Environmental Justice: A Multi-Faceted Approach to Fighting Marginalization
Climate Justice, Digital Activism, and Gender, Prof. Frances Roberts-Gregory
By Cormac Madden, 1/17/2019
In their chapter, "The Environmental Justice Movement," of Carolyn Merchant's "Key Concepts in Critical Theory: Ecology," Luke Cole and Sheila Foster present the birth and growth of the titular movement as a coalescence of various traditions of resistance. The first tradition they mention is the Civil Rights Movement, whose lasting impact of fighting race-based environmental injustices is also explored in Robert Bullard's "Confronting Environmental Racism" of the same collection and Rachel Harris' "Gender Aspects of Climate Change in the US Gulf Coast Region." Harris' case study relates intimately to two other traditions highlighted by Cole et al. (2008), those being Native American social movements and the labor movement. Cole et al. (2008) also highlight academia's importance to the environmental justice movement, in which, they argue, academia has "perhaps a larger role than they have played in any other broad-based social movement in the United States" (2008:280-281). This role can be seen in every single reading assigned this week, from the depicted superheroism of the "Rogue Scientists" of Amplifier's #MyClimateHero series, the statistics-heavy education of GenderCC's "Gender & Climate Change Quiz," and the science-based affirmations of the "Bali Principles of Climate Justice" to the clear academic foundations of Merchant's book, Harris' case study, and Geraldine Terry's Climate Change and Gender Justice. These readings thus work together to create an overview of the many foundations of the environmental justice movement as they are portrayed by Cole et al. (2008).
As an Environmental Studies major who is interested primarily in people, I am particularly drawn to the Environmental Justice Movement's focus on providing redress and protection for the people who are or can be marginalized as a result of environmental discrimination, policies, disasters and other societal causes. The article that was most evocative for me was Rachel Harris' "Gender Aspects of Climate Change in the US Gulf Coast Region." In the fall of 2017, I did historical research with Dr. Laura Kelly, a Tulane professor who was working on the Pont-au-Chien Indian Tribe's application for federal recognition. For them, this federal recognition of their very existence was essential for protection against the impending ecological doom affecting the bayous of the gulf coast. As Harris noted was often the case in her article, most of the organization of this group was made up of the tribe's matriarchs, who were omnipresent not only in the fight for their environmental survival but also in the daily life of their community. Reading Harris' recounting of the effects of Hurricane Rita on the effect of the women of the Gulf Coast reminded me of these women and the struggles against which they were fighting.
Key Terms
Environmental Justice: A movement that attempts to address the environmental inequalities that have arisen due to environmental policies and institutions (Schweizer 1999).
Environmental Racism: Environmental discrimination and marginalization that is race-based (Bullard 2008).
Gender: A constructed identity that combines dimensions of our body, our identity, and our expression (genderspectrum).
References
Bullard, Robert. 2008. "Confronting Environmental Racism." Key Concepts in Critical Theory: Ecology. 265-276.
Cole, Luke, and Foster, Sheila. 2008. "The Environmental Justice Movement." Key Concepts in Critical Theory: Ecology. 277-292.
Genderspectrum. "Understanding Gender." Retrieved January 17, 2019. https://www.genderspectrum.org/quick-links/understanding-gender/
Harris, Rachel. 2010. "Gender Aspects of Climate Change in the US Gulf Coast Region." Gender and Climate Change: An Introduction. 152-158
Schweizer, Errol. 1999. "Environmental Justice: An Interview with Robert Bullard." Earth First! Journal.
By Cormac Madden, 1/17/2019
In their chapter, "The Environmental Justice Movement," of Carolyn Merchant's "Key Concepts in Critical Theory: Ecology," Luke Cole and Sheila Foster present the birth and growth of the titular movement as a coalescence of various traditions of resistance. The first tradition they mention is the Civil Rights Movement, whose lasting impact of fighting race-based environmental injustices is also explored in Robert Bullard's "Confronting Environmental Racism" of the same collection and Rachel Harris' "Gender Aspects of Climate Change in the US Gulf Coast Region." Harris' case study relates intimately to two other traditions highlighted by Cole et al. (2008), those being Native American social movements and the labor movement. Cole et al. (2008) also highlight academia's importance to the environmental justice movement, in which, they argue, academia has "perhaps a larger role than they have played in any other broad-based social movement in the United States" (2008:280-281). This role can be seen in every single reading assigned this week, from the depicted superheroism of the "Rogue Scientists" of Amplifier's #MyClimateHero series, the statistics-heavy education of GenderCC's "Gender & Climate Change Quiz," and the science-based affirmations of the "Bali Principles of Climate Justice" to the clear academic foundations of Merchant's book, Harris' case study, and Geraldine Terry's Climate Change and Gender Justice. These readings thus work together to create an overview of the many foundations of the environmental justice movement as they are portrayed by Cole et al. (2008).
As an Environmental Studies major who is interested primarily in people, I am particularly drawn to the Environmental Justice Movement's focus on providing redress and protection for the people who are or can be marginalized as a result of environmental discrimination, policies, disasters and other societal causes. The article that was most evocative for me was Rachel Harris' "Gender Aspects of Climate Change in the US Gulf Coast Region." In the fall of 2017, I did historical research with Dr. Laura Kelly, a Tulane professor who was working on the Pont-au-Chien Indian Tribe's application for federal recognition. For them, this federal recognition of their very existence was essential for protection against the impending ecological doom affecting the bayous of the gulf coast. As Harris noted was often the case in her article, most of the organization of this group was made up of the tribe's matriarchs, who were omnipresent not only in the fight for their environmental survival but also in the daily life of their community. Reading Harris' recounting of the effects of Hurricane Rita on the effect of the women of the Gulf Coast reminded me of these women and the struggles against which they were fighting.
Key Terms
Environmental Justice: A movement that attempts to address the environmental inequalities that have arisen due to environmental policies and institutions (Schweizer 1999).
Environmental Racism: Environmental discrimination and marginalization that is race-based (Bullard 2008).
Gender: A constructed identity that combines dimensions of our body, our identity, and our expression (genderspectrum).
References
Bullard, Robert. 2008. "Confronting Environmental Racism." Key Concepts in Critical Theory: Ecology. 265-276.
Cole, Luke, and Foster, Sheila. 2008. "The Environmental Justice Movement." Key Concepts in Critical Theory: Ecology. 277-292.
Genderspectrum. "Understanding Gender." Retrieved January 17, 2019. https://www.genderspectrum.org/quick-links/understanding-gender/
Harris, Rachel. 2010. "Gender Aspects of Climate Change in the US Gulf Coast Region." Gender and Climate Change: An Introduction. 152-158
Schweizer, Errol. 1999. "Environmental Justice: An Interview with Robert Bullard." Earth First! Journal.
Great job. Let's talk more about federal recognition. - Professor FRG
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