Pollution, poverty, health problems and people of color often live side by side due to the symbiotic relationship of low property values and industry. In every state and nation we can identify specific examples of environmental racism and heath discrimination caused by the use of carbon based fuels.
In Connecticut we may consider the Bridgeport Power Station which was converted to natural gas in 2019, and three other New England coal powered facilities Brayton Point in Massachusetts, and the Merrimack and Schiller facilities in New Hampshire.
Global Coal continues to threaten our planet as more coal power plants are opening. Global Coal causes global suffering from extreme heat as explored in this disturbing photographic presentation “This Is Inequity at the Boiling Point”.
The effect of climate change are readily seen in Miami as rising seas are increasing the value of higher ground, which often displaces marginalized families. As wealthy people seek safe harbor from rising seas their land acquisitions mean people of color are routinely displaced.
We see the production of gasoline by Philadelphia Energy Solutions in Grey’s Ferry and Southwest Philadelphia, PA as another witness of the health burden placed on families of color. African-Americans are 75 percent more likely than others to live near facilities that produce hazardous waste.
The inequity of carbon based pollution is something many of us have not known or considered. Awareness and acceptance is changing as we learn together “Why the Larger Climate Movement Is Finally Embracing the Fight Against Environmental Racism” , as reported in Time magazine on July 9, 2020.
For me, protesting and lobbyimng for the closure of English Station in New Haven CT was an early witness of action as a member of the Environmental Justice Network. For almost-100 years English Station was polluting Fair Haven and Mill River, two marginalized neighborhoods, two miles from Yale University.
Connecticut Passed an Environmental Justice Law in 2008, but Not That Much Has Changed. A 2020 Connecticut Health Foundation stud found that Black children and teenagers are nearly five and a half times more likely than whites to go to the emergency room because of asthma, and their Hispanic peers are four and a half times more likely.
lTere is no lack of ability to “Read Up on the Links Between Racism and the Environment” , No our individual decision is to ignore, or demand resolution to the suffering caused by carbon greed .
We can start by demanding climate accountability from our elected officials.
We can demand climate accountability from our chosen producers and providers of goods or services by making the commitment to Shop Fossil Free.
Copyright 2020 by Earthlobbyist David Carr and the authors cited on this page . All Rights Reserved