Question.2525 - For the final paper, you must respond to the prompt below. Your 6-8 full-page paper should cite our assigned class material. In your final paper, I want to see how you can take all the information you have learned over this semester and apply it to the text As Long As Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice, From Colonization to Standing Rock. You have acquired a wealth of knowledge and awareness regarding environmental justice. As such, you have a responsibility going forward to educate others who do not know as much as you have learned. This essay is an opportunity to display all you have learned. I am more than happy to look at drafts before the due date! Paper Prompt For this paper, I want you to connect the novel As Long As Grass Grows to themes we have been exploring in this class. I would like your final essay to be a reflection paper on all you have learned in this class regarding environmental justice and public policy. Writing your reflective essay will help you pull together what you have learned. This essay of your reflections should draw on what we have covered in class, but it should be centered primarily on As Long As Grass Grows. Some guiding questions: 1) How does the book examine environmental justice from an Indigenous perspective? 2) What is meant by the terms environmental justice and environmental racism? 3) Who is affected by environmental racism and how are they affected? 4) What are the major themes you have seen in this class and how can you apply them to the book? *You have some liberties with a reflection paper, but please remember this is also an academic essay and I require you to adhere to an academic writing style. Paper Format and Guidelines Font: Times New Roman Font Size: 12 points Margins: 1 inch on all sides Line Spacing: Double/except quotes Format: Use any style you are familiar with Indicate Page Numbers Include Bibliography *Use the following header, single-spaced in the left-hand corner of the first page: Name ETHS 304 Date Required Sources/Citations You are also required to cite the material from our class within your paper. Show me where you are drawing your information from. Please cite our class materials within this paper. See PowerPoint regarding writing papers. Citing one article will not suffice in this paper. You must 2 include anywhere from 6-10 of our reading materials and films outside of citing As Long As Grass Grows. Please proofread your paper! Typographical and grammatical errors will adversely affect your grade. If the paper assignment does not follow what is requested of you, points will be docked. LATE PAPERS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED!
Answer Below:
Reflection paper Introduction The complexity and challenge of environmental justice as a field is rich, extensive, and rapidly growing. Dina Gilio-Whitaker in her book As long as the grass grows: the Indigenous fight for environmental justice, from colonization to Standing Rock, makes a strong point for perspectives and politics of Indigenous people on the subject of environmental justice framework. The book explores the history of treaty violations, food struggles and water security, and protection of sacred sites thereby highlighting the leadership of indigenous women in their century long struggle against government and corporate intrusions, thereby calling the need for new and innovative approaches to environmental justice and policies. The book propagates the expansion of environmental justice movement to fit in the unique experience of people of native sovereignty. Environmental racism can be described as the disproportionate effects of environmental pollution on racial minorities. The concept of environmental racism brings forth a high level of pollution exposure for people of color and a low level of environmental benefits enjoyed by them (Finger & Zorzi, 2013). This, in turn, highlights the disproportionate relationship between high pollution exposure for people of color and the low level of environmental benefits enjoyed by them, pointing towards environmental inequality. Environmental inequality includes environmental impacts based on class, gender, immigration status and their interconnectedness with these factors. Environmental justice, therefore, is the social movement that serves as a response to problems of environmental racism and environmental inequality. Environmental injustice does not constitute just one Osman 2 harmful event, action or result rather they emanate from a history of political, social and economic interactions leading to and continuing beyond the contested instance of perceived injustice. They are mainly a result of decisions taken by parties such as government (federal, state and local), residents, and workers and points towards recognition of disparities amongst people thereby calling a need for equality (Finger & Zorzi, 2013). The book “As Long as Grass Grows” is framed in two sets. One frame involves a broad historical narrative that helps the readers to understand the consequences of environmental injustice keeping in frame of colonialism. Second is a contemporary frame that compares and contrasts Standing rock with recent movements aimed at achieving environmental justice for indigenous communities. The book starts in the backdrop of conflicts emanating over Dakota Access Pipe Line. The first chapter of the book compares and contrasts the claims of environmentalism with political struggles of indigenous people over territorial rights and the quest of their sovereignty. The author here wants the political claims to be broadened from just being considered cultural differences and be given similar seriousness as any other form of injustice. This would result in broadening the vision and mission of legal, political framework of environmental justice law, which would effectively identify and point at political disparities arising between tribes and states owing to colonial differences. At the same time, these issues and their severity cannot be just classified under racism or negligence towards rural people. The environmental movement and the policy making have always been in the province of the white middle class. The homogeneous nature of environment policy leadership acts as a barrier to environmental justice efforts (Simms, 2012). The call of the day is to achieve real diversity in the ranks of decision makers, especially at the federal and state level to ensure genuine progress, thereby removing biases that have been historically present yet been unrecognized by classic policymakers (Simms, Osman 3 2012). The diversities do not just get confined to race; rather encompasses racial, ethnic, and economic diversity. Hence, environmental justice movement finds its source in deficiencies pertaining to the following: ? Inability of regulators and regulations to provide adequate protections for minorities and poor ? Inequality and disproportional distribution of liability and assistances ? Restriction of minority groups in the environmental decision making process (Simms, 2012). These restrictions and unfair representation in decision-making restrict the rights of indigenous people in the US, and the proof lies when the author in her book explains genocide in chapter 2. The author herein explores the themes of genocide, slavery, and forced relocation to explain some of the tragedies that people had to go through, thereby illustrating Long Walk and the Trail of Tears, Pomo of Northern California, and the Paiutes of Southern Oregon. Thus, there is a clear need of a robust environmental justice framework which employs tool, techniques, and strategies specifically aimed at following: ? Adoption of a model of prevention as the preferred strategy ? Shifting the burden of proof to polluters, discriminators, and other protected classes of people ? Allowing for effect as opposed to intent in inferring discrimination. ? Targeting resources and action according to the severity of environmental and health problems (Bullard & Johnson, 2000). Osman 4 Westernization and industrialization, with the aim of development and expansion, make humans pay certain prices. Often the marginalized and indigenous people take that weight and the privileged classes just enjoy the benefits of development and growth. Gilio- Whitaker talks about building rails across the Great Plains and Southwest along with hydroelectric damming, energy, and extraction in the later half of the nineteenth century and early twentieth century to cast effects like the confinement of people and aggravated murder of buffaloes. This impacted the tribes, thereby altering their sense of how to relate to place and the land. The socio economic and cultural foundations received a huge blow on the face of colonialism. However, the author poses hope on restoring the relationship between animals and land by observing the traditional laws as opposed to westernized influences. The efforts point towards the fact that race has been the most potent variable in predicting the facilities pertaining to toxic wastes. The downside of industrialization is the collection of toxic wastes and pollution of varying forms and degrees. Despite significant improvements to ensure safety and regulations to control the damage and toxic wastes, it is seen that millions of people still live in unsafe and unhealthy physical environments. This brings out interesting facet that economically underprivileged communities and populaces are exposed to inordinate health hazards in their homes, neighbourhood, and workplaces in contrast to their affluent colleagues (Bullard & Johnson, 2000). Thus, there is a clear need to understand the racial biasness and address them to ensure environmental justice. The example of Northern Metal’s facility located on the banks of the Mississippi River in North Minneapolis can be seen as a recent example where industrial facilities were polluting the air of nearby residents resulting in highest rate of asthma hospitalization in Minnesota. The primary source of pollutants to the residents were heavy metal and fine particles from metal shredders. The company was alleged to be submitting false reports to state regulators on pollution control. After intervention and Osman 5 pressure from pollution control agency, local residents, and officials led to the shutting down of Northern Metals. The firm, after multiple fire incidents, had to vacate the site of former scrap yard and also removed all scrap metal and debris. The new planning for the area zoned it out to be future parkland in half of the portion and the other half would be allowed for lower impact production, processing uses, and residential uses (MCEA, n.d). This example acts as a ray of hope for the future to be a ground for environmental justice. However, COVID 19, bought to light the impacts of environmental racism till today. It is known that air and water pollution, along with toxic chemical exposure, has been disproportionately burdening low income and Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities at largest. Decades of racial injustice, racist and biased environmental policies have highly impacted the infection and mortality rates arising out of COVID 19 in BIPOC communities creating perpetuated inequities in health outcomes (Soares, 2021). Despite knowing that air pollution was contributing to infection and leading to death, government and regulatory agencies often relaxed environmental policies. Penalties were suspended for environmental violations amidst the pandemic leading to disproportionate impact on BIPOC communities. Gilio Whitaker also argues in the book that negative health disparities are some of the consequences of settler-colonialism’s project of eradication. Indigenous people have relied mostly on native plants and animals for their survival. Sudden changes in the food source led to higher incidences of diabetes thereby proving the direct link between environment and health outcomes. This highlights the pressing need of food sovereignty and water security for survival. Mass production of crops has forced overuse of pesticides and fertilizers and the result has been increased food supply. This increased food supply is coupled with mistreatment of animals and workers in the food industry leading to disturbance of the ecological balance (Lakeland PBS, 2013). Access to healthy food and clean water is a basic fundamental right of every human but, unfortunately remains inaccessible to many locations Osman 6 leading to hunger and malnutrition, and even starvation. Thus, abundance of food bought upon by disturbing the ecological balance of nature does not guarantee access to healthy food to all. Societies need to understand the importance of healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through sound ecological methods. Food sovereignty presses on these issues and provides for rights to define own food and agricultural system in order to have rights to necessary resources to build resilient livelihoods (Walsh-Dilley et al., 2016). The author stresses on the futility of progressive environmental laws on centuries of racism and calls for self-determination to reverse the process of disruption of the relationship of indigenous people from the land. This calls for tackling environmental injustice and aiming at creating a system for all as a unified community irrespective of any biases. However, this would call for overcoming all forms of barriers to diversity to gain inclusivity. Overcoming the barriers of diversity does not just require the employment of a diverse body of decision makers. Rather it entails a commitment to multidimensional decision making by cultivating, retaining, and promoting diverse workforce, along with encouraging dialogues between diverse collections of perspectives. It is imperative to value differences in views as a vital force and treat it as an asset just equal to physical or cultural differences such as gender, race, religion, or sexual orientation. This valuing of different perspectives shall pull different viewpoints that have been long in the shadows. Minorities and professionals of color have often been hiding their perspectives with the aim of conforming to the general population and gaining acceptance from their peers. This move towards inclusive management needs to pursue intentional multidimensionality (Simms, 2012). Conclusion Osman 7 Environmental justice is a vast field and calls for multidirectional approaches to solve problems of varying degrees and intensities. The injustices emanating from caste, creed, race, and gender need to be addressed in an efficient and effective manner with the help of a comprehensive framework by policyholders and governing bodies to create a society wherein choices are respected and identities are given space to flourish and bloom. Osman 8 References Bullard, R. D., & Johnson, G. S. (2000). Environmentalism and public policy: Environmental justice: Grassroots activism and its impact on public policy decision making. Journal of Social Issues, 56(3), 555–578. https://doi.org/10.1111/0022-4537.00184 de Oliveira Finger, M., & Zorzi, F. B. (2013). Environmental justice. UFRGS Model United Nations Journal, 1, 222-243. GILIO-WHITAKER, D. (2020). As long as grass grows: The indigenous fight for environmental justice, from colonization to... standing rock. Beacon. MCEA. (n.d.). Helping end an air pollution nightmare in Minneapolis. https://www.mncenter.org/helping-end-air-pollution-nightmare-minneapolis Simms, P. L. (2012). On diversity and public policymaking: An environmental justice perspective. Sustainable Dev. L. & Pol'y, 13, 14. Soares, K. (2021, September 23). An inequitable pandemic: How environmental racism has worsened COVID-19 in communities of color. Climate. https://climate- xchange.org/2021/09/23/an-inequitable-pandemic-how-environmental-racism-has- worsened-covid-19-in-communities-of-color/ Walsh-Dilley, M., Wolford, W., & McCarthy, J. (2016). Rights for resilience: Food Sovereignty, power, and Resilience in Development Practice. Ecology and Society, 21(1). https://doi.org/10.5751/es-07981-210111 Osman 9 YouTube. (2013). Regaining Food Sovereignty: Neyaab Nimamoomin Mewinzha Gaa- inajigeyang. YouTube. Retrieved August 9, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXCu9XbZTnA.More Articles From Ethics
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