Essay On Environmental Injustice

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Environmental injustice has become a prominent issue within the context of the United States, because the dominant ideology of the nation promotes profit over the livelihood of people. Environmental racism refers to the intentional dumping of hazardous materials into specific communities, as well as limiting communities access to health food. Capitalism and the commercialization of healthy food has disregarded the sustainability of the environment, as well as disproportionately impacts poor communities of color. Corporations target communities of color because of lack of political clout, due to the most labor and time being spent on working low wage jobs and surviving the conditions produced by poverty. The structural positioning of communities, …show more content…

The violent reality of environmental injustice correlates healthy lifestyles with a system of privilege, whereas race and class become a prominent determinant in the quality of one’s health. The poisonous environment which working class people are subjected to correlates with the lack of nutritional food and is a prominent contributor to the institutionalized racism that disregards the health of poor communities of color. A systemic issue, such as environmental injustice, not only promotes dangerous ecological and health implications around under-resourced communities, but normalizes structures of inequality into society. The lack of political action from federal government agencies and local elected officials justifies institutional discrimination because corporations have the ability to consistently exploit land and bodies in the name of economic profit. Along with other aspects that inflict human life, corporations have utilized the corruption of capitalism to transform the meaning of food, from manufacturing to consumption, in order to manifest an unequal system that creates immense barriers for poor communities to have access to nutritious food

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