What is Environmental Justice and Why is It Important?
Professor Robert Bullard says that the rights to environmental protection against pollution and climate change are still segregatedEnvironmental justice is a term coined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency to recognize the fair treatment and active participation of people or resources that are intended for the development, implementation, and enforcement of regulations, laws, and policies related to the environment.
Robert D. Bullard, director of the Environmental Justice Resource Center at Clark University in Atlanta, stressed that environmental justice will be equitable if there is equality in public health and people’s well-being. “Those who physically live on the ‘wrong side of the tracks’ are subject to elevated environmental health threats and more preventable diseases than their fair share. Reducing environmental, health, economic and racial disparities is one of the top priorities of the environmental justice movement,” Bullard said. In view of this, the specialist stressed that all people have the right to the same protection, but in his opinion environmental justice is still segregated. Let’s Talk About Justice and Environmental Racism Environmental racism exists, it’s about unequal access to a clean environment and basic environmental resources based on race. Communities of color are disproportionately victims of environmental hazards and are much more likely to live in areas with more pollution than other residents. According to a study by the Princeton Student Climate Initiative, people belonging to minorities are more likely to die from environmental causes, and more than half of those who live near hazardous waste are Latino, African American or Asian, and low-income. Annually, the U.S. oil and gas industry releases about 9 million tons of methane gas and other toxic chemicals into the atmosphere. African American and low-income communities are disproportionately affected by air pollution in the country. For example, more than one million African Americans live within half a mile of natural gas facilities. More than one million African Americans face a “cancer risk above the Environmental Protection Agency level of concern” due to polluted air and more than 6.7 million African Americans live in the 91 U.S. counties with oil refineries. In total, African Americans are 75% more likely than whites to live in “fenced-in” communities (areas near commercial facilities that produce noise, stench, traffic, or emissions that directly affect the population.) In addition, exposure to polluted air can cause numerous health problems, such as asthma. Approximately 13.4% of African American children suffer from asthma compared to 7.3% of white children. Latinos concerned about climate change The concern of the Hispanic community is also a reality. Latinos and African Americans in the U.S. are more likely to live in areas with unhealthy air than non-Hispanic Whites, according to a 2019 report by the University of Washington and the University of Minnesota. In addition, Latino neighborhoods are more likely to be affected by flooding, according to a study by the University of Arizona and Kentucky. Racial disparities are an issue that communities and politicians must address together in order to address environmental justice issues. |