Assignment #4: Environmental Justice

 

Assignment 4- What is Environmental Racism?

 

OBJECTIVES

  1. •Define the concepts of environmental racism and justice.

  2. •Research examples of environmental racism in America.

  3. •Evaluate responses by officials to alleged environmental racism.

  4. •Develop and defend an opinion about how to mitigate the negative impacts of toxics on citizens in general and especially on poor communities and communities of color.

 

The Issue
In his article, Fighting Environmental Racism, Irwin Weintraub writes, "environmental racism can be defined as the intentional siting of hazardous waste sites, landfills, incinerators, and polluting industries in communities inhabited mainly by African-American, Hispanics, Native Americans, Asians, migrant farm workers, and the working poor. Minorities are particularly vulnerable because they are perceived as weak and passive citizens who will not fight back against the poisoning of their neighborhoods in fear that it may jeopardize jobs and economic survival."

In his article, Weintraub also notes that:

  1. •Race was the most significant variable associated with the location of hazardous waste sites.

  2. •The greatest number of commercial hazardous facilities were located in communities with the highest composition of racial and ethnic minorities.

  3. •The average minority population in communities with one commercial hazardous waste facility was twice the average minority percentage in communities without such facilities.

  4. •Although socioeconomic status was also an important variable in the location of these sites, race was the most significant even after controlling for urban and regional differences.

  5. •

You will consider the important issues and problems around environmental racism in your assignment this week.

This Week's Assignment

Find out

  1. •What is meant by the terms environmental racism and environmental justice.

  2. •How poor and racially diverse communities are affected by toxics.

  3. •Why many believe that more must be done to safeguard the rights of all Americans around environmental health.

  4. •What some communities are doing to address the problems.

Evaluate

  1. •The social and health-related effects of toxic waste

  2. •What communities are doing to mitigate the problems.

  3. •The responses of laws and government leaders to these problems.

 

Follow these guidelines when writing your essay:

  1. •Organize by using an introduction, body and conclusion.

  2. •Be sure to define key terms for the reader.

  3. •Support your opinion using research examples.

  4. •Always use your own words and cite sources (all resources used to get information and ideas) in a Works Cited page at the end of your essay.


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DUE DATE: April 6, 2012

TO: Environmental Law Students

FROM: Helen Haberman, Instructor

SUBJECT: What is Environmental Racism?

Assignment (40 points)


Your task this week is to write a 2 page paper about the issue of environmental justice and racism and the effects of toxics on communities of color/ethnic diversity and poor communities. You will use the guiding questions provided to organize your paper. You will use the websites provided to read the main article and to research further information.

Skills: You will need to read, research, evaluate and compose an essay about environmental racism and justice.

Format: Papers must be word-processed using a 12-point font and double-spaced.

Websites


  1. •First, review the website on environmental justice , sponsored by the Environmental Justice Network. Check out their home page and explore the links for more information.

  2. •Read the short article in Wikipedia which defines environmental racism and discusses key issues involved with environmental justice.

  3. •Read the on-line article in E Magazine, Toxic Targets: Polluters That Dump on Communities of Color Are Finally Being Brought to Justice that defines and explains environmental racism and justice and offers examples. You may use these examples in your paper or you may search the suggested sites below for more examples



Case Study Sites

The Odessa Syndrome: Environmental Racism in Odessa, TX

Environmental Racism, Tribal Sovereignty and Nuclear Waste

Environmental Racism in Chester, PA


Guiding Questions

Your paper should answer the following guiding questions.

  1. 1.What is meant by the terms environmental racism and environmental justice?

  2. 2.Who is affected by environmental racism and how are they affected?

  3. 3.Why aren't laws and political leaders doing more about the problems?

  4. 4.Choose an article (from the Case Study links above) that highlights an example of environmental racism. Read it thoroughly. Summarize the problems from the article and write a reaction that includes your thoughts and opinions about the issues.

  5. 5.How big of a problem is environmental justice in general What do you think?  

Tips

Organize your essay by using the questions. Be sure your work answers all the questions but in essay format.

Proofread your essay. Have another person proofread it, too. Correct all grammar, punctuation and spelling errors.

Complete a Works Cited page where you cite sources and / or websites.