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Spoiler: they’re not.
There is a racial divide in how the U.S. government cleans up toxic waste sites in communities. People of color make up about 56% of the population living in neighborhoods with commercial hazardous waste facilities and 30% of neighborhoods without these facilities. These numbers are not uncommon and show just a small part of a much bigger problem among the environmental issues that people, specifically BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color), face today.
People of color as a whole are disproportionately faced with exposure to contamination and environmental pollution, despite variances in income. That means that even wealthier black families are still affected by pollution in their area at a greater capacity than lower-class white families. The fact is that environmental racism has affected people of color, no matter their socioeconomic status, for a very long time and still continues to do so.
What is the EJ Movement?
The Environmental Justice movement was formed to heal and repair the problems that environmental racism and injustice have caused by ensuring the fair and equal treatment of all people, regardless of race, ethnicity, or income, by implementing laws, regulations, and policies to protect people and the environment.
Like many innocent people wanting to learn more about how to care for the environment, when I first heard about the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), I was relieved. I really thought that the EPA was actually formed to “protect human health and the environment,” as they claim.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the case at all and actually happens to be just one of the things on the long list of issues the government is (miserably) failing us on. According to the EPA, 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.”
I’m a big believer that actions speak louder than words, so when I say that I don’t trust anything the EPA claims they are doing, I mean it. You can read here about just some of the ways the EPA is “taking action,” but in the very wrong direction. As I said, their actions speak for themselves.
Another issue I have with their definition is that it also doesn’t reach the Environmental Justice movement’s vision, which doesn’t want to shift the environmental harm caused but abolish it altogether.
EPA & Policymakers – the perfect combo for climate destruction
The EPA has been acting alongside financial factors and disregarding the safety and well-being of so many communities, the majority being disproportionately black communities. According to an analysis done by the Associated Press in 2005, 79% of African Americans are more likely than white people to live in neighborhoods where industrial pollution poses the most significant health risk.
It is no question why Industrial companies almost always end up in low-income communities of color – it’s cheaper. Instead of acknowledging this and making communities, despite their income, safer, policymakers and people in political power have chosen not to enact laws regulating industry practices, especially around these communities, because of the systemic racism that continues to persist and pollute this country.
Even though the EPA should be acting against harmful environmental practices, you’d be surprised (or, by now, most likely not) to know that they’ve done quite the opposite. Research from Harvard Law School shows that the Trump Administration has reversed more than 80 environmental rules and regulations for clean air, water, wildlife, and toxic chemicals.
The Flint Water Crisis
Even though these reversals have been damaging, to say the least, these harmful practices have been at play much longer. We can directly see how poor environmental regulation affects people in a widely known example: the Flint water crisis. The population of Flint, Michigan, which didn’t have clean water from 2014 until 2020, is 60% African American and 40% below the poverty line. This is a perfect example of when policy meets racism.
Because of the lack of policy and action from an incompetent governor, residents throughout Flint had incredibly high levels of lead in their blood. According to a survey done by Flint Water Study, several samples from individual people exceeded 100 parts per billion (ppb) which is way over the EPA-allowed level of 15 ppb, and one sample even exceeded 1000 ppb. Keep in mind that NO amount of lead in water is considered safe. According to the World Health Organization, even 5ppb may cause “decreased intelligence in children, behavioral difficulties, and learning problems.”
It took the EPA several months after residents had reported strange odors and colors of the water to say something about it, and even then, failed actually to act on it. The horrific amount of lead that was consumed has and will continue to affect the health of Flint residents and their children in the future. This crisis was a direct result of structural and systemic racism.
The link between water pollution and POC
Flint may be one of the most well-known cases, but it’s not the only one. Nitrate is a common compound found in drinking water in areas where agriculture is present. Evidence suggests higher risks of cancer and birth defects at levels even below the EPA’s drinking water standard.
Low-income communities and a higher percentage of Hispanic or non-white residents have been linked with of nitrate and arsenic higher levels of nitrate and arsenic in their blood. Harmful practices around these communities that inevitably seep into the water systems include fertilizer, animal manure, improper use of septic systems, and fossil fuel combustion. The lack of policy and regulation around these communities has allowed industries to continue polluting and harming communities of color.
These health problems also persist in communities near industries that create a significant amount of air pollution. A study titled ‘Toxic Wastes and Race at Twenty-First Century America‘ found that over a 20-year time period, more than half of the people in the U.S. who lived within 1.86 miles of toxic waste facilities were people of color. This includes landfills, hazardous waste sites, and other industrial facilities that contribute to air pollution and pose serious safety and health risks.
The area closest to dangerous chemical facilities is known as fenceline communities. The people living in these zones are directly affected by the chemical emissions produced and therefore are in great danger for their health. A report done by the Center for Effective Government found that people of color are twice as likely as white people to live within fenceline zones and actually make up almost half the population in these areas.
The most significant disparity is among poor children of color, wherein almost 4.9 million children in the U.S. attend a school that is located within one mile of a dangerous chemical facility. Unlike other predominantly white wealthier communities, poor neighborhoods don’t get access to the more advanced technology made to reduce air pollutants, leaving them to suffer the consequences of the little to no regulation that policymakers have implemented. Instead of working for the people and focusing on their health and safety, policymakers have continued to work with industries and neglected the people they were elected to care for.
So, what’s next?
No matter what the EPA or government says about their environmental efforts unless policies are enacted and industry practices are regulated, it will never be enough. Environmental Justice will never be achieved if we do not work to end environmental racism.
There are many ways that you can individually help, and the most important one is to educate yourself. Following BIPOC sustainability creators is a significant first step to staying aware of what is happening and what you can do to help.
Here are just some people I would recommend following that share critical information:
- Leah Thomas
- Dominique Drakeford
- Kristy Drutman
- Mikaela Loach
- Jazmine Rogers
- Marie Beecham
- Aja Barber
I hope that this was an eye-opener for you and that you learned a thing or two about environmental racism. We can find unity through environmentalism, and it starts with you. 💚
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