In the 1970s, the Ward Transformer Company dumped toxic waste along North Carolina roads to circumvent regulations of the Environmental Protection Agency. The waste included polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which permanently polluted lakes and groundwater. The state of North Carolina was faced with the dilemma on where to bury the PCBs. In 1978, government officials decided the 60,000 tons of contaminated soil would be buried in a landfill housed in Warren County. This decision was not based on any kind of scientific criteria. The demographics of the community was 69% BIPOC and 20% below the poverty level. For four years, residents opposed the landfill. In 1982, a massive, six-week protest was staged. Patrol officers were sent to the area and the National Guard was placed on alert. While protests were largely peaceful, more than 500 people were arrested. While the protest did not prevent the landfill from progressing, the actions ignited the environmental justice movement we know today, captivating national interest from people who experienced similar injustices. Communities of color and low-income people have historically been disproportionately subjected to unhealthy environments based on their demographics, and are forced to live, work, and play close to pollution. “Environmental justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies.” (EPA) The constituents of the environmental justice movement are largely left-leaning youth progressives and the BIPOC community. This essay will focus on the issues, goals, strategies, tactics, ideologies, resources, social movement organizations, opposition, protest cycle, and cultural changes associated with the environmental justice movement.
The current issues of the environmental justice movement centralize around climate justice and fossil fuel resistance. This section of the essay will focus on the specific issues, goals, strategies, and tactics of 350PDX, a climate justice organization based on Portland, OR. The mission of the organization is “to address the causes of climate disruption through justice-based solutions by inspiring, training and mobilizing people to act.” (350PDX) Its current campaigns include the Fossil Fuel Resistance, the Oregon Green New Deal, Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion (JEDI), the Portland Clean Energy Fund, Defund/Divest Team, State Legislation, Climate Odyssey, and Transportation Justice.
The Fossil Fuel Resistance team is actively working to stop fossil fuel infrastructure in Portland and Oregon by developing rapid response campaigns and forcing major polluters to pay for the costs of the climate crisis. 350PDX is part of the Oregon Green New Deal coalition, which is working to transition to a renewable future, with actions such as phasing out fossil fuel infrastructure, healthy air regulations, renewable energy, sustainable farms, transportation justice, and protecting communities experiencing the changing climate. The JEDI Plan was created to make space for people who are most impacted by climate, racial, and economic injustices to contribute or lead the social movement. The Portland Clean Energy Fund is bringing revenue for clean energy and clean energy jobs, such as increased solar power for homes, schools, and business, job training for low-income workers, and energy efficiency projects. The Defund/Divest team is working on defunding banks, asset managers, and insurance companies to phase out fossil fuel financing and divest away from the fossil fuel industry. The State Legislation team works to encourage the State of Oregon to adopt policies that address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, ensuring a habitable planet and a just transition to renewable energy. The Climate Odyssey program is designed to grow the climate justice movement through experiences, events, and perspectives that will help to recognize the reluctance and challenges around climate justice work; and overcome them and encourage more people to join. Finally, the Transportation Justice team advocates for affordable and accessible public transportation, development that supports walking and biking, public money should fund public transit systems, and that communities with low-income citizens and people of color should be prioritized.
350PDX has developed a broad range of strategies, including showing up to hearings to give testimony, writing educational pieces, planning events, speaking publicly, representing 350PDX in coalitions, developing direct action such as jail support and media, researching, and power mapping of existing and proposed facilities. In addition, they continuously strive to encourage more people to join the movement, such as through JEDI. They publish weekly blogs that always include a summary of their accomplishments from the week, and a “what you can do” section that encourages actions such as protesting, writing letters, or giving donations.
The main ideology identified within the environmental justice movement is a safe, sustainable future. On a very basic level, the goals of the environmental justice movement are to stop the bad, build the good, build and broaden the movement, provide climate justice education, and a healthy, welcoming environment. This involves phasing out fossil fuels to zero, and transitioning from the priority of corporate profits to renewable energy, family wage jobs, and removing the disproportionately negative effects the BIPOC and low-income communities face from climate change. In terms of a value system, inclusion, transparency, relationships, compassion, non-violence, reciprocity of commitment, and courage are included.
Environmental justice organizations have several resources they use to help build the movement, including reports/data, toolkits for organizers, websites, webinars, the media, and social media. For example, 350PDX provides a wealth of environmental justice resources on their website, such as how white supremacy is tied to environmental pollution and BIPOC voices in environmental movements. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic this year and inability to host in-person events, 350PDX hosted a series of webinars to educate the community, raise awareness to issues, and encourage new volunteers to get involved. Two examples of webinars they hosted were “How White Supremacy Built Wall Street” and “Earth Day Virtual Rally.” “How White Supremacy Built Wall Street” was a Zoom presentation hosted by 350PDX in collaboration with Take on Wall Street and Stop the Money Pipeline, and covered the evolution of the finance industry, and the connection to racial, climate, gender, and economic justice. The “Earth Day Virtual Rally” brought light to the Oregon Green New Deal and YouthPass. The Oregon Green New Deal discussion related to how Oregon can positively transform from the injustices COVID-19 exposed, as it relates to the right to healthcare, housing, jobs, and renewable energy. The YouthPass group discussed transportation justice, and would make transportation a right for all individuals under the age of 18 with free, year-round public transit.
Some of the social movement organizations related to the environmental justice movement include 350PDX, OPAL, NAACP, Sunrise Movement, Sierra Club, and Greenpeace. 350PDX and OPAL are local to Portland. The NAACP, Sunrise Movement, Sierra Club are national, and Greenpeace is international. As it relates to hierarchy, all of these organizations include both a staff and board. Examples of staff positions include roles in development, campaigns, organizational planning, operations, coalitions, and communications. Board positions generally include a Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, and Directors.
While the support for environmental justice is largely well-received, there are some voices in opposition to the movement. People and corporations believe that environmental justice policies will lead to the loss of jobs. For example, when House Bill 2020 was proposed to place a limit on the greenhouse gas emissions that can be produced in any state, and any emissions that exceed the limit would be subject to a fee, TimberUnity was formed in Oregon. The group advocated to “take back Oregon” to protect employees that are currently working in industries like logging, mining, or trucking. In 2017, the 14th administrator of the EPA, Scott Pruitt, made efforts to curb previously implemented environmental regulations, which fell disproportionately on BIPOC and low income communities. He joined more than a dozen lawsuits that challenged the EPA’s regulations, and supported President Trump’s proposed budget that cut 31% from the EPA, eliminating the funding for the Office of Environmental Justice. (Lockhart)
Since the sit-in against Warren County, NC, there has been a notable protest cycle within the environmental justice movement, and it is still powerful today. In 1987, the first study about the relationship between the location of hazardous waste sites and the socioeconomic condition of the communities that host the sites was published. The study was conducted by the United Church of Christ Commission on Racial Justice (UCC), and found that “over 15 million African Americans, 8 million Hispanics, and half of all Asian/Pacific Islanders and Native Americans resided in communities with at least one abandoned or uncontrolled toxic waste site.” (EPA) From that point to the early 90’s, several organizations were founded to address the issues of race, class, and the environment, including the West Harlem Environmental Action (WE ACT), Indigenous Environmental Network, and the Office of Environmental Equity, among others.
This was a moment of political opportunity for the Environmental Justice movement. In 1992, 17 principles were defined at the first People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit to put concerns about environmental racism into environmental policy, and then they were distributed to thousands of environmental activists around the world. In 1994, President Bill Clinton signed an Executive Order requiring agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency and Federal Emergency Management Agency to integrate environmental justice in their policies. More recently, the Dakota Access Pipeline protests drew national attention in response to the approved construction of Energy Transfer Partners’ Dakota Access Pipeline. Originally, the pipeline was proposed to cross Bismarck, North Dakota, however, it was later decided to bypass the city and move south, to the Standing Rock Sioux tribe’s reservation. The pipeline would have been a serious threat to the region’s drinking water and the water supply of farmlands. This was a major example of environmental injustice since the resistance of the Indigenous people was violently suppressed and cast as unlawful and criminal.
This year, following the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and many other Black individuals, the Black Lives Matter Protests are spotlighting environmental racism and are raising a political opportunity. COVID-19 is killing the BIPOC community twice as quickly due to disproportionate environmental issues. The protests led to more organizations, communities, and businesses to take anti-racism seriously. Racial injustice and environmental injustice stem from the same core cause of corporations taking over democracy.
Evaluating the above issues of the environmental justice movement demonstrates that it continues to play a vital role in striving for a clean and healthy environment, particularly for individuals that live, work, and play close to sources of pollution. Since its inception, the environmental justice movement has created significant cultural change. The Warren County protest led to the development of national coalitions to fight against environmental burdens the low income and BIPOC communities face. Over the last 40 years, the movement has continued to gain momentum. More and more corporations, organizations, and communities are making decisions based on environmental impact and sustainability, rather than short-term business profits that will cause damage to future generations.
“Historically, mainstream narratives around climate change were not about righting its root causes of racial, economic, or social injustice, but the preservation of land/species while maintaining inequitable power structures. Few voices pointed out how the profit-making impulse that extracts value from the earth – and destroys it in the process – is the same impulse that rationalizes the exploitation of Black, Brown, and other historically marginalized communities. Both stem from putting profits before life.” (350PDX JEDI Committee)
Written by Kimberly O’Hanlon
Essay for SOC471: Social Movements
Instructor: Dr. Kelsy Kretschmer
August 8th, 2020
Works Cited
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