Environmental Racism and Justice - Research Paper Example

Environmental Racism Environmental racism refers to an organizational setup or system entrusted with enactment of environmental laws, policies and legislation, intended to address issues brought about by environmental perils on peoples’ to people on earth. Environmental racism is an umbrella term that refers to a system of governance or policies geared towards environmental protectionism and conservation especially in isolated areas where man has neglected management of the environment. The environment being the home of a man deserves overwhelming protection in order to continue supporting human kind in all his endeavors. However, man at some instance has been on the list of having violated some of the obligations concerning the environment, thereby resulting into untold negative consequences. It is for this reasons that became prudent for environmental racism to get primary consideration. Environmental justice is a movement that works in close partnership with environmental racism. Its main task is to mobilize the policies so constituted by the supreme environmental racism in order to ensure that it fully abolishes the impacts of environmental degradation. The target groups for this environmental racism are communities or regions that lack acceptable standards of land use, thereby putting life at risk for those particular communities. Most environmental perils do arise as a result of very many factors; some ranging from neglect by the international community, misuse of land by man, poor disposal of wastes by the urban community and poor legislation by the governance in the throne. The areas facing such kind of challenges do form a centre of interest for the environmental racism movements, who work tirelessly to assist the poor rural life who faces the atrocities of these hazards thereby giving forth solutions of wiping out all the possible pollutions. Despite global environmental awareness in the current world, millions of people still die while others are languishing in poverty because of the toxic nature of the environment they live. However, man at some instance has been on the list of having violated some of the obligations concerning the environment, thereby resulting into untold negative consequences. It is for this reasons that became prudent for environmental racism to get primary consideration. Perilous events like Bhopal tragedy that killed thousands of people in India when the poisonous-gas leaked is a very good example of negative impacts of pollution. It is common in the urban area to see many wastes that are generated and carelessly disposed of by man oblivious of the damage to the environment. The routine practice that has led to merciless destruction of human habitats and poisoning of aquatic life has led to untold suffering to the poor man. Discrimination is apparent in the manner in which pollution affects the poor due to the exploitation by the rich. In fact, some of the policies and regulations enforced in some areas but with a lot of laxity in some areas depending on the social stratification in the society, or communities, in question. It takes an organized community blended with properly laid policies and guideline to curb the negative hazards associated with environmental racism. There are quite a number of causes and consequences of environmental racism. The super power countries like the US have generated immense wealth in the technological sector.This has created a high quality living standards among the citizens as improved methods of production. This improved technology has also generated immense waste materials, air and water pollution all of which are putting life at risk. In spite of technological progress of at the economy, environmental racism remains the most lethal life-threatening phenomenon. It takes the strong arm of the government to rescue the lives of the minority who happen to be victims of this menace. In the light of the rural development, the most environmentally polluted regions of the world are the poverty pockets of all the nations. These communities face a shortage of public utilities, basic infrastructure, poor human dwellings, runaway unemployment, and poverty. To add insult to the injury they still get the worst type of environmental hazards. Environmental justice is watchdog organizational movement that seeks to address cases of environmental pollution. The birth of environmental justice owes its origin to the US in late 19th century. Though it began in a humble remote area, the movement and its message spread so fast to all parts globally. The fruits of environmental justice have been successful amid the rapidly changing global technology. The global environmental activists of the world cannot b unmentioned for the immense contributions they have made have led to the modern civic activists of the world who are behind the tremendous success in the environmental sector. Environmental racism, today, is struggling to fight poverty and pollution that is facing the poor. Most of the pollutions, today, take the form of air pollution that leads to emission into the atmosphere toxic fumes.In the atmosphere, the poisonous fumes mix with precipitation that ends up forming acid rain. Then chain of pollution does not stop there but continues with the acid rain causing damage to crops and structures of man. Should human beings for instance, drink the chemically polluted water; the consequences will be fatal bearing in mind the dilapidated health centers at their disposal. The same toxic fumes emitted at times causes respiratory epidemics through diseases like Asthma. These lives related diseases are responsible for the thousands of deaths among the poor people with the majority being children. Another item on the task force of environmentalists is toxic housing and toxic jobs. Firms in industrialized countries pose occupational dangers to their workers in the work environment. Exposure to metallic poisoning and pesticides in the factory does not only put the workers lives at risk, but it also contributes to poverty in the society. Toxic housing, on the other hand, affects the residents living within or close to the factories’ wastes disposal sites. When effluent and solid garbage are disposed of they find their way to the dwellings of these residences. The bad Adour that fills the air does cause respiratory epidemics to these inhabitants, who cannot even afford to access medication. These two scenarios clearly show the true picture of the magnitude of pollution facing these residents occupying the polluted zones. The most crucial environmental issue, today, is that of climate justice. Many alarms sound to warn about the possible consequences of climate change to human and his environment. Many cities have been marked as having industries that catalyze the magnitude of global warming. Global warming is a dangerous menace that has led to the destruction of billions of properties, life, and cities of the world. The rise of sea level has submerged most recreational centers and apartments along the coast making life unbearable (Simms 2012, p.33). In addition to the rising sea level, tourism industry has emerged the most affected sector globally following the reduced number of visitors touring the tourist destinations in the affected countries. Severely affected countries have seen a paradigm shift in the rain patterns and drought seasons of the year. Farmers have experienced challenges in their economic activities because of global warming. Environmental justice has been on the forefront of ironing out these hazards facing people in the world. It has over time fought in the society to fight the abuse of the environment by the powerful entities occupying the topmost hierarchy of the economic power. The impetus of social justice has mainly centered on the impacts of establishments making decisions that have always pricked the welfare of the ecology as well as the flora and fauna. It worth noting that, over time, environmental justice has been lobbying for the voiceless in the society who do not have a platform of voicing their complaints. The proponents of environmental justice have remained precise and clear in that, it has just been deliberating on the effects of a polluted environment on the life forms. The historical injustices have been in the memory of the environmental activist in their campaign for victims’ past environmental injustices that have continued to polarize the hazards behind the human suffering to date (McDowell 2013, p.400). Environmental justices take different interested of opinions as collected from the experts in the environmental arena. The political institutions argue that the discrimination is the only way out of creating wealth in the nation amid the civilians who are drunk in poverty. In this regard, whatever the damage the government-manipulated industries impart on her citizens is not a big issue but the wealth created to them is more important than everything else is. We are not surprised, therefore, by policies that the nation enforces in her jurisdiction through her arms as the municipal whose policies permit serious environmental racism. Robert Bullard who is a socio--environmentalist has a different take of opinion. He puts that the ultimate goal of environmental justices sits at implementation of justices in the universe. It is worth noting that, environmental injustices germinate in a cocoon of a socially divided nation, a point where Bullard argues should be the first cancer that draws attention to the environmental justice movement. The experts of environment have drummed up support to the efforts placed by the environmental activist by providing both the moral and material support required to voice their lamentations about the environment VINCZE 2013, p.390). From the inspirational message of environmentalists above, there are so many lessons we get concerning the environmental issues in the current world. Man is responsible for all the environmental hazards that have manifested itself due to his selfish generosity that he has showed in the past. It is very clear that the social stratification created by man in the society is greatly responsible for the environmental perils that we face today. In the name of industrialization and modernity in a productive sector, heavy machinery in factories produces immense quantities of pollutants to the environment. Man again happens to be the subject of heavily polluted environment that among him, houses billions of organism. However, with the social stratification those in higher hierarchy responsible while those in the lower platform remain as the subject of these events. From the ongoing environmental racism and environmental justices are the only weapons that if put in place will reverse environmental hazards. None of the two weapons can work in isolation without the other. As elaborated in this essay, environmental racism is concerned with policy formulation geared towards abolishing environmental related problems (Ewall 2013, p.40). The intended role of environmental racism is to reverse all the human sufferings because of environmental degradation by enforcing the appropriate legislative efforts. Environmental justices, on the other hand, play a pivotal role in ensuring that environmental equity and sustainable use of the environment materializes globally. It is the role of environmental justices to ensure no discrimination of any designed by any force in power. In conclusion, we have a collective responsibility as human beings in safeguarding the interest of environment if a healthy living is anything to go by then this is an obligation the human race has to fulfill on earth. Works Cited Ewall, Mike. "Legal Tools For Environmental Equity Vs. Environmental Justice." Sustainable Development Law & Policy 13.1 (2012): 4-56. McDowell, Meghan G. "‘Becoming A Waste Land Where Nothing Can Survive’: Resisting State-Corporate Environmental Crime In A ‘Forgotten’ Place." Contemporary Justice Review 16.4 (2013): 394-411. Simms, Patrice Lumumba. "On Diversity And Public Policymaking: An Environmental Justice Perspective." Sustainable Development Law & Policy 13.1 (2012): 14-59. VINCZE, Enikő. "Urban Landfill, Economic Restructuring And Environmental Racism." Philobiblon: Transylvanian Journal Of Multidisciplinary Research In Humanities 18.2 (2013): 389-405. Read More