Uspa Case Studies

Today we’re faced with multiple forms of inequalities and injustices. None of them are in no way, shape or form are okay or justifiable. While we as a people are striving to deal with the obvious forms of injustices, there is another form that is a real quiet one, but it can be heard throughout the world that we are living in and is a severe problem that needs to be addressed. The type of injustice that I’m speaking on is called: Environmental Racism. This has been a definite issue that not only affects the environment, but it also has effects on communities, individuals and it effects the economic system in the long run as well. Environmental Racism needs to be brought up in conversations within our communities as well as our local governments, so they will not forget their remains a problem.

According to (American Environmental Justice Movement Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2016), “Environmental justice advocates argue that an intimate relationship exist between the trilogy of environmental racism” and all that discriminations that related. Environmental have their roots in a politico- institutional context bent toward discrimination. The aimed of municipal, state, and federal regulations are to permit, “condoning” even more advancing environmental racism. This is the government policy that deliberates targeting of communities of color for “toxic,” (“waste

The American Lung Association reports that low-income and minority Americans live in areas with worse air quality. There isn’t a single concrete reason for this, although researchers point to the fact that poor people are more likely to live close to sources of pollution, like industrial plants that emit harmful particles. Unfortunately, certain low-income populations also suffer from medical problems that make air pollution even worse for their health. For instance, the elderly, African-Americans, Mexican-Americans, and people who live near a central city have far higher rates of diabetes and asthma — both conditions that are exacerbated by bad air quality. Air pollution has also been linked to kidney problems, lower birth weights, higher levels of infant mortality, and kills over 2.5 million people every

Environmental justice is a term coined in the United States that usually deals with two different things. One is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. The other is a mixed body of social science literature pertaining to anything from environmental laws to political ecology. Primarily based around the concept of injustices carried out by energy companies, environmental injustice is still a rampant problem in todays wide variety of social justice issues.

What is Environmental Justice, as defined. “to improve their safety and livelihood, and to enhance human rights by providing more equitable distributions of environmental burdens and benefits.” (Randolph 15) By my definition, environmental injustice/racism is the act of selective discrimination, based on a society, culture or location, where the heaviest burdens of environmental impacts are centered and focused. Environmental laws and regulations mandate just about everything from water to air and everything in between, but the need for clarification and regulation for the equal distribution of environmental waste and eye sores was needed. As our country developed and shaped itself throughout the 20th century, the development of land became

In conclusion, air pollution is an important environmental issue that affects every living person. If we become educated on the risks and pollutants in our own communities, we will become better citizens, better voters, and better advocates for our

People who are poor share air pollution unevenly with higher income families and individuals. Communities of color and people who lack financial resources are the groups who often face higher exposure to pollutants and may experience greater responses to such pollution because of higher levels of indoor exposure. In 2011, The American Lung Association did an analysis on the air quality of the population to clarify the reports that people who are non-Hispanic, Blacks and Hispanics were more likely to live in counties that had worse problems with particle pollution. In this analysis Non-Hispanic Blacks were also more likely to live in countries with the worst ozone pollution. The income groups who were declared higher in financial status showed a major difference and the most obvious was that they were living with little exposure compared to people who were low income (Slideshow: Surprising Sources of Indoor Air Pollution (n.d.).

However, it is when racialism turns to racism that issues arise. The categorization and grouping promoted by racism on the plantation have allowed environmental injustices to occur both historically and presently. Environmental justice acknowledges the environmental risks faced by minority groups and seeks to overcome these issues by examining the specific ways in which the environment is used against minority groups, usually African Americans (Adamson 72).

The goals of this environmental justice conference are stated simply: firstly, to explore whether racial minorities and the poor are being environmentally victimized, and secondly, to evaluate public policies that promote environmental fairness. Each speaker provided insight and information from their respective area of expertise. Led by keynote speaker Dr. Bunyan Bryant, they drew upon the realms of academic investigation, government and public policy, sociology, healthcare, and philosophy to unite the environmental movement with the quest for social justice. After absorbing so much information concerning the current state of environmental justice, one leaves the conference

However, the EPA analyzed that claim and found that “communities of low-income and or people of color bear a higher burden of environmental risk,” and also revealed that minority groups that reside in low-income neighborhoods “experience higher than average to selected air pollutants, hazardous waste facilities, contaminated fish, and agriculture pesticides in the workplace.” When the report analyzed the information, they

Emelle, Alabama holds one of the largest commercial hazardous-waste landfills in America, yet African-Americans compose 90% of the town’s population. In Philadelphia, Mississippi, a Choctaw Native American reservation holds a 466-acre hazardous landfill (Wright 532). These statistics reveal the sensitive boundary between racial and social classes. Specific human factors have driven the need for change in environmental practices, such as growing human population, increased natural resource consumption, and the effluent discharges of manufacturing. These factors have resulted in a significant negative impact on world ecosystems (Dietz, Ostrom, and Stern 1907). What ties social equity and environmental stewardship together is the definition of environmental justice. Environmental justice is defined by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as “the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws.” Fair treatment means that absolutely no individual or group should receive a disproportionate allocation of negative environmental burdens from federal, state, and local policies or operations (Wright 532). The developing dilemma is how the American government must handle this hazardous waste issue, with legislators choosing who will suffer the consequences of toxic waste disposal. Despite increasing expenses, should

In an age of social activism and political controversy, it is necessary to not only identify injustices in our society, but to also note their interconnectedness with each other. Even if some people might deny environmental concerns, addressing them is urgent during a time of rapid climate change and pollution. Environmental issues are often looked at through a scientific lense, but it is also essential to view them through a social lense in terms of equality associated with environmental issues. Environmental Justice calls for “fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies” (Mohai 2016: 2). However, treatment of specific groups in situations of environmental disasters of general poor living conditions proves that environmental inequality is incredibly prevalent in our society. Even though they are in some ways interconnected, race and class are the driving roots of environmental injustices.

“Kids with itchy skin and watering eyes, beneath the weight of polluted skies. Of lead, zinc, cadmium, PCBs, and arsenic too. Makes clear skies hard to view…”These harsh words, by poet Dr. Bunyan Bryant, articulate the urgency of toxic waste and its relationship with environmental justice. As America moves forward in creating our carbon footprint and continued wasteful throwaway culture, it is more evident than ever that nature can, and will be destructed while large corporations pocket huge financial gains (Bullard& Johnson, 2000). Meanwhile, Americans continue to create mass amounts of waste, and technology continues to advance and become more efficient. However, the American lifestyle, efficiency, and advanced technology don’t come without price, a fee that is unfairly affecting minorities and the communities they live in, leaving them in some of the most industrialized or broken-down environments (Maroko, Weiss Riley, Reed, & Malcolm, 2014). This idea, better known as environmental racism, was first coined in the 1980’s and is now responsible for levels of inequality between racial boundaries and devastating health disparities (Puido, 2000). As America continues to grow, it is more evident than ever that individuals are being robbed of something as basic as the right to breathe clean air.

Environmental inequalities contrary to what we may imagine, is a social and political problem rather than a simple environmental problem. It is deeply tangled with political and economic structures and institutions, adding to the social inequalities that already affect our daily lives. For all that, what is environmental inequality? It’s 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 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) and that most people who suffer the consequences of living in neighborhoods with high hazard levels are racial minorities, this leads us to determine that in addition to inequality it is also about racism. However, other social categories are as well associated with exposure to hazards and its repercussions; we will concentrate on the racial and social class effects being that these factors are the most prominent throughout time.

To a great degree the eminent problem is the air pollution we breathe. Who can help amend the air we breathe. In order to improve the quality of the air, people have to be aware of the specific mode of pollution and the effect of it. The traffic-pollution causes affliction and distress to individuals. The reason for this tragedy is due in part by every one of us. High concentration of vehicle exhausts is the main source of air pollution in urban areas. Neighborhoods in proximity to heavy traffic areas can negatively impact a community’s health conditions and outcomes. Those people that are disproportionately exposed to great levels of exhaust fumes are those who have a low socioeconomic and educational status and are part of race/ethnicity