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Richmond, CA refinery fire in 2012. Image: Wikimedia Commons
by Ashira Morris, ODP Staff Writer
Since 2018, Californians have benefited from a new addition to the state government: the Bureau of Environmental Justice. Launched by Attorney General Xavier Becerra, the bureau is focused on protecting communities disproportionately harmed by pollution and contamination. The environmental justice bureau is the first of its kind, with six full-time attorneys working to hold industry accountable, pushing back on federal environmental rollbacks, and protecting residents from toxins.
And it’s creating a model for other states to address long-running inequalities that have harmed communities of color and low-income neighborhoods for decades.
Why this Matters: Everyone should be able to breathe fresh air, drink clean water, and move through their day in a healthy environment. However, that’s not the case in the US, where systemic racism means that communities of color are more likely to live near a source of pollution, breathe polluted air, and face the resulting health issues like asthma. By acknowledging that reality and actively working to correct it, California’s Bureau of Environmental Justice is changing the precedent for industrial development and backing up advocacy work residents have been focused on for years. It also couldn’t be more timely, with climate change exacerbating inequalities that already exist.
“Low-income, minority communities should not always be the first and worst hit by pollution and environmental degradation, simply because they don’t have the resources to fend for themselves,” Becerra told Grist. “And in many respects I think when environmental justice communities talk about our environmental justice bureau, what they’re simply saying is we’re helping level the playing field.”
The Future of Environmental Justice in Government: California’s bureau has already inspired other state attorneys general to create their own similar initiatives:
New Mexico: started an initiative focused on natural resources and environmental protection, plus the attorney general created an environmental justice advisory council.
And at the federal level, Becerra is nominated to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, an opportunity to bring environmental justice to the national approach to public health.
By Wizipan Little Elk On August 23, 1804, a shot rang out on the wind-swept prairie near what is now called southeastern South Dakota, marking the first buffalo kill of the famous Lewis and Clark reconnaissance expedition. For us Lakota, our neighbors, and our buffalo relatives, it signaled the beginning of what was to become […]
Continuing its set of opinion surveys in the run-up to Earth Day, Gallup has released the results of another poll, finding that the percent of American adults who say that “protection of the environment should be given priority even at the risk of curbing economic growth” has dropped by 15% since 2018. Experts say that this number often correlates with unemployment, which the COVID-19 pandemic greatly increased.
by Amy Lupica, ODP Staff Writer Netflix has announced a commitment to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by the end of 2022. The plan, called “Net Zero + Nature,” was announced on the Netflix blog by Dr. Emma Stewart, who became the content platform’s first sustainability officer in the fall of 2020. Netflix estimates that its 2020 […]
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