"Environmental racism, ecological racism or ecological apartheid is a form of institutional racism leading to landfills, incinerators, and hazardous waste disposal being disproportionately placed in communities of color."
Studies how communities of color are disproportionately affected by environmental pollution and toxins.
Definition of Environmental Racism: A comprehensive understanding of the term "environmental racism" is essential when starting to learn about this issue. Environmental racism is the disproportionate impact of environmental hazards on minority and marginalized communities, which is often a result of social, economic, and political marginalization.
History of Environmental Racism: It is essential to understand the historical context of how environmental racism emerged in the United States and other parts of the world. The roots of environmental racism are often linked to colonialism, slavery, and other forms of social injustice.
Environmental Justice Movements: The modern-day environmental justice movement emerged in response to the disparities in the distribution of environmental hazards. Learning about the history of this movement and its key figures, organizations, and movements can provide a broader understanding of the scope and context of environmental racism.
Environmental Health Disparities: Environmental hazards such as air pollution, water pollution, and toxic waste disproportionately affect the health and well-being of marginalized communities. Understanding the mechanisms behind these disparities can expose how environmental racism operates in practice.
Environmental Policy: Environmental policies should mitigate the burden of environmental hazards on marginalized communities. However, policies can sometimes exhibit institutional racism. Analyzing environmental policy-making at the local, state, and national levels can inform how environmental racism can be addressed.
Environmental Racism in Context: Understanding how environmental racism interacts with and exacerbates other forms of racism and oppression is vital. This includes intersectionality to such domains as race, class, gender, ability, and immigrant status.
Environmental Racism and Climate Change: Environmental racism can exacerbate the impact of climate change on marginalized communities. Learning about how climate change disproportionately affects marginalized communities can help inform the broader struggle for environmental justice.
The Future of Environmental Justice: The contemporary context of politics, activism, research, economy, and society tells us about the future prospects of environmental justice, strategies, and developmental policy that aim to minimize the harm on marginalized communities.
Case Studies: In-depth analysis of specific cases of environmental racism can illustrate how this issue operates in practice. Examples of case studies involve toxic waste in New Orleans, the Flint water crisis, and the Standing Rock resistance. Such case studies will help you gain the knowledge of how environmental racism links up with social activism.
Methodologies and Tools: Learning about the research methodologies and tools such as mapping, data analysis, surveys, narrative storytelling, and other participatory techniques can equip you with the needed skills to study, assess and document environmental racism cases.
Environmental Injustice: This refers to the disproportionate distribution of environmental hazards and exposure to environmental pollutants or toxins that impact marginalized communities based on their race, ethnicity, or class.
Toxic Waste Sites: These are locations where toxic waste has been dumped or stored, and are often located in poor communities of color. Exposure to toxic waste can cause serious health problems and contaminate the environment.
Industrial Pollution: Industries such as factories, refineries, and power plants often emit pollutants that cause environmental damage and negatively affect the health of nearby communities. These industries are often located in low-income areas where people of color reside.
Climate Change Impacts: Climate change disproportionately impacts marginalized communities who are the least responsible for causing it. These communities are often located in coastal areas, such as in the Gulf Coast, where they experience extreme weather events and rising sea levels.
Food Apartheid: This refers to the lack of access to healthy and nutritious food in communities of color. This is often due to food deserts, a lack of grocery stores and transportation, and other systemic injustices.
Colonialism and Land Dispossession: The exploitation and dispossession of indigenous peoples from their lands for resource extraction and colonization is a form of environmental racism. Indigenous communities have historically faced displacement, destruction of their environment, and cultural genocide.
Water Contamination: Pollution and contamination of water sources disproportionately impacts communities of color, who often live in areas where water sources are degraded due to industrial pollution or inadequate infrastructure.
Environmental Health Disparities: Marginalized communities experience environmental health disparities, where they are more likely to experience environmental health issues due to exposure to pollutants, lack of access to healthcare and inadequate preventative resources.
"It is also associated with extractivism, which places the environmental burdens of mining, oil extraction, and industrial agriculture upon indigenous peoples and poorer nations largely inhabited by people of color."
"Response to environmental racism has contributed to the environmental justice movement, which developed in the United States and abroad throughout the 1970s and 1980s."
"Environmental racism may disadvantage minority groups or numerical majorities, as in South Africa where apartheid had debilitating environmental impacts on Black people."
"Internationally, trade in global waste disadvantages global majorities in poorer countries largely inhabited by people of color."
"It also applies to the particular vulnerability of indigenous groups to environmental pollution."
"Environmental racism is a form of institutional racism, which has led to the disproportionate disposal of hazardous waste in communities of colour in Russia."
"Environmental racism is a type of inequality where people in Communities of Color and other low-income communities face a disproportionate risk of exposure to pollution and related health conditions."
"landfills, incinerators, and hazardous waste disposal being disproportionately placed in communities of color."
"Extractivism places the environmental burdens of mining, oil extraction, and industrial agriculture upon indigenous peoples and poorer nations largely inhabited by people of color."
"The environmental justice movement developed in the United States and abroad throughout the 1970s and 1980s."
"Trade in global waste disadvantages global majorities in poorer countries largely inhabited by people of color."
"Environmental racism is a form of institutional racism, which has led to the disproportionate disposal of hazardous waste in communities of colour in Russia."
"Environmental racism may disadvantage minority groups or numerical majorities."
"Environmental racism may disadvantage minority groups or numerical majorities, as in South Africa where apartheid had debilitating environmental impacts on Black people."
"Extractivism, institutional racism, and global waste trade are among the factors contributing to environmental racism."
"The environmental justice movement aims to combat and address the inequalities and injustices caused by environmental racism."
"The environmental burdens of mining, oil extraction, and industrial agriculture are placed upon indigenous peoples."
"People in communities of color and low-income communities face a disproportionate risk of exposure to pollution and related health conditions due to environmental racism."
"Communities of color, indigenous peoples, and low-income communities are often the most affected by environmental racism."