We are not experts in environmental racism or climate justice at all but we have been trying to learn a lot more about it. Environmental racism is injustice in low socioeconomic areas (disproportionately people of color), minority areas, or affecting indigenous peoples, whom are burdened with our environmental problems.
This can mean being positioned closer to waste facilities, being exposed to more pollution, having drink water tampered with for years (a la Flint), poorer working conditions, schools & homes with lead or asbestos and greater impacts of weather or humans disasters if compared to say what the reaction would be for remedy in a primarily white area. It is the result of centuries of segregation, slavery, poverty, zoning and more and has many underlying areas that need addressing.
And then there’s climate justice to add a layer on top of this which talks about climate change from more than just an environmental point of view. Most clearly, countries and people who contributed least to climate change are suffering the greatest consequences of it which is exceptionally unfair. Further, low-income communities whom have less resources and access to mitigate or fix issues climate change causes, bare the brunt of it.
If you’re looking to learn more alongside us, some resources we’ve found helpful are:
🎧 Reveal Podcast: Toxic burden
📰 NYT Article: A Question of Environmental Racism in Flint
🔗 Web: The Climate Injustice tag on The Conversation website and read it all!
📱 Insta: @zerowastehabesha
🎧 Reveal Podcast: Poisoned, ignored and evicted
🔗 Web: Check out the Mary Robinson Foundation on Climate Justice (Update: The former Irish Prime Minister participated in what seems a worrying human rights incident in Saudi Arabia with a princess. The organization work from this period still seems good but we no longer refer to Ms Robinson whilst this issue is ongoing).Â
📖Book: From the Ground Up – Environmental Racism and the Rise of the Environmental Justice Movement
📖Book: Toxic Communities: Environmental Racism, Industrial Pollution, and Residential Mobility