crisis at a record peak, it is important to consider which groups are the most affected. Global waste trade is a prime example of environmental injustice that transcends national borders. For example, overconsumption of technology has led to China having the largest amount of global e-waste as it is an e-waste dumping site, most of the dumping being