The Relationship Between Pollution and Politics and How Environmental Racism Affect People

Environmental Science Final Paper
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Environmental Science Final Paper
Environmental racism is a form of discrimination whereby people of color are subjected to air, soil, and water pollution. People from low-income communities such as blacks are subjected to pollution, which affects their health negatively. Benjamin Chavis developed the concept of environmental racism in 1982 while addressing the dumping of harmful polychlorinated biphenyl waste in North Carolina (Mohai & Bryant, 2019 ). The United States developed the term, but environmental racism occurs internationally. Laws and regulations deliberately target people of color, especially communities with low economic power. The poor lack the political and socioeconomic power to prevent large organizations and corporations from depositing hazardous waste. They can also not relocate because of economic status and political influence, which determine where a person lives due to government policies such as zoning, redlining, and colorblind adaptation planning.
Environmental racism can take many forms, such as exposure to chemical processing plants, intake of contaminated water, residing in buildings which can cause harm to human health. Examples of pollution incidents that have been witnessed include toxic waste dumping in the lower Rio Grande Valley and residents of Flint, Michigan, being exposed to poisoned tap water. China has experienced poisoning of its citizens by exposure to electronic waste, which results from the global waste trade (Beech, 2020). During the Apartheid rule in South Africa, mining industries grew rapidly due to a lack of regulation. Most mining sites were set up in communities where people were poor or unemployed. Health problems reported by the affected people include cancer, pregnancy complications, and mental health issues. In 2008, coal ash spilled into the Emory River located in Kingston, Tennessee. The Tennessee Valley Authority channeled the spill to Uniontown in Alabama, where residents are mainly blacks who are low-income earners. These and more pollution incidences have been witnessed and continue to be witnessed globally.
What's the relationship between pollution and politics?
Politics have largely influenced decisions concerning how and where waste products are discarded. The government plays a huge role in authorizing landfills, incinerators, and air-polluting industries. Robert Bullard, commonly referred to as the father of environmental justice, described an observation that he had made in Houston from the 1930s to 1978. All five of the landfills that belonged to the city were located in black neighborhoods. In another incident, out of eight incinerators owned by the city, six were in neighborhoods owned by black people, and among the four landfills which were owned privately, three were in black neighborhoods (The Climate Reality Project, 2020). The City Council made the decision and approval of the location of the landfills of Houston. The city council was made up of all white members, meaning that the marginalized groups, including blacks, were not represented nor involved in the decision-making. Marginalized communities were viewed as co...