Global Environmental Racism
By: Sastha
When I traveled to India in the spring of 2017, I felt smog and soot fill my lungs almost immediately after I landed. The joy of finally being able to visit the country of my loved ones clashed with the sudden anguish I felt, as I recognized the deteriorating environmental conditions. After spending more time exploring places like Mumbai and Lucknow, and getting to know some of the beautiful people there, I realized it wasn’t them who were causing these environmental issues for the most part. They may have had their roles to play, but they weren’t major contributors; rather, they were most affected by it. Asthma, cardiovascular diseases, water insecurity--every new problem increased my need to understand their unfair adversities. It was through this experience--and the research that came afterward-- that I learned about the term “environmental racism.”
Environmental racism is “the disproportionate burden of environmental hazards placed on people of color”(Climate Reality Project). The issue is most prevalent in India and China, being some of the biggest global manufacturers, but many other countries (Bangladesh, Pakistan, Kenya, Niger, etc.) are also burdened with the majority of the damage for multinational environmental liabilities. The people of these emerging countries have health and financial problems from these environmental issues, as the natural environments and resources they rely on to feed themselves and run their households are slowly destroyed by the actions of those in higher socio-economic status. Environmental racism is representative of the unfortunate reality that, though climate change impacts everyone’s lives, it does not do so equally, and that is oftentimes due to prejudice. If we can’t understand this reality, then we are unable to paint a complete picture of the climate crisis. We’d leave those most incapable of adapting to climate change, for various economic and political reasons, out of the narrative. Whether they may be the people of Mumbai I saw wearing masks because of toxic air pollution, or the Nigerian families living next to dumped American e-waste that harms their livelihoods and well-being, people of color deserve a voice in the ongoing climate crisis. Providing them with anything less would be unjustified and would unfairly burden them with the brunt of what is sure to be a herculean fight against climate change.
Work Cited
“Environmental Racism: What It Is and How You Can Fight It.” Climate Reality Project, 17 Mar. 2022, https://www.climaterealityproject.org/blog/environmental-racism-what-it-and-how-you-can-fight-it.
