Environmental justice does not take place in Mother Nature’s
court of law. Instead, environmental justice asks the question "What if we
did not choose our place of residence?" This makes you look into your own privileges.
I am free to move to places that satisfy my liking and overall health due to my
socioeconomic standing. There are many
in this world who do not have this privilege. People are forced to live near
hazardous sites such as power plants and dumping stations because they cannot
afford to live anywhere else. Scott Neeson demonstrates this divide in his work in Cambodia. Neesen sees the hopelessness of children living in a garbage dump. They did not choose to be born there. They had no choice in living there. they simply must endure it since they have no capability of leaving. Neeson decided to provide them a chance. He is working at tipping the justice value back in their favor through education. Given Neeson's example, how do we protect those who do not have the
ability to help themselves, and whose job should it be to ensure their quality
of life?
Environmental justice is not just whether you
have the ability to choose your home, it’s how that forced residency affects
the individual. India is full of examples. The slums in cities such as Mumbai,
made famous in the motion picture Slumdog
Millionaire, provide little opportunity for the children to escape the
poverty. An egregious example of environmental injustice takes place in the
coal mines of India. As India develops, it needs energy sources to propel its
industry. The cheapest and most abundant source of energy being coal. The
energy companies use children, some as young as six or seven, to mine the black
rock. Are they being paid? Poorly, but yes. Then why is this injustice? The
children have no choice but to mine the coal. Some of them come from extreme
poverty and their families need the extra money. They have no choice but to
suffer from the side effects of mining coal such as severe coughing, black lung, and nerve damage. No ability to look out for their
own future.
Children of the Cambodian Dump: Scott Neeson’s Mission
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Health_effects_of_coal
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