Environmental Justice (Research)

By Manuel Perlo Cohen

The global economic crisis, which began officially on September 15, 2008 due to the bankruptcy of the investment bank Lehman Brothers, has spread throughout a wide range of countries and regions. It has penetrated rural areas and cities, has simultaneously taken over large metropolises and small urban centers, and has caused devastation in neighborhoods as well as in central districts. In short, it has spread over the most diverse geographies. However, the devastating effect of this phenomenon differs considerably among large regions, countries, cities and neighborhoods. In the case of urban locales—this study’s central theme—we can identify cities whose main macroeconomic indicators (employment, production, investment, consumption, public-­sector spending) have suffered considerable deterioration. However, we see at the same time that some urban locales have been able to mitigate the most adverse effects, and still others have emerged from the crisis onto a path of sustained growth.

By UCLA-LOSH

On April 8, 2009, the Los Angeles City Council unanimously passed an ordinance establishing a Green Retrofit and Workforce Program. The Ordinance calls for green retrofits to more than 1,000 city buildings and a workforce development policy that creates career pathways into good, green, safe jobs, targeting those in low?income neighborhoods. The result of a two?year campaign, the Ordinance was developed by the Los Angeles Apollo Alliance, a coalition formed by Strategic Concepts in Organizing and Policy Education (SCOPE) and comprised of more than 25 community, labor, and environmental organizations in Los Angeles. This groundbreaking Ordinance addresses major issues confronting society today – environmental, economic, and health – and represents the first time a program designed to retrofit buildings and reduce municipal energy and water costs has been combined with training for green, quality, union jobs, with the added provision of pathways out of poverty for residents in low?income neighborhoods and with consideration of worker and community health. The Ordinance represents a convergence of community organizing and local, state and federal initiatives to address climate change at a historic moment. At the local level, the ordinance is one component of the Green LA Climate Action Plan. At the state level, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB 32) requires a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. And at the federal level, stimulus funds are forthcoming to address the dual environmental and economic crises through investment in a green economy.

Compiled by Martha Matsuoka

Building Healthy Communities from the Ground Up is the result of discussions between environmental justice organizations in California who participated with other labor and social justice organizations to explore and strategize possible statewide efforts and collaborations. The five environmental justice organizations – Asian Pacific Environmental Network (Oakland), Communities for a Better Environment (SF Bay Area/Los Angeles), Environmental Health Coalition (San Diego), People Organizing to Demand Environmental & Economic Rights (San Francisco), Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition/Health and Environmental Justice Project (San Jose) – have long histories working together in coalitions and have begun to proactively develop collective analyses and explore possibilities for action at the state level. This report represents our initial shared understanding of the landscape of environmental conditions and policy in California and our working framework to address these issues. The report was prepared by Martha Matsuoka, a Board member of Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN) and a doctoral candidate in UCLA’s Department of Urban Planning. The printing of this report was made possible by The California Endowment. For additional copies of the report, contact any of the five author organizations; see the Appendix for organizational information.

By Yvonne Yen Liu and Dominique Apollon, Ph.D

Food justice seeks to ensure that the benefits and risks of where, what and how food is grown, produced, transported, distributed, accessed and eaten are shared fairly. Food justice represents a transformation of the current food system, including but not limited to eliminating disparities and inequities. In the United States, more than 20 million people are workers in the food chain, over 11 million of which are full-time employees earning an income. Movements to make healthy food accessible to everyone are increasing in popularity, which is an important step towards achieving food equity for people of color. However, more attention must be paid to the often-invisible labor that produces and prepares the food that we put on the table. The good food movement (see “The Good Food Movement” sidebar) narrowly focuses on the relationship between the producer and consumer, and to the environmental benefits of sustainable agriculture.Consumers strive to directly relate to the process of food production, getting to know the conditions under which their eggs or vegetables were raised. They purchase food directly from the farmer or grow the crops themselves, shortening the time and space between when the food is first planted as a seed and when it is eaten by the consumer.

By Berkley Law University of California

 

Proposition 23, an initiative appearing on California’s November 2010 general election ballot, would suspend the implementation and operation of California’s Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, better known as AB 32, until state unemployment rates remain at or below 5.5 percent for four consecutive quarters. That level has been reached three times since the state began compiling these statistics in 1976. AB 32 requires California to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, a reduction of approximately 30 percent from projected business-as-usual levels for the same year. During a period of suspension under Proposition 23, state agencies would not be able to “propose, promulgate, or adopt any regulation implementing” AB 32. In addition, the regulations adopted prior to suspension would be made “void and unenforceable” during the suspension period. The proponents of Proposition 23 argue that implementation of AB 32 will raise energy prices and reduce employment and, therefore, should be suspended until the state’s economy is more robust. They contend that Proposition 23 will benefit California by temporarily delaying expensive and burdensome greenhouse gas reductionmeasures, while allowing those measures to move forward in the future, when the California economy improves.

By the Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights Under Law

This report and its recommendations provide a roadmap for the Obama Ad-ministration to move forward the goal of ensuring equal treatment under the law for all communities and to provide focus and attention on those communities – low-income, indigenous, and people of color communities – whose lives are threatened by environ-mental assaults of every kind. As the country grapples with the current oil spill disaster in the Gulf Coast, we look forward to discussions with the Obama Administration and its various agencies on protecting environmental justice communities. Now is the Time to achieve environ-mental justice and we are delighted to offer this report toward reaching that goal.

Twenty years ago, the United Church of Christ Commission for Racial Justice (CRJ) published a decisive report exposing the gross disregard for people of color as toxic waste landills were sited in their communities throughout the nation. Toxic Wastes and Race in the United States proved to be a critical foundation for environmental justice movement that continues today. Toxic Wastes and Race at Twenty marks the anniversary of widespread public reaction to this appaling demonstration of racism. So the best way to observe the 20th anniversary of the groundbreaking report, Toxic Wastes and Race, is by continuing the struggle for environmental justice today. To celebrate its birthday and to honor Earth Day weekend, on Saturday, April 21, we urge you not only to plant trees or clean up our parks but also join the people of devastated communictes across the county in their fight to stamp out environmental racism and economic justice.  

The original breakthrough report that brought environmental justice to national attention this, 1987 report is made available here for research purposes. See also the companion report issued 20 years later.

From the original report:

"Recently, there has been unprecedented national concern over the problem of hazardous wastes. This concern has been focused upon the adverse environmental and health effects of toxic chemicals and other hazardous substances emanating from operating hazardous waste treatment, storage and disposal facilities as well as thousands of abandoned waste sites. Efforts to address this issue, however, have largely ignored the specific concerns of African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders and Native Americans. Unfortunately, racial and ethnic Americans are far more likely to be unknowing victims of exposure to such substances. This report presents findings from two cross-sectional studies on demographic patterns associated with (1) commercial hazardous waste facilities and (2) uncontrolled toxic waste sites."

A Vision Statement and Case Studies for Just and Sustainable Solutions

As we complete this report, the nation awaits action on a comprehensive climate change bill, and the Stimulus begins to inject billions of dollars into a troubled economy. For those of us who have been working at the intersection of sustainability and social justice – what we call environmental justice – this moment in history presents not only unprecedented challenges, but new opportunities. It offers an open door to policy makers, civic leaders, and funders to build new community capacities and practices that can result in greater sustainability and justice, at the same time. This report describes a shared vision for a just and sustainable economy, and highlights grassroots environmental justice successes in our communities. We hope to stimulate discussion and build consensus around the idea that sustainability and justice must be simultaneous results; that one simply cannot happen without the other.