Are you an Environmentalist or in University for an Environmental degree? Do you feel your education on environmental racism has been lacking?

As a student, I noticed my environmental sustainability program was missing something that I couldn’t put my finger on at the time. As I went through the program, I realized how quickly my environmental classes moved on from vital topics relating to race and socioeconomic class. In a primarily white classroom, any topic which was uncomfortable to discuss was quickly passed by in lieu of other, less controversial topics. While the topic of environmental racism is not easy or straightforward and there are many overlapping issues, it is vital that we address the inequities in the system.  

I decided to create this website to help other students who are missing a vital aspect of environmental education in their academic programs.

 What is Environmental Racism?

Environmental racism is the disproportionate effects of climate change and environmental risks that people of color face compared to their white counterparts. Flooding, toxic waste, higher temperatures, natural disasters, and other environmental dangers are more likely to affect BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) communities around the world¹. The negative consequences of climate change are affecting more and more people around the world. However, Black and Brown people are impacted the most while simultaneously contributing the least. Environmental racism, like other forms of racism, can be attributed to a system of laws that have reinforced inequality.

This page aims to raise awareness about environmental racism, focusing on people obtaining an environmental degree. Environmental racism topics are only briefly discussed in most curricula relating to environmental issues and widely overlooked. Without systemic change, environmental racism will continue to impact people around the globe. Future environmental workers will lead this change, therefore, knowing more on the subject allows people to create solutions for the disproportionate effects climate change has on Black and Brown communities.

  Environmental Racism & Toxic Waste

Environmental racism can be found in all areas of environmental issues, including careers, risks, hazards, and many more. This page will focus specifically on environmental racism as related to toxic waste, pollution, and hazardous waste sites. Toxic waste, a mix of chemical compounds, are disposed of by a variety of industries, and when ingested or breathed, causes detrimental health problems and possible death³.

One does not have to go far to find environmental racism and its detrimental effects. Hazardous waste disposal sites, including those in the United States, which contain large amounts of toxic waste, are primarily located in areas in which primarily minorities, lower-income individuals, and childrenlive⁴. These populations are disproportionately affected by resulting health issues that stem from these hazardous waste sites. In fact, studies show that minorities living near these hazardous waste facilities are exposed five times higher to toxic exposures and environmental health-related issues than their white counterparts⁴ . These health issues include higher rates of cancer and congenital disabilities.

Western counties, including the United States, have a pattern of dumping harmful toxic waste into the global south to avoid rules and regulations about dumping in their own country. Large industries use legal loopholes surrounding the definition of toxic waste to dispose of their waste in developing countries; one example is the Gulf of Guinea³. Developing countries such as New Guinea have less effective legislation and monitoring systems that would allow them to measure the amount of waste being disposed of in their country. This lack of infrastructure is exploited by western countries with rigid waste laws. These industrialized countries illegally dump toxic waste into countries with less stringent regulations³. This illegal dumping of toxic waste into less equipped countries in the global south is a form of environmental racism as this toxic waste affects primarily people of color in those countries³.  Driven by expense of disposal and a precedent of colonialism, the Gulf of Guinea and other developing countries are targeted by the west to dispose of toxic waste³.

Citations

1. Bandera, G. (2022, February 28). What is Environmental Racism? . Retrieved from fairplanet.org.
2. Clark, L., Millet, D., & Marshall, J. (2014). National Patterns in Environmental Injustice and Inequality: Outdoor NO2 Air Pollution in the United StatesNational Patterns in Environmental Injustice and Inequality: Outdoor NO2 Air Pollution in the United States. PLOS ONE.
3. Okafor-Yarwood, I., & Adewumi, I. (2020). Toxic waste dumping in the Global South as a form of environmental racism: Evidence from the Gulf of Guinea. Routledge Taylor & Francis Group , 285-304.
4. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. (2021). Data-Quality Assessment Signals Toxic-Site Safety Threats and Environmental Injustices. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
5. Santoro, M., Minichilli, Fabrizio, Pierini, A., Astolfi, G., & Bisceglia, L. (2017). Congenital Anomalies in Contaminated Sites: A Multisite Study in Italy . The International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 292.
6. (2021, August 27). NIMBY. Retrieved from CFI.com: https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/knowledge/other/nimby/