Le, Lauren. (January 15, 2022). Orange County’s Environmental Racism Issue. Retrieved January 27, 2022, from Orange County’s Environmental Racism Issue | New University | UC Irvine

Despite efforts made by the state of California to mitigate the climate crisis, there are still many environmental hazards that are specifically affecting marginalized communities. In Orange County, it was recorded that lower income areas populated primarily by people of color had significantly higher pollution levels than other neighborhoods in the general area. In fact, areas housing people of color tended to have more issues like lead contamination or poor water and air quality. These pollutants can have devastating health effects, causing brain cancer among other things. Marginalized communities in the area also had higher concentrations of lead in their soil.

While California is making strides in terms of mitigating the ongoing climate crisis, it is not doing as good a job at mitigating the effects on marginalized communities. Communities made up of black, Hispanic, indigenous, and other minority groups have faced a long history of environmental injustice. Some efforts have been made to change this but overall, these communities have been disproportionately affected by climate change. This is a key example of the lack of environmental justice in America. This article was really concerning to me. Minority communities are being hit incredibly hard by pollution and other issues, and yet few are coming to their aid. Considering many of the communities are in low income areas, they need support, and it is up to those who are able (and the federal/state government) to help them. We can’t say that we are successfully mitigating the climate crisis until we reduce/eliminate the devastating effects of climate change on marginalized communities.

Irfan, Ans and Martinez, Deniss. (November 4, 2021). Colonialism, the climate crisis, and the need to center Indigenous voices. Retrieved January 27, 2022, from Colonialism, the climate crisis, and the need to center Indigenous voices (ehn.org)

Climate adaptation is incredibly urgent across the US and the world, but it is especially important in Indigenous communities. Despite this, Indigenous people have often been left out of climate policy, even though they are some of the most affected by climate change. Indigenous people have long been active in climate activism, and yet they are most frequently excluded. Climate change itself is rooted in colonialism and the exploitation of native people and their land. Currently, some of the best ways to help indigenous people with climate justice are land stewardship, long-term financing, land reparations, and indigenous decision making. 

Indigenous communities are some of the most affected by climate change. Their land and rights have long been exploited and degraded, and yet even today indigenous voices are not being listened to. This is just one example of environmental inequality, and how Indigenous people are often ignored in favor of white settlers and colonists. This should not be happening; indigenous people tend to be very educated on the environment and take care to show their land respect. Most white colonists cannot say the same. After reading this article, I realized just how often indigenous voices have been shut out. They have crucial ideas on climate adaptation and mitigation, yet they are rarely listened to. I feel that we (non-indigenous people) need to do more to uplift indigenous voices, especially on climate related issues, and we also need to try to remedy the environmental injustice faced by most indigenous Americans.

Steiner, Mark. (January 20, 2022). Water protectors in Hawaii confront dangerous environmental polluter: the US military. Retrieved January 27, 2022, from Water protectors in Hawaii confront dangerous environmental polluter: the US military (therealnews.com)

The US Navy’s Red Hill Fuel Storage Facility has been leaking hundreds of thousands of gallons of petroleum into the aquifer that provides drinking water for thousands of Hawaii residents. This has been going on for years, even since the facility’s construction, and native Hawaiian residents have been speaking out about it to no avail. The facility didn’t pause operating until military families living in the area reported having symptoms of petroleum poisoning. Native Hawaiians have been fighting for their land and for their rights, but the US military is rarely held accountable for their operations in Oahu.

Upon reading this article, it is clear that native Hawaiians are being disproportionately affected by the issue of petroleum in their aquifers. Despite Hawai’ians speaking out their concerns for years, the US did nothing until families of their own members started complaining as well. This goes to show that the US military, and the US federal government in general, isn’t listening to native voices. I was really shocked after reading this article. I hadn’t heard anything about petroleum contaminating Oahu’s biggest aquifer before reading the article, despite it being a massive issue. It made me wonder why something so devastating hasn’t been more widely shared. The US military’s presence on the Hawaiian islands has caused a lot of lasting environmental damage, and yet it is rarely (if ever) spoken about. This is definitely a problem, and I feel that more should be done to hold the US military accountable for their actions against environmental justice for native Hawaiians.

Bohlke, Lily. (October 8, 2021). Michigan community faces water crisis, calls for lead pipe replacement. Retrieved January 27, 2022, from Michigan community faces water crisis, calls for lead pipe replacement | Detroit News | Detroit | Detroit Metro Times

Many drinking water systems across the US contain lead pipes. However, communities primarily made up of people of color are being disproportionately affected by this. Removing these lead pipes would be incredibly beneficial; since lead can affect children’s ability to read and write, removal of the pipes would benefit children’s education. Environmental agencies have been working to get safe drinking water for primarily black communities in southwestern Michigan, as the area has reported extremely high lead levels over the past few years. Many areas like this, with mainly people of color inhabitants, have been losing investments over the years, so it is crucial they get the support that they need.

This article is really closely tied to the topic of environmental justice, as it focuses on black communities (and other communities made up of people of color) being disproportionately affected by environmental crises. Lead contamination of drinking water is incredibly dangerous, and to make matters worse, some of these communities have been without safe water for years, and yet little has been done to fix this. I found the article to be really eye opening. I had heard of the “lead in water” issue in the past, such as what happened in Flint, Michigan, but I hadn’t realized that the crisis wasn’t one faced by all communities in the area. Upon learning about this, I’m upset to hear that our federal government hasn’t done much to fix this, despite multiple campaigns from environmental activists and the government’s general knowledge of the issue.

McCormick, Erin. (December 15, 2021). How much air pollution do you live with? It may depend on your skin color. Retrieved January 27, 2022, from How much air pollution do you live with? It may depend on your skin color | Environment | The Guardian

The amount of pollution people are exposed to could be related to the color of one’s skin. When testing the levels of air pollution in various locations, it became clear that areas where people of color resided had more airborne pollutants. This disparity becomes even more apparent when one looks at urban areas; areas primarily made up of black and brown communities have significantly worse air quality and higher levels of pollutants in the air. While efforts have been made to improve air quality, there are still unequal levels of air pollution.

This article is related to environmental science and environmental justice because it focuses on air pollution; specifically how it disproportionately affects communities made up of people of color. Areas where a lot of people of color live have significantly worse air quality than areas where their white counterparts live do. I wasn’t entirely surprised hearing this since I had heard about this disparity before, but I was still upset to hear about it. Whether it’s purposeful or not, it is entirely unjust that frequently discriminated against communities have such poor air quality. That poor air quality can have lasting effects, causing health issues such as lung diseases. This article made me realize just how disproportionately people of color are being affected by the air quality; while many places have poor air quality, it is clear that black and brown communities are being forced to take the brunt of it.

Shell in Nigeria: Polluted communities ‘can sue in English courts’. (2021, February 12). Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-56041189 

This article is about the recent ruling by the UK Supreme Court, which overturned a court of appeals ruling that says that people within a community in Nigeria can now sue Shell because of the oil pollution that they have caused in the area.  Shell, as a corporation, is responsible for 50% of the oil pollution in the waterways, which affects many families and fishermen who rely on this waterway for food and their livelihoods. This landmark ruling is significant, ShellAs because it shows that the UK is now taking the fight for Environmental Justice a little more seriously when it comes down to issues with corporations. Nigerians’ money made from this lawsuit could be enough to clean the pollution within their waterways. Despite this, many community members in this area have stated that the money will not bring back what they have lost, which is clean waterways, fish, and their community. This lawsuit is one of many that has recently been launched against Shell as a corporation that has been responsible for a lot of the oil spills and pollution in Nigeria as a country.

This article is really indicative of what’s going on in the world with environmental justice because it represents the intersection between companies who believe that they are right and who are disregarding the environment in these small communities. These communities are being put at a disadvantage because of things that are outside of their control and are not getting taken completely seriously. In this regard, this article makes me happy because companies are being held accountable for what they’ve done for so many years which I think is really important and there needs to be justice on that end. At the same time, it does seem apparent that there needs to be more done and there are a number of stories like this one and those also need to be solved.  This story is a step in the right direction for environmental justice, but it points to there being a lot of steps that still need to be taken. 

‘What’s at stake is the life of every being’: Saving the Brazilian Cerrado. (2021, February 15). Retrieved from https://news.mongabay.com/2021/02/whats-at-stake-is-the-life-of-every-being-saving-the-brazilian-cerrado/ 

This article covers recent news about the Cerrado in Brazil: a biosphere home to many indigenous people and indigenous species of plants and animals. The area is currently in the news because Brazil’s new president (who is incredibly anti-pro-environmental policy) has hailed this area as an arid unfertile space that requires development. This designation invalidates the homes of the many people who live there, and the risk of development causes further strain on the environment.  52% of the Cerrado has been victim to deforestation in the past years for agricultural use. The Cerrado is currently the second-largest biosphere in Brazil outside of the Amazon. The improper designation that this environment needs to be altered or changed is incredibly false and pushes a harmful narrative. There have been many protests happening recently in the Cerrado led by indigenous people protecting their communities and improper land use.

 This article shows how much further the fight for environmental justice is within our world. In pieces like these, it becomes evident that most people are attempting to save for the environment is naive and not everyone has the environment’s best interests at heart.  This situation is also frustrating because the indigenous people who have lived in the Cerrado,  are people who truly care for the environment and are the people who are best at taking care of their environment. The idea that development is needed to save these environments or to use this land that might not be fertile is false. Not only has this environment been inaccurately labeled, but the government is also practically feeding lies to Brazilians to promote development that will not be sustainable and can cause a lot of harm to the environment. This issue is an essential environmental justice one because if citizens are unable to understand what is truly at stake they’re going to be less likely to care about issues of environmental justice themselves.