Understanding Environmental Racism: Why It Matters
Environmental racism isn't just about pollution—it's about power, justice, and survival. Coined by civil rights leader Benjamin Chavis in 1982, the term describes how communities of color face disproportionate environmental hazards, from toxic waste facilities to polluted air and contaminated water.
The statistics are stark. Hispanic Americans are exposed to 63% more pollution than they produce; Black Americans are exposed to 56% more pollution than they produce, while white Americans experience 17% less exposure, per a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Communities of color are 40% more likely to be served by water systems with safety violations and are more likely to have PFAS (“forever chemicals”) and unregulated contaminants in their water. Black children suffer from asthma at twice the rate of white children and are five times more likely to have lead poisoning.
These disparities aren't accidents—they're the result of decades of discriminatory policies. Historically segregated neighborhoods with lower property values become targets for industrial facilities and waste dumps. These communities often lack the political power and resources to fight back, creating a vicious cycle where pollution further depresses property values and limits families' ability to relocate.
From Cancer Alley in Louisiana, where residents face cancer risks 50 times higher than average Americans, to the Navajo Nation, where abandoned uranium mines continue poisoning water supplies, to Flint, Michigan, where an entire city was exposed to lead-contaminated water—these aren't isolated incidents. They're symptoms of systemic injustice.
Climate change amplifies these inequalities. Communities of color experience more severe impacts from droughts, wildfires, and hurricanes, yet receive less media attention, fewer resources, and slower recovery aid after disasters.
The path forward requires acknowledging these injustices and supporting organizations working to bring clean water, safe air, and environmental justice to all communities. Because everyone deserves to breathe clean air and drink safe water—regardless of their zip code or skin color.
And yet we’re in an era of rolling back these protections. Most recently, in Janaury 2026, the Environmental Protection Agency changed how it sets rules regarding air pollution, calculating just the cost companies face to enact protections instead of weighing these costs against the dollar value of lives saved by stricter air pollution measures.
