Last month, the people of Mount Vernon, New York, reached a milestone in the fight to fix their city's failing sewer infrastructure, as construction finally began on reliable wastewater services. The news brings relief to 4,000 of the hardest-hit residents, many of whom have been living through a sewage nightmare for decades. Unfortunately, their experience isn't isolated. BIPOC communities have consistently been affected by various forms of environmental racism. Let's get into why that's the case.

What exactly is environmental racism?

Sociologist and “father of environmental justice” Robert Bullard describes environmental racism as “any policy, practice, or directive that differentially affects or disadvantages (where intended or unintended) individuals, groups, or communities based on race.” In other words, it’s when communities of color are disproportionately exposed to environmental hazards.

Why does it exist?

It's a form of systemic racism—policies and practices have long favored the well-being of wealthy, white communities over low-income communities of color. Historically racist practices like segregation and redlining discouraged investments in communities of color, which eventually led to crumbling housing and public infrastructure. On top of that, cities zoned out these neighborhoods for industrial use to make it easier for polluters to build their facilities there. Today, marginalized communities continue to struggle because of this legacy. Many also lack the resources to fight new polluters looking to move into their neighborhoods.

What are the impacts?

They end up being cumulative and include mental and physical health issues, more economic inequality, the desecration of cultural spaces, and, of course, disproportionate levels of exposure to pollution.

Some notable examples of environmental racism in predominantly Black, low-income communities:

• Drinking water in Flint and Benton Harbor, Michigan, was severely contaminated with lead.
• Louisiana’s “Cancer Alley” is home to about a quarter of the country’s petrochemical production, plus several pipelines, oil refineries, and other gas and oil operations. Of the 10 census tracts with the country’s highest risk of cancer from air pollution, seven are located in Cancer Alley.

What can we start to do about environmental racism?

We must center the solutions of the environmental justice movement, which was created by civil rights leaders. That starts with listening to the people who are most impacted and making sure they have a leading role in the decision-making processes that shape their communities. And the answer isn’t just to move a polluting facility from one location to another. We have to remedy these issues at the root and prevent them from happening again. That’s how we begin to ensure we honor the rights of all people to clean air and water.

Learn more about environmental racism and what we can do.

Plus: A day to celebrate and act on

Yesterday was Juneteenth, a national holiday that celebrates Black resistance, freedom, and joy. It also serves as a reminder that true equity for Black people in all spaces, including green ones, is still a work in progress. That’s something we can support changing by developing a better understanding of why climate justice is racial justice. Below are two stories that further connect the dots:

• Read about the origins of the environmental justice movement.
• Check out this piece cowritten by NRDC's Manish Bapna about the intersection of climate and race.

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