Systemic racism is baked into America’s environmental policies.
“Environmental racism,” as it’s often called, is the discriminatory practice of subjecting marginalized communities — particularly many Black communities — to a disproportionate share of environmental hazards.
It’s deeply rooted in historical and ongoing policies that distribute environmental benefits and burdens differently when it comes to Black people. From discriminatory housing practices to the siting of hazardous facilities, these inequitble environmental policies have severe consequences for the health, well-being, and economic prospects of affected populations.
Historical Roots of Environmental Racism
Environmental racism isn’t new. It traces back to segregation and discriminatory housing practices in the United States.
“Redlining” is where banks and government agencies denied loans and insurance to residents in predominantly Black neighborhoods, which confined Black people to specific areas with limited resources and infrastructure. These neighborhoods were frequently located near industrial zones, highways, and waste disposal sites, exposing residents to higher levels of pollution and environmental hazards.
One of the worst cases was in Warren County, North Carolina in, not 1882, but 1982.
PCB, a chemical used in coolants and lubricants, has been linked to elevated stomach and liver cancer rates. The Toxic Substance Control Act of 1976 actually banned the manufacture of PCB in the U.S.
In 1976, a trucking company sprayed 31,000 gallons of PCB-contaminated oil along roughly 240 miles of North Carolina roads. The illegal dumping was discovered in 1978, but the contaminated soil remained along roadsides until September 1982. Needing a place to move the soil, the State of North Carolina moved 40,000 cubic yards of PCB-contaminated soil to a 142-acre landfill near a predominantly Black community in Warren County in 1982.
Despite seven weeks of protests and more than 500 arrests, North Carolina still dumped more than 7,000 truckloads of contaminated soil there, knowing that the contamination could cause increased miscarriages and birth defects.
This is just one of many examples across the U.S.
The Impact of Environmental Racism
Environmental racism comes in many other forms as well, including unequal exposure to air and water pollution and limited access to clean water.
A 2018 study by the Environmental Protection Agency found that Black people are more likely to live near polluting industries and face higher risks from air pollution than white populations. This disparity has caused disproportionate rates of respiratory illnesses, cardiovascular diseases, and other health problems.
Water contamination crises, such as the one in predominantly Black populated Flint, Michigan highlights the deadly consequences of environmental racism.
The government decision to switch the water supply to the contaminated Flint River exposed residents to dangerously high levels of lead. The disgustingly delayed response from the government only exacerbated the systemic neglect of Black communities in environmental policymaking.
Make no mistake, if water contamination and lead poisoning of that magnitude hit the affluent Detroit suburb of Farmington Hills, the problem would have been fixed pronto.
The Role of Policy in Perpetuating Inequality
What’s even worse is that environmental policies and regulations pile on top of existing racial and socioeconomic disparities. Zoning laws, for example, historically were used to segregate communities and concentrate industrial activities in areas inhabited by Black people. This has resulted in a disproportionate burden of environmental hazards on these communities, with limited opportunities to address it. And that segregation remains.
The lack of Black representation in setting environmental policy makes solving the problems even harder. Without a seat at the table, the concerns of marginalized communities are far too often overlooked, leading to decisions and policies that don’t address the unique challenges they face. This exclusion from policymaking is itself part of environmental racism.
The Fight for Environmental Justice
Fortunately, the environmental justice movement has made significant strides in raising awareness. Activists and scholars have advocated for policies that prioritize the needs of marginalized communities and address the root causes of environmental racism.
Policy initiatives such as the Biden-Harris administration’s Justice40 Initiative, which directs 40% of federal climate and clean energy investments to disadvantaged communities, represent a major step toward addressing environmental racism.
But achieving true environmental justice will require a much more.
We need a comprehensive approach that includes stronger enforcement of environmental laws, greater community involvement in decision-making, and the dismantling of systemic barriers that perpetuate inequality.
We know that racism can turn deadly when it comes to police abuse. We know racism against children in schools can scar Black boys and girls.
But it’s just as dangerous when we poison our Black brothers and sisters.
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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From The Good Men Project on Medium
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Photo credit: Petter Rudwall on Unsplash
