Environmental racism refers to the idea that environmental destruction has a varying impact on individuals with regards to race. According to a research done by the U.S. Congress’s General Accounting Office, in eight distinctive states, ¨75% of the hazardous waste landfill sites were in low-income communities of color.¨(1) This is caused by the fact that communities of higher income tends to live away from environmentally dangerous areas of the city, and those who live in poverty tend to live in places that are more exposed to different kinds of pollutions, including but not limited to air, land, water pollution etc.
Due to this fact, I decided to look at the income of communities of colour and to compare how they might be disproportionately impacted by the environmental racism. ¨In 2019, median household income for Black households was $45,438 compared to $56,113 for Hispanic households, $76,057 for non-Hispanic White households, and $98,174 for Asian households.¨ Black households are 19% more likely to live in places with hazardous waste landfill (56,113 – 45,438)/56113 = 19% than hispanic households. (formula for percentage change)Environmental racism explains to us the urgency to take care of our environment as a means to fight against racism.
Bibliography:
(1) https://www.sustained.kitchen/latest/2020/6/6/fast-facts-on-environmental-racism
(2) https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2020/09/poverty-rates-for-blacks-and-hispanics-reached-historic-lows-in-2019.html
The racial disparities within the housing market have been a major issue for many many years. The idea of white flight, redlining, and much more. I liked how you brought in the fact that communities of color are more likely affected by the negative impacts of development (waste management) and climate change. This can be seen nationally but it can also be seen globally with the relationship between first world and third world countries.
The quantitative information representing financial disparities between races be it on the housing market, the economy, or just in our every day to day lives is staggering. It really does need to be addressed, and the fact that minorities are the people facing the brunt of the negative impact of energy consumption and management isn’t right.
What are the most effective ways to fight environmental racism?
It’s horrible that minorities are almost forced into unfair living situations. Environmental racism is a great example of the intersectionality of sustainability, with the environment meeting the economy meeting social justice.