Environment Justice - Essay Example

Environment Justice Name Date Course Introduction Environmental issues are increasingly becoming important due to the increased level of degradation. The degradation of the environment has negative impacts on the health of human and animal life. This has led to the emergence of the concept of environmental justice. Environmental justice can be defined as fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all the people regardless or colour or race in the development, implementation and enforcement of the environmental laws, regulations and policies (Carmin & Julian, 2011). The lack of involvement of all people in the process has contributed to negative environmental impact. It has a los led to the discrimination in terms of applying the policies regarding the environment. The export of toxic wastes is one of the negative environmental issues that are carried out due to lack of environmental justice. The export of toxic wastes has seen wastes being dumped in the poor countries or neighborhoods. The paper thus discusses the relevance of environmental justice in addressing the export of toxic wastes. Discussion The export of toxic wastes involves moving the toxic wastes from one country to the other. In most cases, the toxic wastes are usually moved from the developed countries to the developing countries. This has created a lot of environmental problems to the people in the developing countries. As a result of poverty in the developing countries, the management of the toxic wastes is usually difficult to manage and it ends up causing a lot of negative environmental impacts. The concept of environmental justice plays an important role in terms of providing a clear understanding of the export of toxic wastes. Environmental justice has highlighted those negative impacts that the people in the developing countries are facing as a result of export of toxic wastes. Since environmental justice is about laws, regulations and policies, the export of toxic wastes has been described as environmental racism. This is because most of the toxic wastes are usually exported and dumped in the poor African and Asian countries. The dumping of the toxic wastes has resulted to environmental pollution and exposure to hazardous materials (Moore, 2008). In most cases, the people living in such areas are exposed to diseases and it has contributed to the deaths of the local people. The concept of environmental justice has also been able to establish that there is an increase in the social ills as a result of dumping the toxic wastes in the poor countries. The treatment of the poor people is not just when the toxic wastes are dumped in their neighborhood. Environmental justice requires fair treatment and meaningful involvement of the people on the issues of the environment. This provides more understanding on the issues of the environment with regards to the dumping of the toxic wastes. Environmental justice has also contributed to activism for the purposes of dealing with the export of toxic wastes to the poor countries (Mascarenhas, 2008). This is also as a result of the understanding that the poor countries bear the burden of toxic wastes being produced from the developing countries. This form of injustice has contributed to the high levels of activism that has been witnessed in most parts of the world. This is considering that the export of toxic wastes has led to poor health among the people living in the areas. Some of the people have also died as a result of the dumping of toxic wastes in the poor countries. The pollution of water sources by the toxic wastes impacts negatively on the water quality and it affects the health of the people who consume it. The environmental justice activists have played an essential role in terms of ensuring that the inequality in term of the application of the environmental policies and regulations. While the developed countries seem to strictly apply their policies and regulations in dealing with the toxic wastes, they do not do so in the poor countries. This is considering that the toxic wastes are exported from the developed countries to the poor countries. The practice by the developed counties has been widely criticized by the environmental justice activists. A variety of ways have been used by the wealthy countries to export the toxic wastes to the poor countries and this has raised a lot of concern among the environmental justice activities. A huge amount of toxic wastes has been dumped in the poor countries. This is in total disregard for the safety of the people living in the poor countries. It is common to find children as well as adults at the sites where the toxic wastes have been dumped. This practice is commonly referred to as scavenging as the poor people usually try to find any precious materials from the wastes. Environmental justice activists have played an important role in ensuring that the poor people have adequate information about the toxic wastes (Pellow, 2007). This is mainly for the purposes of ensuring that they are not exposed to the harm from the toxic wastes. The environmental justice activists have also provided the people with adequate information that has been useful in resisting the actions of the wealthy countries. Some of the poor countries in Africa are increasingly putting pressure on the wealthy countries to stop the export of toxic wastes due to the harm that it cause to the health of the people. This is an indication that environmental activism has played an important role in terms of highlighting the injustices when it comes t the dumping of the toxic wastes in the poor countries. The wealthy countries have therefore been involved in the environmental injustice through dumping of the toxic wastes. The amount of toxic wastes being produced in the developing countries is on the increase. This is due to the increased industrial activities that support the economy of the developed countries. Strict laws in the developed countries govern the disposal of the toxic wastes. This has forced most of the companies to dump their wastes in the developing countries. In the past, there was some misleading information from the wealthy countries that the toxic wastes could be of economic benefits. This misleading information is however being disputed by the environmental justice activists who have highlighted the negative impacts that the toxic wastes have on the environment and the health of the people. The environmental justice concepts have also played an important role in terms of ensuring that the environment is protected from the dumping of the toxic wastes. In most part of Africa where the toxic wastes have not been dumped, the air quality as well as the water quality is quite good as compared to most parts of the developed countries (Cutter, 2012). However, it is also important to note that the air quality as well as the water quality is quite poor in the areas where the toxic wastes have been dumped. This is an indication that the toxic wastes have adverse effects on the environment where it is exposed. The toxic wastes have impacted negatively on the livelihood of the people. Slums have emerged around most of the areas where the toxic wastes are usually dumped. The environmental justice concepts have played an important role in creating a better understanding of the issues related to the environment including the export of toxic wastes. The life expectancy in the developed countries is low and hence leading to the dumping of the toxic wastes. This mentality has been done away with due to the presence of the environmental justice. The need for improving the quality of life has been necessitated by the environmental justice concepts. The concepts of environmental justice has played an important role in terms of ensuring that the wealthy countries are held responsible for dumping the toxic wastes in the poor countries (Schlosberg, 2013). The toxic wastes can be traced back to the countries of origin and hence reducing the export of the toxic wastes. The environmental justice concepts have influenced the development of the international laws governing the export of toxic wastes. This is an indication that it has contributed to the creation of awareness regarding the negative effects of the toxic wastes. The environmental justice has also played an essential role in terms of highlighting some of the techniques that the wealthy countries use in order to dump toxic wastes to the poor countries. A lot of information about the toxic wastes has been gathered through the use of environmental justice concepts. Conclusion In conclusion, it is evident that the concepts of environmental justice has plays an important role in highlighting the environmental problems. This includes the problems associated with the exporting the toxic wastes. It is evident that the developed countries are exploiting the poor countries through the dumping of the toxic wastes. Environmental justice has also resulted to activism for the purposes of preventing the injustices perpetrated by the wealthy countries in terms of dumping the toxic wastes. It is therefore evident that the environmental justice is an important tool that can be used to deal with the problems associated with dumping of toxic wastes. List of References Pellow, D, N, 2007, Resisting Global Toxics, MIT Press: Cambridge, MAPellow, D.N. (2007) Resisting Global Toxics, MIT Press: Cambridge, MA. Mascarenhas, M, 2008, “Environmental Inequality and Environmental Justice” Twenty Lessons in Environmental Sociology, Oxford University Press. Moore, S, A, 2008, “The Politics of Garbage in Oaxaca, Mexico”, Society & Natural Resources, vol. 21.7, pp. 597-610. Carmin, J, & Julian, A, 2011, Environmental inequalities beyond borders: Local perspectives on global injustices, Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press. Cutter, S, L, 2012, Hazards vulnerability and environmental justice, Routledge. Schlosberg, D, 2013, Theorising environmental justice: the expanding sphere of a discourse, Environmental Politics, 22(1), 37-55. Read More

This is considering that the export of toxic wastes has led to poor health among the people living in the areas. Some of the people have also died as a result of the dumping of toxic wastes in the poor countries. The pollution of water sources by the toxic wastes impacts negatively on the water quality and it affects the health of the people who consume it. The environmental justice activists have played an essential role in terms of ensuring that the inequality in term of the application of the environmental policies and regulations.

While the developed countries seem to strictly apply their policies and regulations in dealing with the toxic wastes, they do not do so in the poor countries. This is considering that the toxic wastes are exported from the developed countries to the poor countries. The practice by the developed counties has been widely criticized by the environmental justice activists. A variety of ways have been used by the wealthy countries to export the toxic wastes to the poor countries and this has raised a lot of concern among the environmental justice activities.

A huge amount of toxic wastes has been dumped in the poor countries. This is in total disregard for the safety of the people living in the poor countries. It is common to find children as well as adults at the sites where the toxic wastes have been dumped. This practice is commonly referred to as scavenging as the poor people usually try to find any precious materials from the wastes. Environmental justice activists have played an important role in ensuring that the poor people have adequate information about the toxic wastes (Pellow, 2007).

This is mainly for the purposes of ensuring that they are not exposed to the harm from the toxic wastes. The environmental justice activists have also provided the people with adequate information that has been useful in resisting the actions of the wealthy countries. Some of the poor countries in Africa are increasingly putting pressure on the wealthy countries to stop the export of toxic wastes due to the harm that it cause to the health of the people. This is an indication that environmental activism has played an important role in terms of highlighting the injustices when it comes t the dumping of the toxic wastes in the poor countries.

The wealthy countries have therefore been involved in the environmental injustice through dumping of the toxic wastes. The amount of toxic wastes being produced in the developing countries is on the increase. This is due to the increased industrial activities that support the economy of the developed countries. Strict laws in the developed countries govern the disposal of the toxic wastes. This has forced most of the companies to dump their wastes in the developing countries. In the past, there was some misleading information from the wealthy countries that the toxic wastes could be of economic benefits.

This misleading information is however being disputed by the environmental justice activists who have highlighted the negative impacts that the toxic wastes have on the environment and the health of the people. The environmental justice concepts have also played an important role in terms of ensuring that the environment is protected from the dumping of the toxic wastes. In most part of Africa where the toxic wastes have not been dumped, the air quality as well as the water quality is quite good as compared to most parts of the developed countries (Cutter, 2012).

However, it is also important to note that the air quality as well as the water quality is quite poor in the areas where the toxic wastes have been dumped. This is an indication that the toxic wastes have adverse effects on the environment where it is exposed. The toxic wastes have impacted negatively on the livelihood of the people. Slums have emerged around most of the areas where the toxic wastes are usually dumped. The environmental justice concepts have played an important role in creating a better understanding of the issues related to the environment including the export of toxic wastes.

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