The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines environmental justice 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, regulations, and policies” 1. The environmental justice conflict is not just centered in the United States. Other countries around the world are also facing issues similar to those in this country. Although, there are two different sides to this issue. While the environmental justice dispute is present all around the world, the conditions are different due to the imbalances between developed and underdeveloped countries. One well-known example of an environmental justice issue is air pollution. The effects of this can vary when low-income communities in developed and underdeveloped countries are exposed .

I want to introduce a scholar who is involved in environmental justice before discussing the conditions people of color have in the United States and outside of the United States. Dr. Julian Agyeman is a Professor of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning at Tufts University. He had written a scholarly article in 2016 highlighting some theories and case studies that involve environmental justice issues. Flint, Michigan is one of the most well-known cases of environmental justice. The water was laden with corrosive lead that destroyed the pipes and resulted in lots of health issues in the city. 41.5% of the residents are below the federal poverty level, and this is a perfect example of low-income communities being targeted due to low recognition and political power2.

The United States is a developed country, but there are some communities that are not as fortunate as others. In 2016, the Center for American Progress published an article titled “5 Things to Know About Communities of Color and Environmental Justice.” According to the article, communities of color have higher exposure rates to air pollution than non-Hispanic white people3. Yale University conducted a study and found that Hispanics had the highest exposure rates for 10 out of the 14 pollutants tested in the study. African Americans also had higher exposure rates for 13 out of the 14 pollutants, which were connected to asthma, cardiovascular issues, lung disease, and cancer3. A very well-known example of air pollution and environmental justice is “Cancer Alley” in St. Gabriel, Louisiana. In 2019, an article was published on ProPublica providing a point of view from a resident of Cancer Alley. Hazel Schexnayder had lived there her whole life and over the past 50 years, the plantations transformed into chemical plants within 10 miles of her house4. 

http://Lu Baum, J. (2019, April 1). They Don’t Call It “Cancer Alley” For Nothing. Big Easy Magazine. https://www.bigeasymagazine.com/2019/04/01/they-dont-call-it-cancer-alley-for-nothing/

Shown above is a perfect example of how close these communities are to chemical plants that release harmful emissions into the atmosphere5. These pollutants have caused an increase in roadside ditches oozing with blue fluid, air smelling like rotten eggs and nail-polish remover, miscarriages, and cancer4. In order to understand the true effects of environmental justice issues, it is also important to look into how environmental justice issues influence the lives of people living in underdeveloped countries. 

In 2012, a study was conducted to research the spatial patterns of particulate matter and where it comes from in Accra, Ghana. In developing country cities like Accra, sources of air pollution come from transportation, industrial pollution, biomass and coal fuel use for household and commercial purposes, and re-suspended dust from unpaved roads6. The researchers found that the density of wood stoves, fish smoking, and trash burning were associated with the high amounts of particulate matter in Accra neighborhoods. Trash is burned because there are not a lot of places for safe disposal of solid waste and the city authorities do not remove it in a reasonable amount of time6. Wood stoves are mainly used by poor households and are used for cooking and selling street food. Fish smoking is also a factor in Accra because it is a source of income as a small business6. Shown below is a picture of young men burning waste to retrieve precious metals. 

http://Rooney, M. S., Arku, R. E., Dionisio, K. L., Paciorek, C., Friedman, A. B., Carmichael, H., Zhou, Z., Hughes, A. F., Vallarino, J., Agyei-Mensah, S., Spengler, J. D., & Ezzati, M. (2012). Spatial and temporal patterns of particulate matter sources and pollution in four communities in Accra, Ghana. Science of The Total Environment, 435–436, 107–114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2012.06.077

When a practice or process is sustainable, it means that its initiatives, actions, or impacts work to meet the social, environmental, and economic needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Unfortunately, the environmental justice conflict seems to expose the fact that some communities are not treated equally due to their race and ethnicity. Environmental justice is centered around the idea of raising awareness for low-income non-white communities facing discrimination by being exposed to harmful things such as air and water pollution, improper waste disposal/management, and chemical exposure. For this project, I will be exploring environmental justice using research from news articles and scholarly articles to create potential solutions for this issue. The major concern in this certain issue of environmental justice is how it can be halted and prevent any more deaths and detrimental health effects in the future. In order to end these types of issues, research needs to be conducted to explore how to solve them in a sustainable manner that benefits all populations.

References:

  1. US EPA, O. (2015, February 13). Learn About Environmental Justice [Overviews and Factsheets]. https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/learn-about-environmental-justice
  2. News note: 4.3 million children in Nigeria still miss out on vaccinations every year. (n.d.). Retrieved August 11, 2020, from https://www.unicef.org/nigeria/press-releases/news-note-43-million-children-nigeria-still-miss-out-vaccinations-every-year
  3. Bell, J. (2016). 5 Things to Know About Communities of Color and Environmental Justice. Center for American Progress. https://www.americanprogress.org/article/5-things-to-know-about-communities-of-color-and-environmental-justice/
  4. Baurick, T. (2019). Welcome to “Cancer Alley,” Where Toxic Air Is About to Get Worse. ProPublica. https://www.propublica.org/article/welcome-to-cancer-alley-where-toxic-air-is-about-to-get-worse?token=oOxJov0GX5Rv_k1m04gbwPLZhDBV6MHh
  5. Lu Baum, J. (2019, April 1). They Don’t Call It “Cancer Alley” For Nothing. Big Easy Magazine. https://www.bigeasymagazine.com/2019/04/01/they-dont-call-it-cancer-alley-for-nothing/
  6. Rooney, M. S., Arku, R. E., Dionisio, K. L., Paciorek, C., Friedman, A. B., Carmichael, H., Zhou, Z., Hughes, A. F., Vallarino, J., Agyei-Mensah, S., Spengler, J. D., & Ezzati, M. (2012). Spatial and temporal patterns of particulate matter sources and pollution in four communities in Accra, Ghana. Science of The Total Environment, 435–436, 107–114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2012.06.077