Environmental justice is a relatively recent social movement that aims to include marginalized communities that are unduly affected by the climate crisis in environmentalist activism. People of color living in the global south and urban ghettos are disproportionately affected by the climate emergency due to institutional neglect and unfavorable industrial, governmental, and commercial policies. However, the environmentalist discourse has so far been dominated by affluent white people from the developed West. In response, various organizations have begun advocating for equal environmental protection and local community involvement. Therefore, environmental justice seeks to be inclusive and meaningfully involve all affected communities in the decision-making process regardless of ethnicity, race, or income status.
One phenomenon that environmental justice is combatting is the disproportionate amount of air pollution in neighborhoods populated by black people. A haunting example is the death of Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, a nine-year-old mixed girl who died of a fatal asthma attack and cardiac arrest because of the unlawful levels of toxic fumes near her home in London (Laville, 2020). However, the issue of environmental racism transcends national boundaries and is likely to be repeated in other regions of the world. Black people in the United States are 75 percent more likely to live near facilities that produce hazardous waste (Villarosa, 2020). They are also exposed to 1.5 times more sooty pollution, which causes respiratory issues, cardiovascular discuses, COVID-19, and premature death (Villarosa, 2020). Nevertheless, African-Americans continue to be severely underrepresented in environmental nonprofits, government agencies, and NGOs. This trend is exactly the type of issue that environmental justice is attempting to overcome by funding educational programs and giving local community leaders the opportunity to participate in the decision-making process.
References
Laville, S. (2020). Ella Kissi-Debrah: how a mother’s fight for justice may help prevent other air pollution deaths.The Guardian.
Villarosa, L. (2020). Pollution is killing black Americans. This community fought back. The New York Times.