Toxic Communities – Week 3
Chapters 4 and 5 of Toxic Communities center around the economic and legal frameworks that have determined the outcomes of many environmental justice (EJ) issues in the United States.
As you read these chapters, consider the following questions:
- Who has power and agency to participate in decisions regarding the location and clean-up of hazardous sites?
- What issues with EJ methodologies surface in these chapters?
- How do historical and present-day oppression (e.g. race, class, and their intersections) affect residential mobility? To what extent do EJ studies incorporate these elements?
- What role does community activism play in resisting the siting of waste facilities? What strengthens or weakens community organizing?
- The “national interest” is often invoked in regards to safe disposal of hazardous waste. Whose interest do you think is represented?
- How does impact vs. intent play out in EJ cases? What economic and legal forces are at play?
- How do economic systems functionally interact with social dynamics?
We look forward to continuing our discussion!