Download Climate Change - A Crucial Social Justice Issue in the 21st Century

Climate Change - A Crucial Social Justice Issue in the 21st Century
In an era of media sensationalized national security threats as a result of the war
on terror, we often ignore the most dangerous threat to our security and prosperity as a
nation—climate change. We all remember Hurricane Katrina. The images haunted us for
days. The horrifying scenes of bodies, mainly poor and black, floating dead in the water,
and the cries for help to a government that refused to listen. The frightening pictures of
levies overflowing, clearly not technologically advanced enough to protect the people of
New Orleans. We all remember Hurricane Katrina occurring nearly a decade ago, and yet
nothing has changed. Inadequate status quo governmental protections for low-income
minorities living in coastal communities vulnerable to sea level rise, and increasing
intensity and frequency of hurricanes as a result of global warming, continues. At its most
basic core, unchecked climate change, and the mediocre governmental responses to
natural disasters that accompany it, have the ability to deny the right to life for millions of
Americans living near the coast. Climate change needs to become part of a modern
discourse surrounding social justice because it is undeniable that its negative effects are
felt the most on low-income minority communities. Thus, it is our duty to demand their
right to life, security, and equal protection from the government in the face of climate
change by developing pragmatic solutions and increasing our climate resiliency, through
greater infrastructure spending.
As climate change generates increasing support from the scientific and political
communities, it is time to acknowledge the reality of global warming. The UN World
Meteorological Association (WMO), in addition to the International Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC) have stated that there is no reverse in the trend of global warming and
that rises in ocean temperatures are evidence of future hurricanes. The climb in ocean
temperatures also encourages sea level rise and a growing risk of flooding. Unfortunately,
despite overwhelming scientific evidence that we will see an intensification of hurricanes
and flooding in the coming years, climate resiliency and preparedness is short-term,
lacking, and piecemeal in its approach. The Obama administration reported that
“disadvantaged communities are likely to be disproportionately burdened” and called for
increased governmental spending on resilience infrastructure such as replanting wetlands
to bolster coastal defenses against storms. However, these approaches have been limited
and have failed to protect coastal zones from flooding. It is time to implement widespread
governmental climate adaptation to protect the fundamental human rights of coastal
citizens.
Unfortunately, the threat of climate change is also coupled with violations of
basic human rights. As Professor Henry Giroux argues, status quo inattention to the rights
of low-income minority coastal neighborhoods renders these populations superfluous by
leaving them to suffer in “sacrifice zones” of political and social exclusion. In these
“sacrifice zones”, the marginalized are stripped of many essential human rights, making
this a social justice issue. The first and most significant right, the right to life, is taken
away from people living in these communities as they are left without adequate
protection from hurricanes and other natural disasters. It is no coincidence that wealthier
areas have access to better forms of climate adaptation and protection against natural
disasters, thus illustrating the lack of equality and right to equal protection. The
government’s apathy and lack of motivation in building new buffers against climate
disasters in poorer neighborhoods are emblematic of their larger role in facilitating the
discrimination of minority communities from participating in the American dream. These
marginalized populations are left to their own resources in the midst of crises, as has been
empirically proven in both Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, where the right to equal
opportunity and security was taken away from poorer regions. This is also evidenced by
Mayor Bloomberg’s disbursement of more resources to the New York Marathon than to
the minority victims of Hurricane Sandy. In addition, upper class areas in Manhattan had
much better access to disaster relief and evacuation plans than those in public housing,
illustrating severe inequality. As Giroux notes, “those who are poor and voiceless are
[deemed] expendable, a drain on efficiency and progress” and thus the creation of what
he calls “sacrifice zones” are legitimized. Therefore, in order to uphold justice and a
belief in basic equality, it is our responsibility to defend the rights of ALL citizens, not
just those with greater resources.
Although many would agree that protecting the basic human rights of low-income
minorities from climate change should be a given, there are some consequences that stem
from this position that are noteworthy to highlight. The most persuasive argument is that
of economics and spending. In order to safeguard the rights of poor minority
communities to ensure equal protection and better climate adaptation, the government
would need to increase significant aspects of its budget to allow for the construction of
climate resiliency projects. Moreover, blowback from climate change deniers illustrates
yet another negative impact of defending these fundamental human rights for our most
needy citizens. Climate change deniers believe that there is no reason to “waste” precious
government money on resiliency projects because in their minds, adverse impacts of
warming are not in our control. Many deniers contend that even if temperatures are
rising, they are the result of natural fluctuations that are non-anthropogenic. Overcoming
these two main challenges may be critical in continuing to defend the rights of coastal
communities. However, it can be argued that protecting the basic rights in question
outweigh any possible detrimental outcomes. It is essential to fight for equality and for
the protection of low-lying coastal areas that are historically disadvantaged. Not doing so
justifies institutionalized governmental discrimination and virtually condemns innocent
people to harm and even possibly death.
As stated previously, there will be some who do not agree with demands on the
government to increase equal access to climate resiliency. However, there are important
ways to enhance their participation and persuasion while also minimizing the adverse
effects of defending these crucial rights. For example, presenting climate change as a
threat to all of humanity (i.e not just low-lying coastal communities) represents one
critical strategy in enlisting others to support increased climate resilience. If climate
change is represented as a threat that affects all of humanity and not just to coastal areas,
people will likely want to increase access to climate adaptation projects because they will
want to protect themselves from potential danger. Consequently, viewing ourselves as
possible victims of climate change allows us to connect with others and unite on the basis
of a singular struggle. This in turn allows for defenders of these rights to engage in
coalition building and other grassroots movements in order to acquire the resources
necessary to spread their message. In raising awareness and unifying more people under a
common goal, the aforementioned adverse effects will be minimized, and people will
become more educated and empowered to make concrete demands on the government for
increased action.
As Al Gore famously once said, “The story of humankind and our relationship to
the Earth may be seen as a continuing adventure or a tragedy shrouded in mystery. The
choice is ours”. In America, one of the richest countries in the world, people should not
be condemned to death on the basis of their socioeconomic or racial status. As a country
that stands for such inalienable rights as equality and the pursuit of happiness, it is unfair
for certain populations to have those rights unjustly taken away from them through no
fault of their own merely because of where they live or a lack of resources. If we don’t as
a society take a stance against the injustices faced by citizens living in coastal
communities, how can we pride ourselves in being a country of equal opportunity,
protection, and freedom for ALL?
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