On January 5th, 2016 a state of emergency was declared on the town of Flint, Michigan, due to high levels of lead in the city’s water supply. Despite knowledge of water contamination, it took nine months before state officials intervened and provided relief. Many felt that state and environmental agencies failed to protect the mostly black and impoverished community of flint. This delayed intervention stems directly from a system of environmental racism prominent in America, and other parts of the world, today. America’s history and economy is dependent on the enslavement of African Americans, their cheap and abundant labor dramatically increased the productivity and GDP of the then, industrializing nation. “Americas was useless without
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Evidence for Environmental racism abundant, whether these decisions were intentional or unintentional is up to debate. For example, the most polluted area in Michigan is a poor black community (ER), was this by chance? Or was there little regard to these people because they had little to no political influence and were therefore unimportant? During Hurricane Katrina, many of the areas facing levee failures were primarily black. Officials and environmental regulators failed to provide proper flood and hurricane standards, leaving poor black sectors of New Orleans to take the heaviest financial loss and mortality rates. If there was more focus on this minority group they may had been better prepared for a natural disaster. One of the most common environmental failures communities face is lead poisoning, which was precisely what happened in flint, Michigan. Although this environmental disaster is most common, only “16% of whites have been exposed to lead poisoning compared to 49% of blacks.” …show more content…
Today, much of the toxic waste produced in first world countries is dumped and processed in third world countries, which lack the necessary technology and regulations to protects its inhabitants. This has harsh consequences on the health and quality of life for those in third world countries. This follows with the idea of environmental racism, such that these people are viewed as “lesser” and “uncivilized” and therefore their wellbeing is largely ignored. First world countries only care about the cost of dumping waste; the cost of exporting that waste is much cheaper than processing at home, so the environmental impacts on those in third world countries is ignored and
Evidence for Environmental racism abundant, whether these decisions were intentional or unintentional is up to debate. For example, the most polluted area in Michigan is a poor black community (ER), was this by chance? Or was there little regard to these people because they had little to no political influence and were therefore unimportant? During Hurricane Katrina, many of the areas facing levee failures were primarily black. Officials and environmental regulators failed to provide proper flood and hurricane standards, leaving poor black sectors of New Orleans to take the heaviest financial loss and mortality rates. If there was more focus on this minority group they may had been better prepared for a natural disaster. One of the most common environmental failures communities face is lead poisoning, which was precisely what happened in flint, Michigan. Although this environmental disaster is most common, only “16% of whites have been exposed to lead poisoning compared to 49% of blacks.” …show more content…
Today, much of the toxic waste produced in first world countries is dumped and processed in third world countries, which lack the necessary technology and regulations to protects its inhabitants. This has harsh consequences on the health and quality of life for those in third world countries. This follows with the idea of environmental racism, such that these people are viewed as “lesser” and “uncivilized” and therefore their wellbeing is largely ignored. First world countries only care about the cost of dumping waste; the cost of exporting that waste is much cheaper than processing at home, so the environmental impacts on those in third world countries is ignored and