By ANNIE DYSART Environmental racism is defined as the disproportionate impact of environmental hazards on minority and poor communities. Most of the time, environmental racism is perpetuated unintentionally. Major factors that play into environmental racism are land use, housing segregation, and racialized employment patterns and financial practices. For example, an industrial facility could be built on cheap land for economic reasons but end up having social consequences. In the United States, ethnicity and class are highly correlated. Land is cheapest in poor, rural areas - places commonly called home by communities of color. Building a facility that pollutes the environment could also negatively impact nearby communities disadvantaged by systemic racism who cannot afford to live elsewhere. Environmental justice is defined as "the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies." The EPA claims the goal of environmental justice will be reached when “everyone has the same amount of protection from environmental and health hazards and equal access to the decision-making process to have a healthy environment in which to live, learn, and work.” In 2017, racial and environmental justice groups joined forces to block the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s (WisDOT) efforts to expand and rebuild the I-94 between 16th and 70th Streets. WisDOT also refused to include expansion of public transit in the project which would hinder Milwaukee residents’ - minorities lacking vehicles in particular - ability to access employment, education, health care and other activities. Overall, the project would increase racial segregation, intensify suburban sprawl, and worsen air quality. A noise barrier is a solid structure built between highways and homes to mitigate the effects of noise pollution from traffic. Sound barriers are disproportionately distributed in Milwaukee. They are mainly constructed in areas with predominantly white populations, higher incomes, and less poverty. Areas where noise barriers were constructed, called noise barrier tracts, have race compositions made up of approximately 88.9% white, 1.6% black, and 4.9% Hispanic. The averages for all tracts is 61.2% white, 24.0% black, and 9.9% Hispanic. These statistics show how low-income, minority populations in Milwaukee are more subjected to the ill effects of noise pollution. Another instance of environmental racism is the disproportionate risk of exposure to toxins in fish among minority and low-income communities in the Great Lakes region. Several minority populations were found to consume a higher amount of fish and were more likely to consume contaminated species of fish. Native American populations in the Great Lakes region consume about 4.5 times more fish than the average US citizen in the Great Lakes region. Native American women are exposed to over ten times the EPA’s recommended amount of methylmercury. Additionally, 75% of women under 26 years of age had been eating lake fish for over 15 years. These populations facing greater risk of toxin exposure are also more likely to be unaware or unresponsive to fish consumption advisories. The Wisconsin Division of Public Health has taken steps towards environmental justice regarding this issue through a communications campaign publicizing fishing advisories, PCB and mercury warnings, and advice on dietary intake of fish for adults, women of childbearing age and children. This campaign was carried out in multiple languages, posted in multiple areas, and reached fishing spots frequented by minorities, clinics, and schools. Lead poisoning is a prominent example of environmental racism in Milwaukee. Children in Milwaukee are afflicted by lead poisoning at a frequency six times greater than the national average. Within Milwaukee County, 20,000 housing units have high risk for lead hazards - the majority of them located on the north and south side where many minorities live. Just living in the 53206 zip code increases the likelihood of getting lead poisoning: 18% of Milwaukee’s total lead poisoning cases are accounted for within this area where 39% of the people are living at or below the poverty level. High exposure to lead can potentially cause lowered IQ, learning disabilities, ADHD, and other physical and mental problems. Although parks are pretty evenly distributed throughout Milwaukee County, there is a disproportionate amount of resources available at the parks in low-income and minority communities in comparison to predominantly white communities. Parks are valuable because they provide a place for exercise, community connection, and ecosystem services like preservation of biodiversity and green space to absorb heat and help regulate urban temperatures. Before 1999, Menominee Valley was afflicted by environmental racism - about 60% of the surrounding neighborhoods were minority groups who were exposed to a range of environmental hazards.Industrial activity polluted the region, decreased its water quality, and increased the amount of impervious surfaces and brownfields. The government had been aware of these issues yet left them unattended for many years. In 1999, a $20 million clean-up project commenced and transformed the area - a significant example of environmental justice and hope for the future well being of Milwaukee’s environment and all of its residents.
References https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice http://greenaction.org/?page_id=420 http://www.foodispower.org/environmental-racism/ http://www.inee.mu.edu/capstone_2003/CapstoneProject2006.htm http://botw.dnr.state.wi.us/botw/Welcome.do http://factfinder.census.gov. https://urbanmilwaukee.com/pressrelease/three-environmental-justice-groups-ask-court-to-block-i-94-expansion/
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |