1) The document discusses environmental justice, equity, and racism. It explores how environmental problems disproportionately impact vulnerable groups, such as minorities and low-income communities, who face greater health risks and limited participation in decision making.
2) Environmental justice aims for fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race or income in developing and enforcing environmental laws and policies. It seeks to address adverse health impacts and environmental burdens on marginalized populations.
3) The case study of the North River Sewage Treatment Plant in West Harlem, New York highlights issues of odor and health problems faced by the predominantly minority and low-income neighborhood from the plant. Community groups advocated to address the problems.
A Powerpoint describing the Environmental Justice Tour for an undergraduate learning experience.
Students often recognize that air, water, and soil pollution have negative effects on human health but may not recognize that these problems exist in their own communities. In many parts of the United States there are sources of pollution located very close to neighborhoods especially in low-income areas. The field trip experience described here explores the relationship between economically depressed neighborhoods and environmental problems through the lens of social justice. This field trip involves witnessing how several low-income neighborhoods are located near coal-fired power plants, open-air coal ash landfills, chemical plants, and a Superfund site. During the experience students have the opportunity to make observations and discuss what they have witnessed in the context of why these problems exist, who is responsible for these problems and how they might be fixed. This field trip experience was developed by Mr. Tim Darst at the Passionist Earth and Spirit Center in Louisvile, Kentucky and is offered on a regular basis for college students, high school groups and community members. This kind of experience could be adapted to many other parts of the country that experience environmental problems, either urban (as described above) or rural (i.e., agricultural problems, deforestation, etc.).
A Powerpoint describing the Environmental Justice Tour for an undergraduate learning experience.
Students often recognize that air, water, and soil pollution have negative effects on human health but may not recognize that these problems exist in their own communities. In many parts of the United States there are sources of pollution located very close to neighborhoods especially in low-income areas. The field trip experience described here explores the relationship between economically depressed neighborhoods and environmental problems through the lens of social justice. This field trip involves witnessing how several low-income neighborhoods are located near coal-fired power plants, open-air coal ash landfills, chemical plants, and a Superfund site. During the experience students have the opportunity to make observations and discuss what they have witnessed in the context of why these problems exist, who is responsible for these problems and how they might be fixed. This field trip experience was developed by Mr. Tim Darst at the Passionist Earth and Spirit Center in Louisvile, Kentucky and is offered on a regular basis for college students, high school groups and community members. This kind of experience could be adapted to many other parts of the country that experience environmental problems, either urban (as described above) or rural (i.e., agricultural problems, deforestation, etc.).
This presentation was presented to Dr.Vaqas Ali Assistant Professor of Sociology at UMT, Lahore by a Student in the class of Sociology of Social Movements.
Today, EPA is all but a wholly owned subsidiary of liberal activist groups. The takeover of EPA and all of its activities
by liberal activists was slow and methodical over the past 30 years. Today, EPA is all but a wholly owned subsidiary of liberal activist groups. Its rules account for about half of the nearly $2 trillion a year cost of complying with all national regulations in the U.S.2 Barack Obama is using it to circumvent Congress to impose regulations on the energy sector that will cause prices to “skyrocket.” It is a rogue agency!
The relationship between the environment and the economy can be depicted by means of the “Material Balance Model” The model was developed by Allen Kneese and R.V Ayres. The model visualizes the total economic process as a physically balanced flow between inputs and outputs.
Lynne Healy: Environmental Challenges for People Living in PovertyTHL
Healy's presentation at the "Thinking long-term: Making poverty eradication and environmental policies mutually supportive" side event at The 55th session of the Commission for Social Development (CSocD55) on the 6th of February 2017.
This presentation was presented to Dr.Vaqas Ali Assistant Professor of Sociology at UMT, Lahore by a Student in the class of Sociology of Social Movements.
Today, EPA is all but a wholly owned subsidiary of liberal activist groups. The takeover of EPA and all of its activities
by liberal activists was slow and methodical over the past 30 years. Today, EPA is all but a wholly owned subsidiary of liberal activist groups. Its rules account for about half of the nearly $2 trillion a year cost of complying with all national regulations in the U.S.2 Barack Obama is using it to circumvent Congress to impose regulations on the energy sector that will cause prices to “skyrocket.” It is a rogue agency!
The relationship between the environment and the economy can be depicted by means of the “Material Balance Model” The model was developed by Allen Kneese and R.V Ayres. The model visualizes the total economic process as a physically balanced flow between inputs and outputs.
Lynne Healy: Environmental Challenges for People Living in PovertyTHL
Healy's presentation at the "Thinking long-term: Making poverty eradication and environmental policies mutually supportive" side event at The 55th session of the Commission for Social Development (CSocD55) on the 6th of February 2017.
Sustainable Development: An IntroductionPreeti Sikder
Learning Objectives: After completing this lesson, students will
a) learn about the dimensions of sustainable development
b) learn through an example as to how the interdependent issues of development contribute toward achieving sustainable development
Running Head ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH1ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH8.docxtodd271
Running Head: ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH 1
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH 8
Environmental Health
Student Name: Kusum Syangbo
Instructor Name: Elizabeth Wachira
Course no: HHPH- 382-01W
Date: April 5, 2020
Texas A&M University, Commerce
Abstract
Environmental health is both a public health and social justice issue. This paper will describe how environmental health is both a public health and social injustice issue and some of the environmental injustices in the United States. It will also explain the functions of environmental health movements in the US. Finally, the paper will describe some of the intervention opportunities in curbing environmental injustices including health education, advocacy, policy, leadership opportunities, and community focus and give my future leadership role as far as environmental health is concerned.
Keywords
Environmental health, public health, social injustice, minority groups
Section 1: Topic Description
The topic that I chose is Environmental Health. This topic is a public health issue because the environment in which we live in shapes our health every moment of every day. Our health can be affected by what we eat, where we live, and how we interact with the world around us. That is where environmental health professionals, programs and policies, all come into play. Environmental health is a large field in public health because of the numerous ways exterior factors can impact how we live, grow and, even eat. These factors concern how we address our natural environment like sanitation and clean water, but they are also the consequences of our actions as human beings (Krometis et al, 2017).
Environmental Health is also a social justice issue because all the conversations about protecting habitats, mitigating climate change and recycling are not just about saving and protecting the earth, they are more about the struggle for protecting and providing basic human rights to good health. Every human being is entitled to quality air, clean water, and sanitation (Marmot, 2017).
Section 2: Social Injustice
Two Environmental Social Injustices
One major environmental social injustice is the disproportional placing of dangerous waste amenities in poor and largely ethnic and racial minority localities. Research shows that there are ethnic and racial discrepancies in the locations of dangerous waste across the United States. As a result of these injustices people living in such an environment have developed diseases like cancer.
Another social injustice is the environmental influence on healthy eating, physical activity, and obesity in ethnic and racial minority communities with low income. The principal concern here is the deprivation amplification such that in locations where have little individual resources, the local amenities that help people to live healthily, are poorer than those in non-socially and non-impoverished deprived places. Research has shown that t.
In July 2014, experts from public, private and research sectors met at the Rockefeller Foundation's "Planetary Health" summit to explore ways to better value ecosystems today to ensure their healthy existence tomorrow.
2. In the world of today characterized by and faced with various inequalities and environmental
problems, these problems are caused and affect us differently. The most vulnerability to the effects
of these problems are influenced by economic factors and are gendered, affecting especially
women than men. According to (Frechette, 2002), environmental problems do not affect everyone
equally. Environmental injustice occurs whenever innocent people bear disproportionate
environmental risks, have unequal access to goods like clean air, or have unequal voice in
imposition of environmental risks. (Frechette, 2002) goes on to argue that most minorities and
poor people are victims of environmental injustice, either because of their increased health risks
or because of the way their rights are limited.
Environmental Justice as defined by (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2016) is
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. In peace with this, (Washington, 2012) argues that
environmental Justice covers the adverse and disparate health impact and environmental burden
that affects marginalized populations all over the world. To mention but a few environmental
justice principles are1; 1) It affirms the sacredness of Mother Earth, ecological unity and the
interdependence of all species, and the right to be free from ecological destruction. 2) It demands
that public policy be based on mutual respect and justice for all peoples, free from any form of
discrimination or bias. 3) Mandates the right to ethical, balanced and responsible uses of land and
renewable resources in the interest of a sustainable planet for humans and other living things. 4)
Calls for universal protection from nuclear testing, extraction, production and disposal of
toxic/hazardous wastes and poisons and nuclear testing that threaten the fundamental right to clean
air, land, water, and food. The Environmental Justice Movement emerged in the 1980s in reaction
to discriminatory environmental practices including toxic dumping, municipal waste facility siting,
and land use decisions which negatively affected communities of color2.
(Miller, 2003, p. 228) “Environmental justice is defined as a broad conceptual frame word used by
organizations and groups that seek and promote social justice whereas environmental equity is
defined in the face of social inequalities implicit on environmental policies, asserts (Rios, 2000).”
1 These principles were drafted and adopted by Delegates to the First National People of Color Environmental
Leadership Summit held on October 24-27, 1991, in Washington DC, United States of America.
2 See more at http://www.avoiceonline.org/environmental/history.html Accessed 8April 2016
3. (Ewall, 2012-2013) The “equity” versus “justice” framing is more than mere semantics. It
represents the fundamental difference between the concepts of “poison people equally” and “stop
poisoning people, period!”
Environmental Justice Case Study by Deborah Kolben: North River Sewage Treatment Plant, New
York (West Harlem)3
Problem, In West Harlem, a predominantly minority and low-income neighborhood located on the
northern section of Manhattan in New York City; in 1985 the North River Sewage Treatment Plant
was constructed in West Harlem. The Plant stretched eight blocks along the Hudson River from
covering 8 streets. Members of the community complained about overbearing odors4 emanating
from the North River Sewage Treatment Plant ever since its construction. The plant processes over
170 million gallons of raw sewage a day, causing offensive noxious smell, itchy eyes, shortness
of breath, and other symptoms often related to asthma and other respiratory ailments. Residents
complain about not being able to go out on their terraces or open up their windows. The community
board, Community Board 9, and WE ACT (West Harlem Environmental Action) became active
lobbyists for control of the plant. These groups continued to put pressure on the administration and
in 1991 an investigation was finally conducted. The problem of smell was addressed and an
investigation and money was allocated to address the problems found. The problem has then been
solved by strictly monitoring the plant though problems related to asthma still need to be addressed.
Environmental justice and equity are the best approaches to go about if we want unified,
sustainable, healthy and permanent community based developments. Professor Paul Mohai5
maintains that “The long history of environmental justice activism in the United States can provide
an important guide for activists and researchers across the Globe to learn about strategies that
vulnerable communities have used in the past to help improve conditions within their
communities.”
3 Visit http://www.umich.edu/~snre492/ny.html Accessed 9 April 2016 for more
5 From the School of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Michigan.
https://discardstudies.com/2015/01/18/map-of-40-most-influential-environmental-justice-conflicts-in-the-us/
Accessed 9 April 2016
4. References
Ewall, M. E. (2012-2013). Sustainable Development Law and Policy,Volume XIII, Issue 1:Exploring
How Today’s Development AffectsFuture Generations Around the Globe. Washington: American
University.
Frechette,K. S. (2002). Environmental Justice: Creating Equality,Reclaiming Democracy. Oxford:
Oxford University Press.
Miller, J. R. (2003). Encyclopedia of Human Ecology: Volume 1: A-H. Denver and Oxford: ABC-CLIO.
United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2016, April 14). United States Environmental
Protection Agency. Retrieved from United States Environmental Protection Agency Web site:
https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice
Washington, S. H. (2012). Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. Retrieved from Liebert Pub Web site:
http://www.liebertpub.com/overview/environmental-justice/259/