Environmental Racism

In theory, environmental risks like air pollution and global warming don’t discriminate across geographic or political boundaries. In reality, however, the burden of climate change has been placed squarely on the shoulders of low-income and minority groups across the globe. Communities of color regularly experience environmental racism–the systematic policies and practices that deny people of color the right to clean air and water, green space, and healthy food. 


Hurricane Katrina illustrated that economic and infrastructure recovery from natural disasters often neglects communities of color, concentrating resources in higher-income and white neighborhoods. Natural disasters aside, people of color are more likely to live near toxic waste sites and landfills, drink unhealthy water, and have elevated blood levels of lead. These inequities can be traced back to federal housing agencies, bankers, and insurers who redlined Black neighborhoods, forcing Black residents into crowded cities while subsidizing white residents’ move to the suburbs. Without the resources and political power to influence urban planning, these communities were chosen as sites for oil refineries, gas compressor stations, factories, and waste sites. 


A more subtle form of environmental racism, barriers like gear, transportation, and historic discrimination have led outdoor recreation to be a privilege, rather than a right. The legacy of exclusion of BIPOC in nature began with displacement of tribes from their ancestral homelands and subsequent destruction of vital resources by settler-colonialists. It then morphed into the white supremacist conservationist movement and segregation of the National Parks System. Today, the stories of Christian Cooper, who was threatened with violence while bird-watching in Central Park, and Ahmaud Arbery, who was murdered while jogging down a street in Georgia, are a reminder that Black, brown and Indigenous peoples are often threatened or made to feel unsafe in the outdoors.


While COVID-19 has demanded most of the country’s attention and resources, economic recovery from the pandemic and the use of future funding must integrate smart growth and environmental justice to create sustainable, resilient communities. Strategic investment can turn contaminated properties, abandoned buildings, and poorly designed streets into rain gardens, energy-efficient public housing, and protected bike lanes. 


Even more broadly, the Environmental Justice Act of 2021 that was introduced by U.S. Senator Cory Booker would require federal agencies to mitigate environmental injustices through agencies while strengthening the legal protections for vulnerable communities. From policy changes to local initiatives, environmental justice will right historical wrongs that disproportionately harm communities of color, low-income and Indigenous communities.



Featured Resources


   

Resources & Tools


In Solidarity with Maui: Taking Action for Wildfire Response, Recovery, and Prevention
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Brought to you by Community Commons
Published on 08/24/2023
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Centering Black Voices
Story - Original
Brought to you by Community Commons
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How Everyday People Started a Movement That's Shaping Climate Action to This Day
Story - Written
Brought to you by NPR
Published on 10/05/2023
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What It Looks Like to Reconnect Black Communities Torn Apart by Highways
Story - Written
Brought to you by Bloomberg L.P.
Screen capture of Unequal Impact: The Deep Links Between Racism and Climate Change article
Unequal Impact: The Deep Links Between Racism and Climate Change
Story - Written
Brought to you by Yale University
Published on 06/09/2020
Train tracks running through a city. Photo by Bobby Kasimis on Unsplash
7 Ways Spatial Inequality Compromises Health and Well-Being
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Brought to you by Community Commons
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Centering Young Black Leaders in the Face of a Looming Climate Crisis
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Brought to you by Community Commons
Published on 02/22/2024
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Tribal Health: Reinvesting in the Indian Health Service
Story - Original
Brought to you by Community Commons
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Inclusion in the Outdoors
Resource - Website/webpage
Brought to you by Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region, Inc.
What is Environmental Racism and How Can We Fight It?
Resource - Blog
Brought to you by World Economic Forum
The Environmental Justice Movement
Resource - Blog
Brought to you by Natural Resources Defense Council
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Tribal Communities
Resource - Website/webpage
Brought to you by EPA
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In Common Newsletter: New Racial Justice Journey Library
Resource
Brought to you by Community Commons
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Decolonizing Environmentalism
Resource - Blog
Brought to you by Yes! Magazine
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Impact of Chicago’s Environmental Justice Executive Order
Resource - Blog
Brought to you by Natural Resources Defense Council
Screen capture of Racial Disparities and Climate Change blog post
Racial Disparities and Climate Change
Resource - Blog
Brought to you by Princeton University
First page of Racial Disparities in Climate Change‑Related Health Effects in the United States article
Racial Disparities in Climate Change‑Related Health Effects in the United States
Resource - Journal Article
Brought to you by Springer
Screen capture of website logo: Indigenous Environmental Network
Indigenous Environmental Network
Resource - Website/webpage
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How Does Place Affect Health?
Resource - Website/webpage
Brought to you by ATSDR
Screen capture of Voices from the Valley: Inclusion in the Outdoors
Voices from the Valley: Inclusion in the Outdoors
Resource - Podcast
Brought to you by Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region, Inc.

Data & Metrics


Collage of images of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color with teal, olive green, golden yellow, and burnt orange transparent overlays. Bold white text on charcoal background at the top reads
BIPOC Health Equity Library
Library
Published on 09/27/2022

 Related Topics


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Clean Air

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Native Americans and First Nations

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Environmental Justice

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Racial Justice

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Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders

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Racism

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Health Equity

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Black and African Americans