Thursday, October 3, 2019
Toxic Waste And Discrimination Essay Example for Free
Toxic Waste And Discrimination Essay The discrimination suffered by people of color goes as far as locating them to neighborhoods that are near toxic waste facilities. This is an important issue to address since the discrimination done in this sphere does not only affect difference in treatment per se. It affects the health and well-being of the individuals being discriminated against.            On the 20th of the 1987 Toxic Wastes and Race report, the topic of disparity in treatment when it comes to locating people in neighborhoods was once again examined. The study proved that the discrimination, still exists, and in fact, has worsened as years passed by. According to the article by Bullard, Mohai, et.al., the study yielded the following results: People of color make up the majority (56%) of those living in neighborhoods within 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) of the nations commercial hazardous waste facilities[†¦] People of color make up a much larger majority (69%) in neighborhoods with clustered facilities. [†¦] 9 out of 10 EPA regions have racial disparities in the location of hazardous waste sites. Forty of 44 states (90%) with hazardous waste facilities have disproportionately high percentages of people of color in host neighborhoods [†¦] (2007) In summary, the research shows that â€Å"racial and socioeconomic disparities in the location of the nations hazardous waste facilities are geographically widespread throughout the country†and that race is still the one of the main factors in fixing the location in a neighborhood nearing toxic waste facilities.            There was an attempt on the part of the government to alleviate this form of discrimination by conveying critiques on the way EPA disposes of environmental justice issues brought before them. The agency has also met defiance when it comes to proposals that it sought to implement. As reported by the article, the government has already suggested a cut on its budget due to the agency’s failure to review its policies and orders. However, as regards the last measure sought to be taken as regards the issue, the article commented that suggesting said cut on the budget could actually make minorities more exposed to pollution and toxic wastes.            The article suggests that in order to alleviate this type of discrimination, Congressional oversight hearing should be conducted in order to examine the procedures followed by the agency, as well to review the policies issued by it. The article also suggested the implementation of the Inspector General’s recommendations as regards policy-making of the agency. Lastly, the author seeks to have an enactment of a law which will ensure enforcement of environmental justice issues.            It is believed that the problem could be solved by first disseminating information as regards the subject matter. Through this, people will be aware of what is happening, how their rights are being affected, and how they could seek redress. By disseminating information, the process of government supervision and regulation will be more meticulous since the people affected can actually check if the actions of the government are to their favor and can actually solve the problem at hand. It is viewed that although government should take action in resolving this issue of discrimination in environmental location, the people actually affected should take part so that their opinions on the matter could properly be heard and considered. REFERENCE Robert Bullard, Paul Mohai, et.al.,â€Å"Toxic Wastes And Race At Twenty: 1987-2007 Grassroots Struggles to Dismantle Environmental Racism in the U.S.†, 2007, http://www.ejrc.cau.edu/TWARTreport.htm
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