Environmental Justice

You might know . . .

Pollution of the commons (air, water, soil) negatively affects everyone.

But maybe you’ve never thought about . . .

Communities of color have significantly increased levels of exposure to polluted air and water. Latinx persons and African Americans are at a higher risk of exposure to air pollutants that are connected to asthma, cardiovascular disease, and lung disease. This is because people of color are twice as likely to live in proximity to hazardous-waste sites and industrial facilities. Children of color are at the highest risk, at rates five to twelve times higher
than white children of suffering from lead poisoning and other toxic risks.

“Any harm done to the environment is harm done to humanity.”

Pope Francis

Exposure to various air pollutants has been paired with health problems, including cardiovascular disease, negative pregnancy outcomes, and asthma, among other conditions.

Individuals with lower socioeconomic statuses tend to be exposed to higher air pollution concentrations than those with higher socioeconomic statuses.

More than 500,000 children under the age of five have blood lead levels that are above five milliliters per deciliter—the level that triggers a public health response. Remember: no safe blood lead level in children has been identified.

Children who are most affected by lead poisoning tend to be from minority populations, come from families with lower income, and live in older houses.

Source: The Center for Disease Control

 

WHAT YOU CAN DO
  • Reduce your own participation in the pollution of air, water, and soil by conserving energy, avoiding toxic chemicals and products, and reducing consumption (and thereby waste).
  • Recognize, and act, on the intersectionality of injustice. Fighting for environmental justice means combating racism and poverty. These problems cannot be solved independently.
  • Support legal efforts—with your money!—under way to combat dumping, pollution reduction, and other institutional means that prop up unfair and inequitable treatment of communities of color.

Latinx populations in the United States are exposed to higher levels of pollutants than other races. Asians and African Americans also experience more exposure to pollutants than white people.

Source: Environmental Health Perspectives

 

REFLECTION & JOURNAL SPACE