Community and Place:A Spatial-Political Analysis of

Environmental Justice

Center for Earth, Energy and Democracy

In collaboration withCenter for Energy and Environmental Policy

Dr. Cecilia MartinezProject Coordinator

• Mother Earth• Father Sky• Grandmother Moon• Grandfather Sun

Indigenous World View

Koyaanisqatsi

1. Crazy life 2. Life in turmoil 3. Life out of balance 4. Life disintegrating. 5. A state of life that calls for another way of living

• Natural World• Environment• Natural Resources

Human Resources

•As much as 4,000 tons of electronic-waste (e-waste) are discarded every hour

In testing the umbilical cord blood in 10 newborns born in the U.S., 287 toxic

chemicals were detected. (Environmental Working Group)

• 180 cause cancer in humans or animals

• 217 are toxic to the brain or nervous system.

• 208 cause birth defects/abnormal development in animals.

Environmental JusticePreliminary Results of Spatial Analysis

Environmental JusticePreliminary Results of Spatial Analysis

• Demographic Characteristics– Minority Population– Sensitive Population

• Environmental Risks– Land Contamination– Water Quality– Air Pollution

Neighborhoods are Communities Neighborhoods are Communities “At Risk”“At Risk”Neighborhoods are Communities Neighborhoods are Communities “At Risk”“At Risk”

Demographics of Phillips”Minority” and American Indian Population

Demographics of Phillips”Minority” and American Indian Population

Area % Minority

Minnesota 4.3

Metro Area 9.5

Hennepin 11.8

Ramsey 14.4

Minneapolis 23.2

St. Paul 21.1

Phillips 75.6

96 %96 %

1 %1 %

1 %1 %

< 1 %< 1 %

< 1 %< 1 %

< 1 %< 1 %

MinnesotaMinnesota

White

Black

American Indian

Asian

Hispanic

Other

Demographic ProfileRacial and Ethnic Population Detailed

Demographic ProfileRacial and Ethnic Population Detailed

88 %88 %

6 %6 %

1 %1 %

3 %3 %

1 %1 %

< 1 %< 1 %

HennepinHennepin CountyCounty

White

Black

American Indian

Asian

Hispanic

Other

77 %77 %

13 %13 %

3 %3 %

4 %4 %

2 %2 %

1 %1 %

MinneapolisMinneapolis

White

Black

AmericanIndian

Asian

Hispanic

Other

White

Black

AmericanIndian

Asian

Hispanic

Other

PhillipsPhillips

Children Under 5 Years of Age in Phillips (percent of total)

Elders Over 65 Years of Age in Phillips (percent of total)

Sensitive Populations

Contaminated PropertySites in the Phillips Neighborhood

Contaminated PropertySites in the Phillips Neighborhood

Density of Contaminated Sites Density of Contaminated Sites (sites per acre)(sites per acre)

Contaminants in Phillips

Arsenic LeadAsbestos MercuryBarium Polychlorinated biphenyls; (PCB's)Benzene Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

(PAH's)Benzo[a]pyrene Equivalents SeleniumCadmium Silver1,2-Dichlorobenzene (orth-) Tetrachloroethylene;

(Perchloroethylene)1,3-Dichlorobenzene (meta-) Trichloroethylene; (TCE)Dichloromethane; (Methylene

chloride)Vinyl chloride; (chloroethene)

Diesel Range Organics Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC's)

Gasoline Range Organics

Arsenic

Triangle

5 Acre Site

CMC Heartland

South Minneapolis Neighborhood Soil Contamination

Reade Manufacturing Co Produced pesticides between 1938-1963

U.S. Borax leased the site 1963-1968 stored product

Aerial photograph of the historic pesticide manufacturing plant in the Phillips Neighborhood

On site soil contamination ranged from.74 mg/kg to 18,000 mg/kg

An 1800 ft ground water

plume with over

320,000 ppb

2001 Limited Inspections

• 11 residences northwest of the site

• 7 residences west

of the site

CMC Excavation

From “Proposed Plan for Clean Up at CMC Heartland Site”

• Any level above 30 mg/kg is associated with an excess lifetime cancer risk level of 1 x 10-5 due to ingestion of the arsenic contaminated soil for an industrial worker.

• These risks and hazard levels indicate there is a significant potential risk to workers from direct exposure to contaminated soil.

Health Effects

• Dermal Effects

Skin Lesions

• Cardiovascular Effects

• Respiratory Effects

• Gastrointestinal Effects

• Cancer

• Type II Diabetes

SUPERFUND CLEANUP PROCESS

1st Cleanup Proposed Listed as Final Remedy Construction DeletedInitiated to the NPL Final on NPL Selected Completed from the NPL

10/19/04 9/27/06

Feasibility Study (FS) is conducted

Record of Decision Remedial ActionRemedial Design

Air PollutionToxics Release Inventory Sites1.0 Mile Radius of Phillips Neighborhood

Air PollutionToxics Release Inventory Sites1.0 Mile Radius of Phillips Neighborhood

Toxics Release Inventory Toxics Release Inventory (sites per acre)(sites per acre)

Powaqqatsi(powaq) sorcerer + (qatsi) life

An entity, a way of life, that consumes the life forces of other beings in order to further its own life

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Source: Smil, Vaclav (2005) Source: Smil, Vaclav (2005) Energy at the CrossroadsEnergy at the Crossroads

World GHG Emissions Reduction ScenarioWorld GHG Emissions Reduction Scenario60% Reduction from World 1990 Levels by 205060% Reduction from World 1990 Levels by 2050

World GHG Emissions Reduction ScenarioWorld GHG Emissions Reduction Scenario60% Reduction from World 1990 Levels by 205060% Reduction from World 1990 Levels by 2050

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Annex IAnnex IAnnex IAnnex I

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CenterCenter for Energy and Environmental Policy for Energy and Environmental PolicyCenterCenter for Energy and Environmental Policy for Energy and Environmental Policy

KyotoKyoto

Source: Based on John Byrne et al (2004)Source: Based on John Byrne et al (2004)“Reclaiming the atmospheric commons: Beyond Kyoto.” In Velma I. Grover “Reclaiming the atmospheric commons: Beyond Kyoto.” In Velma I. Grover (ed.), (ed.), Climate Change: Perspectives Five Years After Kyoto. Climate Change: Perspectives Five Years After Kyoto. Chapter 21. Plymouth, UK: Science Publishers, Inc.Chapter 21. Plymouth, UK: Science Publishers, Inc.Source: Based on John Byrne et al (2004)Source: Based on John Byrne et al (2004)“Reclaiming the atmospheric commons: Beyond Kyoto.” In Velma I. Grover “Reclaiming the atmospheric commons: Beyond Kyoto.” In Velma I. Grover (ed.), (ed.), Climate Change: Perspectives Five Years After Kyoto. Climate Change: Perspectives Five Years After Kyoto. Chapter 21. Plymouth, UK: Science Publishers, Inc.Chapter 21. Plymouth, UK: Science Publishers, Inc.

People most dependent on natural resources & with limited resources.

• Coastal peoples• Indigenous people • Farmers• Farm workers• Poor• Children• Elderly

Climate Change Disproportionately Climate Change Disproportionately Impacts:Impacts:

http://www.fao.org/docrep/005/ad070e/ad070e10.jpg

•People who are highly dependent on farming, fishing or forestry, may well see their livelihoods destroyed. The poor would suffer most because they have fewer options for responding to climate change. •– United Nations Environment Program

Tribes and Climate ChangeClimate change reduces the capacity to sustain Native traditional culture, develop economic productivity; and undermines established treaty rights.

Source: The Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and ChangeOverview:  Native Peoples and Homelands; National Assessment Synthesis Team, US Global Change Research Program, 2000

Climate Change and Wild RiceClimate Change and Wild Rice

• Drier summer conditions cause western prairies to shift eastward;

• Deep or flooding waters delay germination of wild rice seed;

• Lower water levels in summer cause rice stalks to break under the weight of the fruithead;

• Lower water levels makes wild rice inaccessible to harvesters;

• In 1988 water conflicts pitted federal river management policies against tribal rights

Local Health Impacts of Climate ChangeLocal Health Impacts of Climate Change

• As temperatures rise in urban areas, ozone days will increase, with higher risks of asthma and heat-related fatalities.

– Native and children of color face asthma hospitalization rates 3 times higher than any other racial group.

• As Water and Vector Borne Diseases spread to regions that are warming, those without access to health care will be impacted.

Existing Inequalities will compound impacts felt by Climate Change:People of color are more likely to lack health insurance than Whites.

There will be a time when you will have eyes but cannot see

Have ears,

but cannot hear

Have a heart,

but cannot feel

Have a tongue,

but cannot speak

Have a mind,

but cannot think

And your ancestors will not recognize you ……

Appropriate action includes the Appropriate action includes the moral dimension of respect for moral dimension of respect for the part of nature that will be the part of nature that will be used or affected by our action….used or affected by our action….

Vine Deloria Jr.