SCAN Climate Change Awareness Campaign Day 4- Effects of Climate Change on BIPOC communities

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Black, Indigenous, and other racialized communities in Canada are often more heavily impacted by the consequences of climate change in comparison to other communities of people. What is the link between climate change and racialized communities? This can be identified as inequality, in all its forms. A little perspective to begin with, shall we?

Did you know, members of racialized communities are often economically disadvantaged and socially marginalized? These people are usually underrepresented in climate change policy-making and movement. They have limited access to political resources and economic resources. They often miss out on social assistance due to a lack of diversity and inclusion in government decision-making.

What does this mean?

They lack access to proper health care facilities, education, adequate housing and infrastructure, and even suffer from malnutrition. On top of these issues, they have to deal with environmental pollution caused by the government’s inaction to environmental racism. All these conditions influence these people, putting them in a vulnerable position –such that a little sprinkle of climate change impacts might spell doom for them. Not to be the prophet of doom or bearer of bad news, but this is their reality. There is a higher chance that racially marginalized communities will suffer/ die from climate change impacts than any other groups in Canada.

Environmental racism in Canada

Environmental racism is the term used to describe environmental laws, regulations, or practices that unintentionally or intentionally disadvantage certain racial or ethnic groups, individuals, or communities. There are still gaps in regions under federal control, despite several provinces and territories having “environmental bills of rights” and legislative frameworks for addressing environmental issues. According to the report on environmental racism in Canada,  non-scientific, undemocratic decisions and exclusionary practices, such as holding public hearings in remote locations and during inconvenient hours and using English-only materials when communicating with and conducting hearings for a non-English-speaking audience, are some of the factors of the disproportionate environmental burdens experienced by Indigenous and Black communities in Canada. 

Poverty, a lack of political influence and representation, limited to lack of enforcement and protection, and neoliberal policy reform are among the sociopolitical elements that permit environmental racism. The report further states that environmental justice is the strategies or remedies for addressing environmental racism and envisions what is achievable when the condition is treated through various targeted policies. The tendency to confuse race and class, the emphasis on pollutants rather than the effects of social and environmental stressors on health, and the neglect of traditional ecological knowledge in environmental decision-making are all examples of limitations of the environmental justice lens in Canada.

Environmental racism is a human rights concern

The UNHRC has previously been informed that some Canadian communities and social groups are disproportionately exposed to environmental risks and their negative effects. A report on environmental racism, or the disproportionate exposure to environmental risks that Black Canadians and other racialized communities endure, was first submitted to the UNHRC in 2017, a few years earlier. In the report’s words:

“African Canadians experience disproportionately high levels of unemployment and poverty, as well as disparities in accessing education, health and housing. Their communities face environmental racism whereby landfills, waste dumps and other environmentally hazardous activities are disproportionately situated near neighbourhoods of people of African descent, creating serious health risks.”

Black Canadians’ experiences can be understood in the context of environmental racism as a whole, which has an impact on various racialized groups. A Toronto-based study indicated that racialized populations, particularly South Asian and Filipino groups, are disproportionately positioned near industrial sites that release a considerable amount of very harmful pollutants. Although it is unclear how being close to industrial sites affects exposure to pollutants, it is typically linked to noise, traffic, contaminated soil, odour, and subpar housing. Another study on the effects of air pollution found that Latino groups in Hamilton were most likely to be exposed to ambient air pollution.

The research that is now accessible on environmental racism in Canada offers insightful information. However, they also show that scholars and decision-makers still need to pay greater attention to this issue. It is well-recognised that racialized populations are more likely to be exposed to environmental threats. Racialized communities are more likely to encounter environmental risks due to current social and economic disadvantages, such as poverty, housing disparity, and unemployment. Due to historical inequalities in income and power, racialized areas are frequently found to be “sacrifice zones,” burdened with exposure to pollution, contamination, and hazardous waste. Projects like this story map explore aspects of how environmental racism impacts populations in Toronto, and explores the impacts on health, food security, transportation, green spaces, community services, and gentrification.

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