An Introduction: What is Environmental Justice and Why Should I Care?

Do you care about the air you breathe, the water you drink? That is a short answer as to why you should care about environmental justice. In the midst of climate change, the world is witnessing the awakening of global citizens’ (primarily young people) strike against world leaders, industries, and point sources that are contributing to the deterioration of the environment. This includes Congress’s proposed Green New Deal, Greta Thunberg, the implausible 17-year-old climate change activist, and the Global Climate Strike. This is a start, but it is not enough. Although it is impressive that climate change is finally one of the main issues discussed amongst politicians, let us navigate the focal point to whom this affects the most.

Any natural disaster, health epidemic, or catastrophic event that occurs continuously impacts a specific group of people far worse than any other; the poor. This comprises people of color specifically African Americans in the United States. This should be not mind-blowing given that this is due to an institutionalized system that remained engraved in this country for over two hundred years.

According to the NAACP, environmental injustice is “people in Detroit, Ohio, Chicago, Memphis, Kansas City, and elsewhere who have died and others who are chronically ill due to exposure to toxins from coal fired power plants and other toxic facilities.” Typically, when one thinks of air pollution, people in Beijing wearing face masks rambling through thick smog comes to mind. It does not have to look like you are living in the Twilight Zone to breathe in toxic pollutants. Air contamination is present even when living remotely far from a factory, coal mine, power plant, etc., and it is common for residents to become unaware of these factors until it’s too late.

Although Angela Bassett and Whitney Houston are amazing actresses/entertainers, the blog Waiting to Xhale is not based on the film. It is an expression on how countless communities cannot breathe from inhaling polluted chemicals, drinking water with lead particles, residing adjacent to power plants, waste incinerators, fracking processes and much more. Undoubtedly climate change creates negative health impacts to families and will extend to future generations. The oppressed and vulnerable are not only waiting to exhale but are waiting for change. This is environmental injustice.

Flint, Michigan, deforestation in the Amazon rain forest, and oil fires in Nigerian villages as a result of mining are one of the numerous examples of environmental injustice. Then there are the planet’s effects from climate change; endangered species, the decline of coral reefs, air/water pollution, deforestation, natural disasters, sea level rise, and much more. This blog will discuss these concerning subjects without tedious statistics and headlines such as “Scientists say by 2050 the world is going to end because of Climate Change.” It grabs a reader’s attention but how can ordinary citizens think they can contribute to the cause if they are not a scientist, politician, entertainer, or wealthy? Those whose financial status are below the poverty line least concern is climate change, there are bigger fish to fry. However, once your child’s body contains lead in their system, or has difficulty breathing, your priorities alternate drastically. There is a strong connection between the environment and health, so strong that it is inseparable.

This blog will shed a light on cases linked to environmental injustice in the likes of urban cities such as Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Washington D.C, the bureaus of New York, etc. Waiting to Xhale’s mission is to spread awareness and most importantly bring solutions to the table. Solutions that parents, teachers, students, and people in the community can become involved in. Although this issue may appear slightly depressing, there is positivity in uniting and creating change together. Several people dedicate their lives to transition vulnerable communities in becoming a green, healthy, and safe living environment. This blog will highlight many of those people and hopefully help increase that number. So welcome to Waiting to Xhale, let’s learn, inspire, and act.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has,” Margaret Mead.