Environmental Injustice

  Environmental Injustice

Grace Hyunjoo Lee

We all have heard of the terms ‘climate change’ and ‘pollution’, but have you heard of environmental injustice? We don’t focus enough on it, yet the issue has been circulating for many decades. It shows how people are unfairly affected by environmental factors due to discrimination. The groups affected are mostly people of color or those with lower income, who are pushed into rural areas of the country where there can be various issues. The issues range from lack of proper filtration and pollution to not being able to provide citizens with basic needs, such as safe housing, clean water, food, and air. So how does this happen? One of the ways is when companies search for unethical methods or easy alternatives to maximize their profit. Corporations and even the government find cheap land to dump their toxic waste and chemicals into, where they intentionally neglect inferior populations.

A major area that represents the core of environmental injustice is Cancer Alley. Cancer Alley is a long area of land in the United States where over 150 petrochemical plants and refineries exist. The name is a direct representation of its living conditions; “its residents are 50 times more likely to develop cancer than the average American”(Colarossi). This is a major example of environmental racism since its residents are primarily black. The situation has gotten to its worst point, where now many honored members of society refer to this as another type of slavery. 

So how can we contribute to reaching environmental justice?

Simply educating yourself and those around you can make more people aware of their own actions, including what companies or brands they support. Discovering your local organizations, such as advocacy groups for social causes can promote their work and help more people reach it. 

Works Cited:

Rev. Ben Chavis, right, raises his fist as fellow protesters are taken to jail at the Warren County PCB landfill while protesting the dumping of contaminated soil in their community near Afton, North Carolina, on Thursday, Sept. 16, 1982.