EnvironmentalJustice-semo.edu.pptVIP

Today’s Topics Environmental Justice and Environmental Racism Jared Diamond: Why Societies Fail: Failure to anticipate a problem Failure to perceive a problem Failure to try to solve a problem Failure to solve despite attempts Environmental Justice Two questions: How is the burden of pollution distributed in our society (who actually bears the burden)? How should the burden of pollution be distributed (who ought to bear the burden)? Who Bears the Burden of Pollution? Demographic and epidemiological analysis. Start with EPA lists of Toxic Release Points (TRP’s) and Hazardous Waste Sites (Superfund sites) Toxic sites cluster—Louisiana (cancer alley), LA, Chicago, New Jersey, Pacific Northwest (Hanford, WA) Most studied area is cancer alley Cancer Alley Problematic Industries Located Along Cancer Alley Refineries Plastic polymer industries (chlorine, benzene) Dry-cleaning chemical manufacturers Who Bears the Burden? After identifying site clusters: Use GIS and Census data to identify income, racial, ethnic, and religious profile of people living in proximity to the TRP’s Perform a multiple regression analysis to determine which factors account for proximity to TRP’s Race is the strongest predictor— Who Bears the Burden? Blacks, Native Americans, Hispanics and Asians are 2-3 times more likely to live near a TRP than comparable income whites. Finally, compare health profiles of those living near TRP’s to those further away. Respiratory ailments in Cancer Alley are 4 times the national average. Cancer rates vary by type of cancer but in some instances (liver) are 10 times the national average. Who SHOULD Bear the Burden? This is a normative question that is loaded with value assumptions. The Summers memo From an economic point of view, the poor should bear this burden. The economic (and political)logic behind selecting Yucca Mountain Burden Distribution Principles A question of distributive justice Distributive Justice Act in way that promote a just* distribution of so