Faces of Environmental Racism: Confronting Issues of Global Justice

Laura Westra, Bill E. Lawson

Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, Jun 26, 2001 - Nature - 266 pages

Racial minorities in the United States are disproportionately exposed to toxic wastes and other environmental hazards, and cleanup efforts in their communities are slower and less thorough than efforts elsewhere. Internationally, wealthy countries of the North increasingly ship hazardous wastes to poorer countries of the South, resulting in such tragedies as the disaster at Bhopal. Through case studies that highlight the type of information that is seldom reported in the news, Faces of Environmental Racism exposes the type and magnitude of environmental racism, both domestic and international. The essays explore the justice of current environmental practices, asking such questions as whether cost-benefit analysis is an appropriate analytic technique and whether there are alternate routes to sustainable development in the South.
The second edition of this unique volume further explores the ongoing problem of environmental racism. With a new introduction and preface, and new chapters by such experts as Charles W. Mills, Robert Melchior Figueroa, and Segun Gbadegesin, the second edition of Faces of Environmental Racism carries on the work of the first.

Contents

• Decision Making: xxiii
• Environmental Justice A National Priority: 23
• Living for the City Urban United States and Environmental Justice: 35
• Just Garbage: 51
• Black Trash: 67
• Africville Environmental Racism: 89
• The Faces of Environmental Racism Titusville Alabama and BFI: 107
• Consent Equity and Environmental Justice A Lousiana Case Study: 135
• Other Faces Latinos and Environmental Justice: 161
• Multinational Corporations Developed Nations and Environmental Racism Toxic Waste Exploration and EcoCatastrophe: 181
• Somalia Environmental Degradation and Environmental Racism: 197
• South Africa Environmental Sustainability Needs Empowerment of Women: 223
• Index: 243
• About the Contributors: 257

Popular passages

Page xvi - The measurement of the costs of health impairing pollution depends on the foregone earnings from increased morbidity and mortality. From this point of view a given amount of health impairing pollution should be done in the country with the lowest cost, which will be the country with the lowest wages. I think the economic logic behind dumping a load of toxic waste in the lowest wage country is impeccable and we should face up to that.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Faces of Environmental Racism: Confronting Issues of Global Justice; Faces of Environmental Racism: Confronting Issues of Global Justice, Laura Westra; Studies in Social, Political, and Legal Philosophy
• Editors: Laura Westra, Bill E. Lawson
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, 2001
• ISBN: 0742512495, 9780742512498
• Length: 266 pages
• Subjects: Nature / Environmental Conservation & Protection; Philosophy / Ethics & Moral Philosophy; Political Science / Public Policy / Environmental Policy; Social Science / Discrimination