Flint Water Crisis Environmental Injustice Research Paper

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Total Length: 3139 words ( 10 double-spaced pages)

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1.0 Introduction

Flint Water Crisis is one of the worst incident of toxic lead poisoning to occur in the history of the city and in Michigan. This crisis occurred in April 2014 as an unprecedented consequence of austerity measures that were adopted in the city of Flint to deal with the existing financial crisis. The measures to address Flint’s financial crisis involved utilizing the Flint river as the main water supply for the city. As a result of this decision, Flint Water Crisis emerged and affected poor communities and minorities living in the city. Since then, this issue has attracted considerable attention and become the subject of numerous studies. The existing studies on this issue focus on examining the different aspects relating to it with respect to its cause and impact on the communities. This paper examines Flint Water Crisis from an environmental perspective since its regarded as a case of environmental racism. The evaluation will entail the use of sociological and environmental concepts and theories for a better understanding of the environmental racism relating to Flint Water Crisis.

1.1 Importance of the Issue

Flint Water Crisis is an important issue for various stakeholders including environmentalists, policymakers, and sociologists. This issue is important because it highlights environmental injustice carried out by a government towards poor communities and minorities. The focus by Flint’s local government on costs of water supply in the city without consideration of the probable health and well-being effects on poor communities and blacks was an indicator of environmental injustice. The state and local health officials failed in their responsibilities to safeguard the health and wellbeing of communities. Flint Water Crisis is an important issue since it’s not a case of environmental pollution, which is usually the cause of environmental injustice, but a case of the local state acting in a neoliberalism manner (Pulido, 2016).

1.2 Research Question/Thesis Statement

Research Question

In light of the importance of the issue, the researcher has identified a research question that will guide this study. The research question to be answered in this study is, “How is the Flint Water Crisis a reflection of environmental racism or injustice rather than a case of an unprecedented environmental pollution?”

Thesis Statement

The Flint Water Crisis is a reflection of how the city’s local government has devalued the lives of its people to an extent that they are subordinated to the financial solvency objectives of the municipal.

1.3 Roadmap of the Paper

This paper commences with identification of a relevant theory that relate to the thesis statement and will help answer the research question. In this case, the researcher will discuss how the Theory of Environmental Racism relates to the research issue and question as well as the thesis statement. This is followed by conducting a comprehensive literature review on the issue using peer-reviewed sociological resources. When conducting the review, the researcher will focus on identifying important environmental and sociological concepts established in the literature on this issue. Additionally, the literature review will be utilized by the researcher to develop the thesis and answer the research question. The next step will entail development of thesis and answering the research question based on issues raised in the literature. In this case, the researcher will identify at least three arguments that support the thesis and help in answering the research question. Lastly, the researcher will provide a conclusion that summarizes the findings and most significant insight obtained from the study.

2.0 Theory

The most relevant theory to Flint Water Crisis is Environmental Racism since the crisis was fueled by environmental injustice by the relevant government officials in the city of Flint and Michigan.

2.1 Summary of the Theory

Environmental Racism theory suggests that environmental injustice occurs when minority neighborhoods disproportionately share a huge environmental burden in comparison to white neighborhoods in the event of a nationwide, state or local phenomenon (Ulezalka, 2007). This theory refers to any policies, directives or practices that disproportionately affect communities on the basis of race or skin color. This theory was developed on the premise that environmental mismanagement results in disproportionate economic and environmental impacts, particularly on minority groups or communities.

According to Dicochea (2012), the social force of race with respect to natural resources plays an important role in the development of environmental justice in the United States.

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As a result, there is evidence in existing literature to demonstrate that environmental justice is rooted in dominant value systems across various social structures and discourses. These dominant value systems are the premise with which Environmental Racism theory is established. This theory suggests that environmental injustice with respect to handling of natural resources is a reflection of discriminatory dominant values in social structures.

2.2 Link Between the Theory and the Thesis Statement

The theory of Environmental Racism is strongly linked to the Flint Water Crisis and the thesis statement. Pulido (2016) contends that the Flint Water Crisis was not caused by a polluter lessening costs or a reckless emitter, which are usually the causes of environmental injustice. This crisis was brought by an act of environmental racism since the relevant officials in the city of Flint acted within the context of neoliberalism. In this regard, environmental racism theory provides a suitable framework for understand the crisis, developing the thesis statement, and answering the research question. The significance of this theory in development of the thesis is attributable to the fact that it establishes the link between governmental policies, directives or practice and disproportionate economic/environmental impact on communities. The disproportionate effect significantly affects individuals, groups or communities on the basis of race or color (Ulezalka, 2007). As a result, this theory provides a suitable foundation for analyzing the issue since Flint Water Crisis significantly affected poor communities and African Americans who are the majority population in the city. In this regard, environmental racism will help in development of the thesis through examining race and class factors in Flint Water Crisis.

3.0 Literature Review

3.1 Summary of Relevant Findings

Campbell, Greenberg, Mankikar & Ross (2016) conducted a study in which they examined the Flint Water Crisis through an environmental injustice perspective. These researchers contend that the failure by the city to properly treat its municipal water system following a change in the main water source contributed to an environmental injustice. In this case, the environmental injustice is attributable to the fact that the environmental disaster mostly affected the majority African-American population and poor communities living in Flint. Campbell, Greenberg, Mankikar & Ross (2016) concluded that facts in the Flint Water Crisis demonstrates that it was incident that was fueled by environmental injustice. Even though the African-American community in the city had raised concerns and complaints regarding water quality following the change in the municipal water source, these issues were seemingly ignored by the relevant public officials and agencies. Additionally, state officials in this city decided to save money without consideration of environmental protections for the affected communities.

In concurrence, Pulido (2016) argue that state officials in Flint focused on cost savings through changing the water system at the expense of the health and well-being of the communities living in the city. Pulido (2016) further states that the Fling Water Crisis was brought by the decision by the local state to act within the neoliberalism context. Through this context, state officials in the city of Flint demonstrate how they devalued people lives by subordinating them for the municipal goals of financial solvency. This research suggests that for these state officials, addressing the then financial crisis in the city of Flint was more important than environmental protections for its population and communities. However, unlike Campbell, Greenberg, Mankikar & Ross (2016), Pulido (2016) argues that one of the sociological components of Flint Water Crisis is racial capitalism. Racial capitalism postulates that existing capitalism exploits social and cultural differences based on gender, nationality, race, and region. Flint Water Crisis reflects racial capitalism on the basis that financial solvency goals were utilized to exploit social and cultural differences, particularly race.

Bellinger (2016) concurs with Campbell, Greenberg, Mankikar & Ross (2016) and Pulido (2016) by arguing that Flint Water Crisis is a reflection of an abject failure to safeguard public health. Bellinger (2016) seemingly concurs with Pulido (2016) on the issue of racial capitalism by suggesting that the local state officials in the city of Flint prioritized financial solvency costs as the expense of the public health of the poor communities and African-Americans in the city. While the local population and communities raised concerns regarding water quality following the change in the municipal source of water, these concerns were largely….....

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