The Impact of Race on Environmental Quality: An Empirical and Theoretical Discussion
- 1 June 1996
- journal article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Sociological Perspectives
- Vol. 39 (2), 231-248
- https://doi.org/10.2307/1389310
Abstract
The toxic pollution problem is composed of several interrelated parts which are involved in the process of production, use, and disposal of chemicals and products considered necessary for society. Each day, millions of pounds of toxic chemicals are used, stored, disposed of, and transported in and out of communities throughout the United States. Most Americans assume that pollution and other environmental hazards are problems faced equally by everyone in our society. But a growing body of research shows that the most common victims of environmental hazards and pollution are minorities and the poor. Disproportionate exposure to environmental hazards is part of the complex cycle of discrimination and deprivation faced by minorities in the United States. This article examines social science empirical research on the relationship between race, class, and the distribution of environmental hazards and the theoretical perspectives which have emerged to explain environmental inequities. The article also discusses the link between the environmental justice movement, which seeks to confront the causes and consequences of environmental inequities, and social science research on environmental inequity.Keywords
This publication has 11 references indexed in Scilit:
- The "Environmental Justice" Frame: A Conceptual Discussion and an ApplicationSocial Problems, 1993
- Remedying Environmental RacismMichigan Law Review, 1991
- The quest for environmental equity: Mobilizing the African‐American community for social changeSociety & Natural Resources, 1990
- Housing Barriers: Trends in the Nation's Fourth-Largest CityJournal of Black Studies, 1990
- Medical Screening in the Workplace: Proposed PrinciplesJournal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 1986
- The Politics of Pollution: Implications for the Black CommunityPhylon (1960-), 1986
- Solid Waste Sites and the Black Houston Community*Sociological Inquiry, 1983
- Discrimination: Motivation, Action, Effects, and ContextAnnual Review of Sociology, 1980
- The Distributional Effects of Uniform Air Pollution Policy in the United StatesThe Quarterly Journal of Economics, 1979
- Some Evidence on the Distribution of Air QualityLand Economics, 1978