Addressing the Lack of Environmental Exposure Communications in Communities of Color.
M4EJ Staff; Diamond Spratling
Welcome to your blog post. Use this space to connect with your readers and potential customers in a way that’s current and interesting. Think of it as an ongoing conversation where you can share updates about business, trends, news, and more.
"The time is now for community members to step up and claim their seats at the decision-making table by lobbying against poorly written state energy policies, speaking out at local town halls, and collectively forming community organizations".
While details about the Coronavirus outbreak have all been laid out to the public, this is often not the case for many other exposures, especially those that impact low-income communities of color. We are not advised to wear face masks to shield ourselves from the bad air or given educational literature about the harms of living near a coal-fired power plant.
Instead, we are left in the dark to discover our own neighborhood exposures, sometimes after it’s too late. We don’t know that there is a landfill less than a mile away from our kids’ elementary school, or that a factory emitting tons of toxic pollutants a day is just two blocks up the street.
This is the case in many communities, but unless you physically seek out this information, there really isn’t a way of knowing. Environmental pollutants are a danger to you, and you don’t even know it.
Coal-fired power plants cause significant threats to both the human and ecological environment. In the U.S., there are approximately 1,200 coal-fired generators, emitting 84 of the 187 hazardous pollutants in the air [1]. The pollutants released by coal-fired power plants can lead to multiple poor health outcomes like cardiovascular diseases, brain damage, and triggered asthma attacks for kids and elderly adults [1]. It is evident that coal-fired power plants pose a significant threat to human health.
This is especially the case for families living in low-income communities of color. Almost 6 million Americans live within three miles of a coal power plant, most of these people earning an average income of $18,400 and 39% of them identifying as a person of color [2]. Health impacts caused by coal-fired power plants have disproportionately affected people living in these communities. The death rate for asthma is 172% higher for African Americans than for Whites [2]. However, there is very limited knowledge within these communities about the environmental health risks they are exposed to.
Scientists, governmental officials, and large companies have failed to appropriately communicate with the public of potential harms within their own communities. These decisions have led to a large mistrust between low-income communities of color and subject-matter experts. In fact, one community member says “We grew up in this area. My brothers all played baseball here at the baseball diamond. Families would come out and have picnics here. We never knew about the toxic waste that was coming from the coal plant. This plant is right in the midst of the black community…No one has made us aware of what is going on—not our elected officials, not our community leaders—you don’t hear anything about it. And it’s killing our community” [2]. The communication gap between those in power and the community is very clear.
However, there are quite a few arguments on the opposing side of the fence. Some might wonder why don’t the people living in these areas simply relocate, but unfortunately, it isn’t that easy. Most people living within these neighborhoods are already low-income and don’t have the economic means to move.
Others might argue that the coal industry has contributed heavily to the economy by providing tons of jobs. But in reality, the coal industry is quickly depleting, only contributing to 0.03% of the civilian workforce [3]. Investing in clean energy can come with tax breaks and plenty of market-based subsidies. Moreover, Democratic Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders includes an entire plan for economic transition under his Green New Deal so that coal miners can easily be trained and become skilled in other areas of the energy sector.
This is a public health violation, a violation of a human’s right to know harmful information, and a violation of human rights. Moreover, disproportionately exposing low-income communities of color to environmental pollutants is a form of environmental racism.
This article calls for action from local and state government officials, the energy sector, and most importantly, members of the community. The time is now for community members to step up and claim their seats at the decision-making table by lobbying against poorly written state energy policies, speaking out at local town halls, and collectively forming community organizations.
Commentaires