Environmental Justice Movements
In the Flint water crisis, environmental justice movements were crucial in raising awareness and gaining publicity. Social media became an important medium as videos and photos of the discolored water supply in Flint were circulated worldwide, generating outrage and concern. This pushed for government officials to take action after months of dismissing the residents’ complaints.
Of course, environmental justice movements are not a new thing. It gained momentum in the 1970s when various toxic sites surfaced across the US.
The Love Canal disaster, for instance, demonstrated “one of the most vocal and effective grassroots movements” (Newman, 2001, p. 67). Led by Gibbs, the Love Canal Homeowners Association (LCHA) was formed to protest against improper chemicals disposal and the consequent health impacts on residents. Hooker Chemical was identified as the polluter. As on-site disposal capacity was overwhelmed, Hooker purchased land to dump their chemical waste (which was perfectly legal at that time). The land was then sold to the Board of Education for the construction of homes, schools, and public spaces, and the chemicals started leaching into groundwater and people’s backyards, resulting in devastating impacts on the residents.
Through the grassroots movements, the residents gained substantial coverage on the issue, successfully suing Hooker, and convincing the federal government to relocate the residents. Led by women who took on the angle of mothers and main caregivers concerned about their children’s health, the Love Canal movements resonated well with the rest of the community and beyond, contributing to its success.
Nonetheless, it is important to consider the issue of intersectionality even in such environmental justice movements. Race and income status were major obstacles in the Love Canal movements as African Americans and low-income residents were renting their houses in the Love Canal community and felt ostracized by the Love Canal Homeowners Association (Schulz, 2019). Their voices were also less regarded by the government officials, holding less weight relative to their white counterparts. This emphasizes the issue of disproportionate impacts of pollution on minority and low-income communities.
Even then, it is important to acknowledge that environmental justice movements are a key step in the right direction to addressing water pollution in all forms. These movements demonstrate concern and awareness of the issues resulting from pollution, pushing for action from governments and businesses. Only with keen attention and interest in the issue of pollution will other stakeholders be convinced to do something.
References
Newman, R. (2001). Making Environmental Politics: Women and Love Canal Activism. Women’s Studies Quarterly, 29(1/2), 65–84. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40004609
Schulz, K. (2019). Gender, Race, and Class at Love Canal: Women as Leaders in Environmental Activism. Drake Undergraduate Social Science Journal, Spring 2019 Edition, 1–20.