Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
socio economic impact of colonialism
essay on environmental politics
essay on environmental politics
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: socio economic impact of colonialism
The most important thing human beings should learn in their lifetimes is that we are a part of our environment. We are not above, to the left, to the right, or in it; we are a part of it. It’s vital that the understanding of the relationship between person and earth is done through the lens of ecology. Ecology, described by a quick Google search, is “the branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings.” Ecology is also considered a “political movement that seeks to protect the environment, especially from pollution.” When ‘environmentalism’ became a mainstream political talking point, arguably thanks to the founding of and aggressive campaigns of early 1970s Greenpeace, it was often in the context of protecting the planet from pollution. However, this talking point failed to acknowledge or seek out the perspectives of …show more content…
The economic relationship of America’s black communities [to white society]...reflects their colonial status. The political power exercised over those communities goes hand in glove with the economic deprivation experienced by the black citizens. Historically, colonies have existed for the sole purpose of enriching, in one form or another, the “colonizer”; the consequence is to maintain the economic dependence of the colonized.
Black ecology was birthed by the black liberation movement in how it finds the same conclusion in solving the environmental crisis that affected people living in American ghettos. In the final lines of “Black Ecology,” Nathan Hare declares:
The real solution to the environmental crisis is the decolonization of the black race...It is necessary for blacks to achieve self-determination acquiring a full black government and a multi-billion dollar budget so that blacks can better solve the more serious environmental crises of
What is the value of property-ownership if the Negro cannot draw upon the rich material wealth of his own soil (Du Bois 70)? How does the emergence of an industrial economy in the New South advance the economic interests of the African-American community after Reconstruction? What is the true meaning of progress for the Southern Negro? In The Souls of Black Folk and the Invisible Empire State, W.E.B. Du Bois situated the industrial rise of the New South with the case study of the Georgia Black Belt. He argued that African-Americans’ “lack of capital, land, and economic organization” stifled their potential for economic advancement as wage-laborers in Georgia (Du Bois 102). In chapter seven, Du Bois echoed the sentiments of the Negro Peon about the state of black-white labor relations. “The shadow hand of the master’s grand-nephew or cousin stretches out of the gray distance to collect the rack-rent remorselessly, and so the land is uncared-for and poor. Only black tenants can stand such a system and they must” (Du Bois 73). The reign of the white merchant, commissary shops, and the private industry (convict leasing practices) built the New South—building wealth for white creditors, while leaving African-Americans financially
“Black Awakening in Capitalist America”, Robert Allen’s critical analysis of the structure of the U.S.’s capitalist system, and his views of the manner in which it exploits and feeds on the cultures, societies, and economies of less influential peoples to satiate its ever growing series of needs and base desires. From a rhetorical analysis perspective, Allen describes and supports the evidence he sees for the theory of neocolonialism, and what he sees as the black people’s place within an imperial society where the power of white influence reigns supreme. Placing the gains and losses of the black people under his magnifying glass, Allen describes how he sees the ongoing condition of black people as an inevitable occurrence in the spinning cogs of the capitalist machine.
The battle between humanity and nature began when the industrial civilization started threatening our environment and natural resources. Hunters, like Theodore Roosevelt and Aldo Leopold, were the first Americans to realize that nature is something that we need to preserve. Leopold’s awakening was seeing a fierce green fire in the eyes of a wolf he had shot. He was able to understand what it means to take away pieces of life and how it affected the important role of earth’s grand scheme of nature. People started to become environmentalists when they experienced the same realization as
There are currently 150 million Afro-descendants in Latin America who make up nearly 30 percent of the region’s population (Congressional Research Service, 2005). Out of the fifteen Latin American nations that have recently adapted some sort of multicultural reform, only three give recognize Afro-Latino communities and give them the same rights as indigenous groups (Hooker, 2005). Indigenous groups are more successful than afro-descendent groups in gaining collective rights and development aid from international NGO’s. Collective rights important because are closely related to land rights and can become a tool to fight descrimination .I will attempt to uncover the causes for the discrepancy. This study relies heavily on ethnographic research on post-colonial ideas of race in Latin America and I will attempt to connect race and power structures in environmental decision-making by interviews with national decision-makers, NGO representatives and both black and indigenous communities .
Quammen’s main point is that the word “environmentalism” has a connotation that implies the sole importance of the survival of humanity. The destiny of mankind depends on his environment, but the environment is not a “background.” He suggests the replacement of the “environment” with “nature.” When one thinks of nature, one thinks of animals, plants, waterways and such. It is a broader term, but it better captures the whole picture. The word is dangerous because of what it might lead people to believe, much like the beginning paragraph of the
Shriver, Thomas, and Gary Webb. “Rethinking the Scope of Environmental Injustice: Perceptions of Health Hazards in Rural Native American Community Exposed to Carbon Black.” Rural Sociology 74.2 (2009): 270-292. EBSCO Host. Web. 12 December, 2009.
In his article entitled The "environmental racism" Hoax, white male, David Friedman explains his disbelief in the existence of environmental racism. He argues that the Environmental Protection Agency’s efforts to prevent environmental injustice make it too difficult to push business projects through in urban areas. Therefore business efforts, “shift operations to white, politically conservative, less-developed locations,” to avoid complications with EPA requirements (Friedman). Moving industrial facilities to predominantly white areas creates jobs and economic growth in these areas rather than in areas with larger colored populations. Therefore, it could be seen that the EPA’s efforts ironically counteract their purpose of protecting colored communities. This view attributes for lack of industrial plants in urban areas, but fails to consider the relationship between environmental horrors such as Hurricanes Katrina, Irma, and Jose, DAPL, and the Flint Water Crisis. Effort is not actively put into protecting communities of color in our country. Citizens fail to recognize the weight of this issue because our leaders themselves don’t prioritize
Environmental racism has been an ongoing issue in the United States. This issue mainly affects communities of color, immigrants, and poor folks who live in urban areas and around public squalors. This creates an unsafe environment for low-income communities and there are hardly any resource to address these environmental destructions. Most poor communities are more than likely to experience pollution than anywhere else because of their social and class status. Due to this, it can determine their breathing and living condition. This builds the connection between race and environmental destruction because of the stigma of space that is attached to low-income areas. Even though environmental racism is more than the unloading of waste in poor areas, this paper focus more on this factor than other elements that correlate with environmental racism. In order to make space for toxic waste, society risks the safety and health of poor communities of color to ensure a capacity for industry to perpetuate environmental racism.
Racism is commonly thought of as an act that is synonymous with violence; however, one common form of racism, environmental racism, often takes place without people being aware the events are happening before detrimental activities have been put into action. In Melissa Checker’s book Polluted Promises, she relates that Reverend Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. coined the term environmental racism while stating that there is “deliberate targeting of communities of color for toxic waste disposal and the siting of polluting industries” (Checker 14). This problem is important to discuss, as many groups of people around the United States continue to be impacted by these events every day. Such people include
In the United States and internationally, there is a multitude of indicators that the racial environment is changing. Environmental pollution and racism are connected in more ways than one. The world is unconsciously aware of environmental intolerances, yet continues to expose the poor and minorities to physical hazards. Furthermore, sociologist continue to study “whether racial disparities are largely a function of socioeconomic disparities or whether other factors associated with race are also related to the distribution of environmental hazards” (Mohai and Saha 2007: 345). Many of these factors include economic positions, health disparities, social and political affairs, as well as racial inequalities.
Until the power structure that benefits from the “othering” of minorities and the poor is dismantled, people of color will continue to pay the price. Before attention is given to the cultural traditions or practices of people of color, we must examine the history and mechanisms behind environmental racism. The issue of environmental multicultural education also helps determine whether people of color choose to engage in bettering their communities through environmental activism. The practices and traditions of these groups must also be considered because they are demonstrative of the connectedness to the earth that people of color have and the desire to see nature thrive. More scholarship needs to focus on how people of color discuss environmental risk because they are equally concerned about the safety of their communities, and the health of their families.
In 1989, seventy five percent of Americans identified themselves as environmentalists, and the number has continued to grow since then (Walls 1). Environmentalism is now the most popular social movement in the United States, with over five million American families donating regularly to environmental organizations (Walls 1). Environmentalists today focus on what kind of world they hope to see in the future, and largely deal with limiting pollution and changing consumption rates (Kent 1 and 9). Modern environmentalists also have much different issues than those Carson’s America faced. With climate change becoming more threatening each year, protection of the natural world is needed more than ever. Pollution has caused the warmest decade in history, the deterioration of the ozone layer, and species extinction in extreme numbers (Hunter 2). It not only threatens nature, but also human populations, who already suffer from lack of clean water and poisoning from toxic chemicals (Hunter 16). Unlike environmental actions in the 1960’s, which were mostly focused on protection, a massive increase in pollution has caused efforts to be focused on environmental restoration (Hunter 16). Like in the time of Silent Spring, environmentalists are not only concerned with one country. Protecting the environment remains a global issue, and every nation is threatened by the
The zine is also dedicated to the themes of the course, which include environmental justice, issues surrounding hegemonic ideas, and the importance of identities. In regards to environmental justice, Gosine and Teelucksingh (2008) believe that this “ connects a range of social movements, including anti-racism, Aboriginal rights and sovereignty movements, labour union movements, and the mainstream environmental movement.” (p. 11). Creating an environmental justice framework is an opportunity to evoke change by demanding the fundamental right for individuals to live free from environmental hazards. This idea relates to the core purpose of our zine because we believe that environmental justice is essential in order to change the global food
It’s up to us, as the new generation of the planet, to change the way we think about the world around us. We need to realize that the environment is not just a background to our lives, it’s apart of our lives and has just as much importance and right to be here as we do.
A human induced global ecological crisis is occurring, threatening the stability of this earth and its inhabitants. The best path to address environmental issues both effectively and morally is a dilemma that raises concerns over which political values are needed to stop the deterioration of the natural environment. Climate change; depletion of resources; overpopulation; rising sea levels; pollution; extinction of species is just to mention a few of the damages that are occurring. The variety of environmental issues and who and how they affect people and other species is varied, however the nature of environmental issues has the potential to cause great devastation. The ecological crisis we face has been caused through anthropocentric behavior that is advantageous to humans, but whether or not anthropocentric attitudes can solve environmental issues effectively is up for debate. Ecologism in theory claims that in order for the ecological crisis to be dealt with absolutely, value and equality has to be placed in the natural world as well as for humans. This is contrasting to many of the dominant principles people in the contemporary world hold, which are more suited to the standards of environmentalism and less radical approaches to conserving the earth. I will argue in this essay that whilst ecologism could most effectively tackle environmental problems, the moral code of ecologism has practical and ethical defects that threaten the values and progress of anthropocentricism and liberal democracy.