Unjust trends in environmental policy have not only failed to account for minority communities but also purposefully target low-income African Americans, forcing them to live in close proximity to hazardous waste plants and other areas with low air quality. As a result, black communities are profoundly affected by toxins and other pollutants, which, in turn, cause long-lasting health problems and even fatalities. Statistically speaking, “people of color bear a disproportionate share of environmental health hazards” (Milner & Turner, 1999). Evidence of this can be seen in a 2020 study that found that African Americans are 20% more likely to have asthma than whites (Sze, 2020). This is similarly proven by extensive research which has demonstrated that “childhood lead exposure can cause lifelong and very serious developmental, cognitive, medical, and psychological issues” (Turner, 2016). Both statistics amplify the physical and mental burdens greatly taken on by the Black community. 

In my senior year of high school I was given the opportunity to interview Samuel Stopler, an environmental and energy economist and professor at the University of Michigan, on the topic of environmental racism and environmental justice. His biggest takeaway was that when acknowledging the impacts of environmental racism, it is “equally important to recognize mental health… [and that] the psychological burden of living in the shadow of a smokestack is something real and something that has effects of its own” (Stopler, 2020). African Americans are not only prone to physical burdens associated with environmental racism but long-lasting and exhausting mental effects as well. These impacts are even further ignored as they often can’t be quantified to statistical data points. Because of this, both local and federal governments are continuing to get away with harmful practices as they fail to implement policies that uphold the standards of environmental justice. If we want to see change, it is important now more than ever, that we as citizens rise up and take action. 

So what exactly are these standards you may ask. According to Webster’s Dictionary, environmental justice 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. Paul Mohai, environmental justice professor at the University of Michigan and member of the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, puts this definition in context by stating that “environmental justice affirms the sacredness of Mother Earth, ecological unity and the interdependence of all species, and the right to be free from ecological destruction” (2018). Often, the mistreatment of the natural environment coincides with the susceptibility of minority communities. For instance, big waste facilities release their toxic chemicals into runoff, which eventually ends up in local water sources. Not only do these toxins harm animal and plant life in the aquatic ecosystem, but they poison the drinking water. More often than not, these waste facilities are located in poor black communities that are forced to get their water from toxic supplies.

This is not a newfound issue but rather one that has been going on for decades. In fact, in 1987, a quantitative national-level study was conducted to analyze the demographics of communities surrounding hazardous waste sites. The results reported that “the percentage of people of color in communities containing a commercial hazardous waste facility was double that of communities not containing such facilities. The percentage of people of color in communities containing two or more such facilities was triple” (Mohai, 2018). This research proves that the government purposefully places these dangerous facilities in minority communities because they are seen as the path of least resistance. So, not only must these black communities deal with the health consequences of living near an environmental hazard, but they are also prone to years of ingrained racism that continually puts them at risk.

Sources:

Milner, J. E., & Turner, J. (1999). Environmental Justice. Natural Resources & Environment, 

13(3), 478-482. Retrieved October 04, 2020, from https://www.jstor.org/stable/40923860

Sze, J. (2020). Environmental Justice in a Moment of Danger. Oakland, CA: Julie Sze.

Turner, R. (2016). The Slow Poisoning of Black Bodies: A Lesson in Environmental Racism and 

Hidden Violence. Meridians, 15(1), 189-204. Retrieved October 12, 2020, from 

https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2979/meridians.15.1.10

Mohai, P. (2018). Environmental Justice and the Flint Water Crisis Michigan Sociological 

Review,

American’s abuse of nature has detrimental effects on human and natural communities alike. While humans have arguably always placed themselves at the center of society, the big boom in industry within the United States prompted a long-lasting tradition of ecological destruction. Since, western culture has perceived the environment as something that can be exploited, dominated, and destroyed if need be. We, as a contemporary society, have become solely focused on the monetary rewards associated with the land in which we are inhabiting rather than its natural value. Because Americans primarily view nature in terms of this tangible economic gain, we have gone on to manipulate, modify, and destroy natural environments and the human communities that live there without acknowledging the myriad of consequences. 

Not only does this destruction of land pose serious environmental threats to the state of our earth, but it also puts its inhabitants at the forefront of harm. Robert Bullard, known as ‘the father of environmental justice’ says it best by explaining that “when certain lands are seen as exploitable, the people that happen to be living there are viewed as expendable” (2019). Such consequences are shown in a 2012 report by the Climate Vulnerable Forum which states that “five million deaths occur annually from air pollution, hunger and disease as a result of climate change and carbon-intensive economies, and that this toll will likely rise to six million annually by 2030 if current patterns of fossil fuel use continue.” We cannot continue to ignore the horrifying impacts climate change has on various communities. Moreover, economic and political agendas are creating a preventative barrier to trusting science and acting upon scientific data. It must be known that climate change is the cause of irreversible damage that will drastically change both human and natural communities if it does not kill them first.

African Americans in particular are disproportionately affected by climate change and other environmental crises. This issue primarily arises because white institutions have continually used minorities to acquire social and economic profit. The degradation of the African American community has become so ingrained into American society, that we have centered economic and political institutions on racial capitalism. Institutionalized racism continues to be reinforced by big corporations and agencies who profit from environmentally harmful facilities, such as hazardous waste sites. These are especially destructive to African Americans who lack the political clout to advocate for necessary regulation of health standards in their area. Big businesses view minority communities as expendable pawns simply in the way of reaching their larger goals. Overall, successful business is unceasingly prioritized over the well-being of citizens, especially when those citizens are black.