Climate Break

Environmental Racism with Dr. Robert Bullard

Episode Summary

The environmental justice movement began in the 1980s which address the unfair exposure of poor and marginalized communities to harms associated with resource extraction, hazardous waste, and other land uses. It's often closely tied with environmental racism. Dr. Robert Bullard first defined environmental racism in his 1990 book Dumping in Dixie, and is now serving on the White House Environmental Justice Council to develop a screening tool to determine which communities get priority for new climate investments. For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/environmental-racism-with-dr-robert-bullard/

Episode Notes

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/environmental-racism-with-dr-robert-bullard/

Episode Transcription

Bullard: The fight will be over a just transition to a clean energy economy that will not leave behind, economically or geographically populations that are already marginalized

Ethan: That’s Dr. Robert Bullard, known as the father of the environmental justice movement and currently serving on the White House Environmental Justice Council. He sees promise in a screening tool the Council is developing to determine which communities get priority for new climate investments.        

Bullard: Communities that are at greatest risk from flooding or urban heat islands, from these dangerous storms, there needs to be solutions for them first because they're our greatest risks. What that tool would do is direct benefits to those of greatest need and improve the quality of life of those that suffer the greatest damage.

Ethan: But Dr. Bullard says that because the screens leave out racial data, they may miss some communities of color that disproportionately suffer the harms of climate change and pollution.

Bullard: It's not just income and wealth or lack thereof that creates disadvantages and vulnerabilities. which communities suffer the greatest environmental impacts a lot of it is communities whose space has been racialized. We have to work with that tool and supplement it with race and ethnicity and other factors that disadvantage communities.

If we get it right, we would make our country a much healthier, more resilient nation.

Ethan: To learn more about climate justice and hear our full interview with Dr. Bullard, visit climatebreak.org. I'm Ethan Elkind and this was Climate Break.