{"id":28970,"date":"2024-09-03T11:24:38","date_gmt":"2024-09-03T09:24:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.humanrightscareers.com\/?p=28970"},"modified":"2024-09-30T20:42:58","modified_gmt":"2024-09-30T18:42:58","slug":"environmental-racism-101-definition-examples-ways-to-take-action","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.humanrightscareers.com\/issues\/environmental-racism-101-definition-examples-ways-to-take-action\/","title":{"rendered":"Environmental Racism 101: Definition, Examples, Ways to Take Action"},"content":{"rendered":"

Humans need clean air, fresh water, healthy soil, and protection from hazards like chemicals, radiation, and toxic waste. Unfortunately, industries like agriculture, construction, chemical production, and others cause severe harm to the environment. According to the World Health Organization<\/a>, 99% of Earth\u2019s population breathes unhealthy air. In the United States alone, thousands of oil spills<\/a> pollute the ocean, rivers, and lakes. Who is affected most by these environmental hazards? Research shows communities of color get hit the hardest; this is known as environmental racism. In this article, we\u2019ll define environmental racism, give three examples, and discuss ways to take action.<\/p>\n

What is environmental racism?<\/h2>\n

Environmental racism is a form of racism<\/a> where health hazards (like polluted air and contaminated water) disproportionately affect ethnic minorities and communities of color. Building landfills, chemical plants, and oil refineries near and in majority Black communities and refusing to address harmful consequences is just one example. Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., a civil rights leader, coined the term \u201cenvironmental racism.\u201d<\/a> He created it after noticing how often polluting and waste facilities were built in communities of low-income Black Americans, Indigenous people, Hispanic people, and Asian Americans.<\/p>\n

Years of research show that environmental hazards affect communities of color more severely than their white peers. Black Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Asian Americans are exposed to more pollution from every single type of pollution<\/a>, including industry, residential sources, construction, agriculture, and industry. Income doesn\u2019t always matter! According to one study,<\/a> higher-income Black people still had a greater health risk from particle pollution than their white counterparts. Global climate change has a racial dimension, too, as marginalized groups experience the worst impacts<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What are examples of environmental racism?<\/h2>\n

Environmental racism occurs around the world. Here are three examples from the United States, Nigeria, and Canada:<\/p>\n

Lead poisoning in Flint, Michigan<\/h3>\n

Lead is a naturally occurring element<\/a> in the Earth\u2019s crust, but it\u2019s been used in paint, pipes, batteries, and cosmetics. When exposure is too high, it can lead to serious health issues, especially in kids six years old and younger. Effects of lead poisoning in kids include slowed growth, anemia, behavioral and learning difficulties, and lower IQs. Pregnant women and adults are at risk of miscarriage, heart disease, decreased kidney function, and reproductive problems. According to A Terrible Thing To Waste: Environmental Racism and Its Assault on the American Mind<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>almost 2 out of 5 African-American homes have lead-based paint, even though scientists have known the dangers of lead paint and plumbing since the 1880s.<\/p>\n

The story of Flint, Michigan, showcases the devastation of lead poisoning on Black Americans. For years, water issues plagued the Michigan city, which is 56.3% Black<\/a>. In 2013, the real trouble began when the city began pumping water from the Flint River. The river water was corrosive, but officials didn\u2019t treat it correctly. As the flow rushed through Flint\u2019s lead pipes, it led to a massive leaching of lead<\/a> into the water people used for drinking, cooking, and bathing. According to A Terrible Thing To Waste, <\/em>the lead levels put Flint\u2019s water into the EPA\u2019s classification for hazardous waste. After years of denying the lead poisoning, the city finally agreed to replace the pipes, but in March of 2024, a federal court held the city in contempt for violating its required milestones<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Oil contamination in Nigeria\u2019s Niger Delta<\/h3>\n

The Niger Delta sits on the Gulf of Guinea in Nigeria. According to a 2024 paper<\/a>, the delta is afflicted by several environmental issues, such as pollution, deforestation<\/a>, oil spillage, and the destruction of plants and animals. Multinational oil companies are to blame. The paper’s author argues this environmental degradation should be seen as environmental racism. In Western countries, companies would not be allowed to pollute with such abandon without serious consequences.<\/p>\n

What happened in the Niger Delta<\/a>? In the 1950s, oil was discovered. For the next half-century, oil spills, natural gas flaring, and other crises caused severe harm to the Ogoni people, the area\u2019s ethnic minority group. In 2011, the UN Environmental Programme released a report<\/a> showing that the 50+ years of oil operations and contamination was \u201cwidespread and severely impacting many components of the environment.\u201d The Shell oil company was the primary culprit and they were urged to clean the area. However, by 2020, clean-up had begun on only 11% of polluted sites and none were completely clean, according to Amnesty International<\/a>. The contamination in Ogoniland is a clear example of huge corporations trampling on the rights of ethnic minorities for profit.<\/p>\n

Toxic air in Chemical Valley, Sarnia<\/h3>\n

Sarnia, Ontario is the largest city on the banks of Lake Huron in Canada. Known for its successful production industry<\/a>, the city created chemicals used in plastics, gasoline, fertilizer, pesticides, and more. Most of those plants and refineries were built within a 15-mile radius known as \u201cChemical Valley.\u201d Production kicked off during WWII when the Allies needed synthetic rubber<\/a>, but by the 1970s, more companies and chemical industries arrived. Today, production has slowed, but the effects are undeniable: the air is toxic.<\/p>\n

Generations of the Aamjiwnaang First Nation have suffered from Chemical Valley\u2019s pollution<\/a>. The air often smells like sulfur and industrial emergencies like explosions, chemical releases, and flaring events are not uncommon. People are also exposed to frightening levels of benzene, a toxic air pollutant. Benzene causes severe health issues like myeloma and leukemia. Local Canadian officials have consistently failed to take significant action, and in 2020, Aamjiwnaang leaders issued a notice to one of the polluting companies demanding changes. In 2024, Aamjiwnaang First Nation declared a state of emergency due to spiked chemical releases<\/a>. This was not the first emergency, and if pollution continues, it won\u2019t be the last.<\/p>\n

How do we take action against environmental racism?<\/h2>\n

Like all forms of systemic racism, environmental racism is deeply entrenched. Here are three ways to take action:<\/p>\n

#1. Advocate for legislation that advances environmental justice<\/h3>\n

In 2022, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution<\/a> recognizing the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment. Environmental racism is a violation of that human right, and it\u2019s up to all of us to advocate for legislation that advances environmental justice on a local, national, and international level. What does this look like? Here are some examples:<\/p>\n