Social determinants
of health are conditions in the environment where people live and work and
these conditions can influence people’s health in a positive or negative way.
From what I read, environmental justice is the fair treatment of all people
regardless of their race, social status, or income level when it comes to
getting protection from environmental health hazards and being able to live in
a healthy environment. Each community need to achieved environmental justice so
people can live a better and healthier life. Therefore, people in poor
communities need to be protected from toxic waste sites, garbage-burning
incinerators, oil refineries, and landfills. The government needs to help people
who live in poor communities to find solutions for environmental and health
hazards that exist in their community. People in poor communities need to work
together and voice out the environmental hazards found in their community. The “Black
Lives Matter” movement is one example of a group of people coming together to create
conversation about pressing issues and come up with solutions. In their
platform, they stated that cleaning pollution in black neighborhoods will help
towards achieving economic justice. More groups or organizations need to fight
for their rights to live in a place with clean air, clean water, resources, and live in a safe environment. To decrease health inequities, I think poor communities and
communities of color need to create a movement and work together in making their
communities a better place to live in.
Hi! I'm Maria Krisanta "Krissy" and I'm currently a MPH grad student at USF. This blog is for my Environmental and Occupational Health Issues in Public Health class.
Hi Krissy,
ReplyDeleteit is a fact that hazardous chemical sites are more commonly located in low-income areas where African Americans and minority people are more likely to reside in. Hence, i agree with you that now the government and responsible parties have to come up with solutions in order to protect these people from being exposed to these toxic chemicals and help them to prevent potential health affects that these chemicals can have on their well-beings. The best solution might be to relocate these plants and sites far away from these residential areas but it will takes a lot of time and effort for that to happen. Therefore, focusing on preventing health impacts and reduce exposure level might be the next best thing we can do.
Hi Krissy,
ReplyDeleteIt is really sad that people in poor communities are most likely to live near toxic waste sites, refineries and landfills. I agree that the government needs to work harder to help people in these communities overcome these environmental health issues and work to promote environmental justice. I like that you suggested that people within these communities should work together to improve environmental hazards in their communities.
Hi Krissy,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your response. Regardless of race, income, education level, all people in all communities should be protected from environmental hazards caused by companies. The government has a responsibility to the people to protect all communities and especially protect the most vulnerable. Indeed, only then, when all people have achieved environmental justice will we live in a better place. Till then we must continue to advocate for the fair and equal treatment of all people.