What Is The Civil Rights Movement Related To The Rise Of The Environmentalism Movement

During the rise of the environmentalism movement in the U.S., multiple instances of environmental tragedy led to both societal and legislative changes. More commonly was the rise of landfills containing toxic chemicals such as PCBs. As dumping continued, activists began to realize a trend in the placement of each site. This created the idea of environmental justice, where the societal issues of the treatment of the environment was combined with issues regarding the treatment of marginalized groups of different races and societal classes. The concept of environmental racism challenged the current ideals of the environmentalism movement that not everyone was benefitting equally from the movement’s progress. The environmental justice movement

They quickly understood that this definitely was not the first occurrence of a prejudiced toxic dumping incident, and that “environmental risks could be inequitably distributed” while “regulations designed to protect all citizens protected some more than others.” They conducted several studies which proved their point: there was an unequal distribution of hazards in poor, predominately Black areas. Civil Right activists began to connect this environmental issue to larger social justice problems, reframing it into environmental racism. To save some money, the state “imposed a land use decision with potentially dire consequences on politically powerless citizens.” Civil Rights activists had spread the events of Warren County and its implications nationwide, ultimately forming an entirely new

Mainstream environmentalism consisted of white, male organizations only concerned with the well-being of the environment. While justice activists agree with this, they felt the environment was just the tip of the iceberg. Their group was much more representative of all groups that were impacted by the environment, not just one, and felt environmental issues were more deeply connected to social and class issues, with both needing to be addressed equally. Additionally, the environmental justice system believed the current mainstream movement and legislation “exacerbates both environmental problems and social problems; and the environmental establishment has neglected these relationships, in part, because of their elitism and exclusive practices.” The environmental justice movement constantly addressed the problem that environmental policy benefits some at the expense of others, specifically marginalized groups. For example, national parks were created at the expense of the Native Americans who lived there and were relocated. Rich, white men did not have the same environmental concerns as those actually living in dangerous conditions, which “raised serious doubts about the conventional wisdom regarding the lack of concern of minorities about environmental quality issues,” so “the form of environmental protection implemented by