Environmental Racism: Discrimination, Causes And Consequences Of Environmental Racis

ENVIROMENTAL RACISM CRITIQUES

Environmental racism is the “targeting of minorities and low-income communities to bear a disproportionate share of environmental costs. It refers to any policy or practice that differently affects or disadvantages individuals, groups or communities based on race or skin color” (Schill & Austin 1991). Environmental racism focuses on race as the primary factor why poor minorities in the United States are bearing a disproportionate share of the nation’s waste. According to research done by The Commission of Racial Justice of the United Church of Christ, areas containing two or more waste facilities or one of the largest waste landfills in the nation had on average about 40% people of color (Mohai, Pellow & Timmons

Minority communities are often in areas with lower land values (Kevin 1991). Also, it is likely that house prices declined in the surrounding neighborhood after the waste facility was introduced and economically depressed minority group members may have been unable to move to more affluent settings (Noonan, Krupka and Baden 2007). It is also plausible that minorities move to these neighborhoods at least in part because of the availability and proximity of jobs in the waste facility (Noonan, Krupka & Baden 2007). Additionally, the minority population in these neighborhoods may have grown due to the common tendency of people who move to different communities to migrate to areas already settled by relatives and fellow ethnic group members (Noonan, Krupka and Baden 2007). All these factors independent of racism play a role in why poor minorities live near waste

The reason of lack of opposition is due to the fact that these facilities can bring potential benefits to communities in jobs and revenues (Kevin 1997). In some cases, not only has there been a lack of local opposition to waste facilities sitting, but community leaders have actively sought out or welcomed such sittings (Kevin 1997). For example, the Campo Band of Mission Indians supported the construction of a solid waste landfill on reservation land in San Diego County, California (Austin 1991). The landfill brought great economic benefits to the Campo Band. Tribal sources estimated that “the landfill directly created at least fifty- five permanent jobs for at least thirty-five members of the Campo Band, almost eliminating tribal unemployment” (Austin 1991). This factor also explains why poor minority communities may be living near waste facilities at a disproportionate