Unpacking Environmental Injustice

In my last blog post, I introduced the topic of environmental injustice and wrote that it will be the central focus of this blog. But before we dig deep into environmental injustice, let's uncover what it is. 

What is environmental injustice?

Environmental injustice, best known as "environmental racism" can be defined in a multitude ways. However, a definition of environmental racism I really adhere to comes from Do Something, which explains it as "the geographic relationship between between environmental degradation and low-income or minority communities."

Who experiences environmental injustice?
To reiterate, mainly low-income and minority communities. This could be a large spectrum of people. Women, children, the elderly, single-parent families, queer people, disabled people--mainly anyone who is marginalized in this country, therefore not receiving the best housing.

Going back to the article I posted earlier, it exemplifies some of the people who experience environmental injustice:

5. African Americans are 79 percent more likely than whites to live in neighborhoods where industrial pollution is suspected of causing the greatest health dangers. 
8. “Approximately half of all Native Americans live in communities with an uncontrolled toxic waste site," according to the Commission for Racial Justice.

(African Americans are more likely to have asthma due to being exposed to hazardous chemicals in the air in their community. This picture comes up the images section when environmental racism is Googled.)

What's the difference between "environmental injustice" and "environmental racism?"

The term "environmental injustice" is used when speaking of this subject in general, and the term "environmental racism," is used when discussing how this injustice affects people of color. I think it's important to differentiate the two terms because first, I'll be using both terms frequently, and second, I don't want to water down what racism really is by simply calling it an "injustice." Racism is racism.

What can we do to combat it?

This is what's most important to me. I don't want to spend much time listing statistics and instances in regards to environmental racism, (because, really, I could go on and on and on about it.) and instead, urge a call to action to stop environmental racism from existing and proliferating.

So, I have created a (working) list of what can be done to combat environmental injustice.

1. Talk about this. Tell people about environmental injustice. Let them know it exists, and spread knowledge and awareness.
2. Take action. Either at protests like the People's Climate March, as pictured below. Get the word out there.
3. Vote for politicians that are determined to end environmental degradation everywhere. (Spoiler alert: there aren't that many, but take this step further and call them and ask what they are doing about pollution on the South Side.)
4. Talk to people who are directly experiencing this. Listen to their stories. See what you can do to help. Fight with them.
5. Be aware of your surroundings. Do you live a privileged life? How clean is your tap water? Do you have parks in your neighborhood? What is the air you breathe like? Think about why.
6. Be aware of all surroundings. Are there opportunities for clean, sustainable living everywhere you go? (Spoiler alert again: probably not.) But identify why.

The People's Climate March brought together over 400,000 people from all over the world for one major cause: getting policy makers to change the way the environment affects the world and its people. Together, we can.

That's my working list of how we can fix it. What are yours? Comment if you have any ideas! This is not something that can be done working alone. We all share the earth, let's all protect it.