30 Resources Explaining Environmental Racism

Black Lives Matter has been the hot topic of discussion this week. I’ve been vocal in support of the movement, and have shared various resources over on Instagram. However, I only recently became aware of environmental racism. Prior to this week I’d never encountered the topic. It’s a brand new concept for me.

I won’t lie, I initially rolled my eyes at the idea. I thought “how can this possibly be a thing?” Simply because I couldn’t actually fathom how the two could be connected. They were two entirely separate concepts to me. But for many, this is not a brand new concept at all.

Because I’m from a place of privilege, I wouldn’t have immediately picked up on this. I’d been blind to the injustices faced by non-white communities. So I’ve decided to share the resources I’ve found on the subject. That’s right, I’ve done the hard bit for you! This includes journal articles, podcasts, books, and TED Talks. I know we all learn in different ways, so wanted a wide variety of resources.

Read more – Recycling; The Reality of Our Waste

5 Journal Articles to Read

Firstly, I’ve only provided links for open access journals. Because fuck having to pay >£35 for 24-hour access to one paper. Academia is crazy! Secondly, I included some key points for those not wanting to read the full texts.

Anatomy of Environmental Racism and the Environmental Justice Movement (1993). Bullard, R. Click for article access.

Key points

• Disproportionate numbers of *BIPOC individuals in LA are exposed to polluted air. >75% African Americans, ~50% Latinos, and 34% white people. *BIPOC = Black, Indigenous and People of Colour.
• Housing, education, employment, and criminal justice have racial influences. This in turn affects neighbourhood sanitation, fire/police protection, and waste pickup/disposal.
• Low-income areas often contain >1 polluting facility.
• Planning commission boards mainly consist of white people. As a result, decision making reflects their best interests. [As opposed to those of BIPOC communities].
• 68% of [low-income] African-American children have lead poisoning compared to 36% of white children.
• “Buying out” of polluted areas is difficult due to housing discrimination.
• BIPOC individuals are generally at higher risk of exposure to chemical pollutants. They also make up a majority of workforces in oil, chemical, and nuclear industries.

Environmental Justice: Human Health and Environmental Inequalities (2006). Brulle, R. & Pellow, D. Click for article access.

Key points

• Environmental racism = policies and practices disadvantaging individuals/communities based on race or colour. Regardless of intent.
• 6 out of 9 studies identify race as a primary influence to the placement of hazardous sites.
• BIPOC communities with less political power are a bigger target for polluting industries.
• BIPOC individuals are at greater risk of exposure to chemical pollutants, lack of access to food sources, higher levels of asthma and various cancers (specifically stomach, cervical, & uterine). Not to mention psychological and physical effects of institutionalised racism.

Environmental Racism: Time to Tackle Social Injustice (2018). The Lancet Planetary Health. Click for article access.

Key points

• Environmental racism can see BIPOC communities allocated poorer quality land. For instance, flood plains.
• “Disparities for Blacks are more pronounced than disparities based on poverty status”. – US Environmental Protection Agency.
• BIPOC individuals have [historically] been excluded from environmentalist community leadership. And are consequently less likely to engage with the movement.

Trends and Directions in Environmental Justice: From Inequity to Everyday Life, Community, and Just Sustainabilities (2016). Agyeman, J. Schlosberg, D. Craven, L & Matthews, C. Click for article access.

Key points

•  The Flint water crisis. Flint switched water supplies, subsequently poisoning city residents. High quantities of lead were found in the pipes, resulting in a 15% increase of lead in children’s blood levels. This is still ongoing 6 years later.
• 56.6% of Flint’s population are African-American, and 41.5% of residents are below federal poverty level.
• Food sources, loss of Indigenous hunting and gathering rights, housing, transportation, air quality, and economic development are also key EJ issues. *EJ = Environmental Justice.
• Environmental justice is also linked to wider societal issues. Including consumption, service provision, resource extraction, intergenerational justice, and access to “white spaces”.

A Bridge to Challenging Environmental Inequality: Intersectionality, Environmental Justice, and Disaster Vulnerability (2017). Ryder, S. Click for article access.

Key points

• Some communities have more resources available to protect from environmental harm. Notably higher income, white-majority communities.
• “…class inequalities are never race neutral…” – Mohai et al (2009).
• Environmental justice encompasses issues associated with climate change and socioeconomic challenges.
• Disaster vulnerabilities is an EJ issue. Example; Flint (2014) was denied ‘disaster declaration’ as the problem was “man-made”. Therefore Flint was denied access to assistance programs and funding.

7 TED Talks to Watch

Greening the Ghetto. Majora Carter TED Talk. Click to watch.

Endocrine Disruption, Environmental Justice, and the Ivory Tower. Tyrone Hayes TEDxBerkeley Talk. Click to watch.

Environmental Justice in Mi’kmaq & African Nova Scotian Communities. Ingrid Waldron TEDxMSVUWomen Talk. Click to watch.

Patriarchy, Racism, and Colonialism Caused the Climate Crisis. Jamie Margolin TEDxYouth@Columbia Talk. Click to watch.

Climate Change is a Social Justice Issue. Adriana Laurent TEDxUBC Talk. Click to watch.

Racism and Climate Change Are About You. Dr. Atyia Martin TEDxDirigo. Click to watch.

Exploring Environmental Racism in Bangladesh. Syeda Rizwana Hasan TEDxDhaka. Click to watch.

Podcasts to Listen to

Black Nature Narratives. Click to listen on Spotify. 

You Thought You Were an Environmentalist: An Environmental Justice Podcast. Click to listen on Spotify.

The Colour Green. Click to listen on Spotify.

Crossroads Podcast. Click to listen on Spotify.

Facing It. Click to listen on Spotify.

At the Intersection. Click to listen on Spotify.

Talk Climate Change to Me. Click to listen on Spotify.

How to Save the World. Click to listen on Spotify.

Books to Read

As Long As Grass Grows – Dina Gilio-Whitaker.

Our History is the Future – Nick Estes.

The Disproportionate Health Risk of Environmental Racism – Rufus Jimerson.

There’s Something in the Water – Ingrid Waldron.

Toxic Communities – Dorceta Taylor.

A Terrible Thing to Waste – Harriet Washington.

Clean and White – Carl Zimring. *Audiobook is available for FREE on Amazon.

Environmental Racism in the United States and Canada – Bruce Johansen.

From the Ground Up – Luke Cole.

Veganism of Colour: in Human and Nonhuman Liberation – Julia Feliz Brueck. *Available for FREE on Kindle Unlimited.

Additional Resources

Sunshine Behavioural Health – Mental health issues facing the black community

In Conclusion…

As I mentioned, environmental racism is not a new concept. Plenty of research dates as early as 1991. It’s just not a concept that gets discussed in the mainstream media, or at least, it’s not addressed as ‘environmental racism’.

I’ve learned that climate justice can’t be achieved without social justice. In short, both causes have several intersecting issues [as you’ll have noticed me mention]. Therefore I’ll be integrating this with my usual sustainability content. If I want to continue to educate about sustainability related issues, I must cover all of the bases. I can’t leave out the huge chunk of the sustainability conversation that is environmental racism and justice.

There’s a bunch more resources I could’ve included but I wanted to keep this relatively short. This isn’t an exhaustive list by any means… But it’s a start!  I feel like this is a learning curve for all of us. (Myself included). Above all, what counts is that we put the effort in. Especially if, like me, you’re white. We have a level of privilege which allows us to completely isolate ourselves from these issues. Unless, of course, we actively try to understand them.

Feel free to bookmark this post to refer back to when you need it!

If you’d like a follow-up post, please let me know! Additionally, let me know if you enjoyed any of the recommendations from this list. Have you heard of some of them before?