Prompt: “When all the trees have been cut down, when all the animals have been hunted, when all the waters are polluted, when all the air is unsafe to breathe, only then will you discover you cannot eat money.” – Cree Prophecy . From Flint, MI, to the Dakota Access Pipeline to right here in Buffalo, low-income and communities of color are disproportionality harmed by extractive development practices and pollution. When we talk about environmentalism, many people think about forest and wilderness areas rather than densely populated cities. How does the concept of environmental racism help us to redefine environmentalism to apply to urban areas and marginalized communities?
When I first read this week’s prompt, I thought back to last week when I read an article in the BBC on the individuals and families who continue to live in the Chernobyl exclusion zone, despite the extreme danger and lack of amenities and opportunities. Despite it being illegal to live inside the exclusion zone, over 100 people continue to live and move there. The main reason why many of these people live near the explosion site is because of money issues since it is incredibly cheap to live there and houses are only a few hundred dollars. Families with young children are moving into an area with extremely high areas of radiation because of money. Although pollution is everywhere, families who come from low-income communities are disproportionately burdened by the environment based on the neighborhoods in which they live.
Greenaction defines environmental racism as the “institutional rules, regulations, policies or government and/or corporate decisions that deliberately target certain communities for locally undesirable land uses and lax enforcement of zoning and environmental laws.” And while the EPA National Center for Environmental Assessment published a report in February 2018 that provided quantitative evidence of environmental racism, many people still haven’t even heard of the term. Environmentalism in many people’s minds includes using mason jars for salads, reusable water bottles and straws, and canvas bags at the grocery store. To many people, the term ‘environment’ creates a picture of mountains and fields, not urban areas. However, specifically in urban communities, low-income families have disproportionately high levels of childhood asthma and blood lead levels. The consequences of neglecting to fix our urban environments can affect issues beyond the basic safety and health of individuals. For many children, this means minimal access to safe playgrounds, outdoor green spaces, and animals. It also means that children grow up without having ownership of their environment. Children are taught that the real environment is far away from their urban area and does not belong to them, instead of learning that the environment is right outside their houses. Additionally, not having the space to play outside can affect the health of children in low-income urban communities because there is no place to exercise and run around.
I am fortunate to have grown up in a suburban area with a lot of green space and spent every single summer outside at sleepaway camp. Through these experiences, I was able to run, play, grow, and take in the joys of spending time outside. Without this time, I would not have learned to appreciate the world around me and everything it has to offer. Next time that I find myself discussing climate change or the environment, I look forward to sharing all of this new knowledge about environmental racism and the effects pollution has on low-income communities.