Environmental Justice: Connections & Actions
In our first reading group meeting, we discussed the introduction and first chapter of Dorceta Taylor’s Toxic Communities. We were guided by connections we made in the text between our personal experiences and our research: stories of how environmental justice work or questions spurred some into environmental research, how environmental testing is often ad hoc rather than uniform and regulated, and how many environmental justice questions revolve around disparities and power.
We closed our discussion by asking each other: How can we (researchers and environmental scientists) ‘act’ differently in addressing environmental questions with justice in mind? Here are some takeaways:
- Disrupt the narrative of the separation of science/environmental justice – these are deeply interwoven and it’s harmful to act otherwise.
- Recognize that the system is working as intended. If the system consistently fails to report and recognize issues of environmental justice, we cannot rely on it as is.
- Consider the myth of objectivity – how is the research conducted? What drives research questions and funding? Is the research exploitative (e.g. helicopter research), or are credit, data, products shared?
- Academic structures don’t prioritize community activists – community activists ARE experts and this isn’t normalized in academia. Work to understand the connections between local/global environmental justice issues, and value the knowledge and stories of community experience.
For further reflection, we invite you to reflect on the following questions: Are community activists and narrative-based data valued in my research field? How can I work to integrate justice into my own research? We invite you to continue reading and reflecting with us!