As we eagerly welcome the sunshine back this summer, the shadow of climate change continues to loom over us ever-so-threateningly. The last seven years have been the warmest on record; the summer of 2023 was the hottest recorded summer globally. This year is forecasted to be even more disastrous, bringing intense heat, humidity, and extreme weather events all around the world. Subsequent summers will only get hotter. As the climate crisis escalates, some of us in the global community will continue to bear the brunt of the consequences for abusing the Earth’s resources. Marginalised people, from black communities in the Southeast United States to those in the lower castes in India, will continue to pay the heaviest price for the rest of the world’s neglect.
The impacts of climate change and environmental catastrophe are determined by a population’s vulnerability and resilience. These phenomena disproportionately impact marginalised populations, most especially those with intersecting disadvantages, including those with low socioeconomic status, and those whose identities result in an increasing number of obstacles based on their race, ethnicity, gender, etc. These factors contribute to increased vulnerability and lower resilience which manifests as environmental injustice in communities worldwide.
What does environmental injustice look like? Snapshots from around the world:
India:
A study conducted by a group of researchers headed by Dr. Priyanka deSouza, an urban planner at the University of Colorado took a closer look at the connections between levels of air pollution and various socioeconomic factors in India. Researchers compared measurements of particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometres (PM2.5) to areas with various proportions of disadvantaged communities.
Particulate matter (PM) is the result of chemical reactions that occur involving pollutants mainly emitted from power plants, industries, and cars. These droplets are extremely small, and when inhaled, can pose serious health risks. Increasing levels of PM2.5 can be deadly. For every 10-microgram-per-cubic-metre increase in PM2.5 exposure, PM-related mortality increases by 2.8%.
Taking into account levels of poverty, access to amenities, and religious identity to identify socioeconomically disadvantaged areas, it was determined that areas with lower-caste residents had significantly higher levels of PM2.5. The air pollution measured was several times higher than the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommended annual average.
The connection between caste and exposure to air pollution in India are undeniable, and reflective of general trends around the world. Populations with lower socioeconomic status face increased exposure to harmful chemicals that can cause illness, including asthma and heart disease. This, coupled with limited access to quality healthcare, reveals deep and dangerous threads of inequity in people’s everyday lives. People are getting sick because they don’t have money. And they in turn don’t make enough money because they are sick.
Dr. deSouza, in recognising these cycles, sees only one path forward, “Equity must thus be a core consideration in the development of effective air pollution mitigation plans,”
Zambia:
The catastrophic degree to which we have extracted and exploited the Earth’s resources and sped up climate change has resulted in natural disasters. In the last decade, we have seen devastating earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, etc. In Zambia, a prolonged drought has resulted in widespread food insecurity, water scarcity, and dealt a devastating blow to the agricultural and livestock industry which so many relied heavily upon for their livelihoods. In February 2024, a national emergency was declared. Back in 2021, a similar condition left 1.18 million people in need of food assistance.
Climate scientist Mulako Kabia explains, “Zambia has been experiencing the negative impact of climate variability and change for the last three decades. The biggest impact has been increased temperature and reduced rainfall, resulting in climate shocks that include droughts and floods.”
Zambia and other parts of Southern Africa are currently enduring and expected to continue to face the harsh effects of climate change, and yet the African continent as a whole, while being home to some of the most affected areas, has contributed the least to the global carbon footprint:
Africa contributes the least to global greenhouse gas emissions, comprising only 3.8%, while China, the US, and the European Union account for 23%, 19%, and 13% respectively. The average carbon footprint in Zambia is very low, only about 0.36 tonnes per person per year. This is less than one-tenth of the UK average.
There is a very strong argument to be made that the manifestations of climate change are a form of structural racism. Black, Indigenous, people of colour are paying the price for the environmental abuses committed by the Global North, where a legacy of colonialism, imperialism, and racism has justified the exploitation and subjugation of people in order to turn a profit. When it comes to climate change the health and safety of marginalised populations is sacrificed for the sake of capital gain.
Baltimore, Maryland:
The United States has its own particular legacy of racism to contend with. Slavery and Jim Crow turned into redlining in the 1930s, when the federal government and private institutions engaged in discriminatory lending practices against certain neighbourhoods with high populations of minorities. Red lines were drawn around urban neighbourhoods to mark them as “risky for investment.” Redlining inhibited socioeconomic mobility for Black people in the United States, perpetuated segregation and exacerbated economic disparities.
The effects of redlining are still at work in American cities today; racial minority and low-income residents of these urban areas are surrounded by environmental hazards.
The neighbourhoods of Baltimore, Maryland, where 62% of the residents are Black, expose how the insidious policy has put Black residents in the path of danger. These neighbourhoods are prone to flooding. The likelihood of experiencing flooding from the Patapsco River is correlated to historically redlined areas.
Redlined neighbourhoods are often located near brownfields—sites contaminated by polluted runoff from flooding. Studies show that previously redlined neighbourhoods are hotter than other neighbourhoods in the same city. Higher temperatures are the result of buildings and asphalt, which create urban heat islands and “concrete jungles,” while green spaces in non-redlined neighbourhoods mitigate heat by cooling their surroundings.
How to save the world: Environmental Justice
Environmental justice entails ensuring that everyone, irrespective of race, nationality, or economic status, is entitled to equal environmental protections and advantages, along with the opportunity for meaningful participation in shaping the policies that impact their communities. It is a movement that is intertwined with the struggles for racial and social justice. We cannot solve the climate crisis without reversing inequity, because it’s the source of perpetual cycles of damage and destruction.
Importantly, the second requirement of environmental justice gives marginalised people who have been most affected by climate change a seat at the table, whether it be a microphone at climate conferences or a say in what is put into policy. Allowing ourselves to be led by those at the frontlines of the climate crisis, those with lived experience, a wealth of wisdom, and deep cultural connections to the land of their ancestors, is the way to create lasting change.
So, what are some things we can do to live more environmentally conscious lives?
- Look out for an environmentally-focused Who is Hussain event in your area: Our teams organise beach clean-ups, fundraise for well-building, and many other projects that contribute to safer environments in our own localities and communities abroad. Or, organise your own!
- Educate yourself & raise awareness: The more you know about climate change, the more you can contribute to the collective knowledge of your community.
- Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.: Cut down on what you throw away. Being more conscious about what you waste can help you be more intentional about what you buy/consume.
- Sustainable shopping practices: Use a reusable shopping bag! Consider buying from thrift or second-hand stores rather than purchasing from fast fashion. Being an ethical consumer works towards justice in more ways than one!
- Conserve water: Water is a precious resource. Help reduce wastewater and runoff into the ocean.
- Bike or take public transport: Drive less to reduce your carbon footprint.
