Local Environmental Injustices

Where does the stuff go that you don't want? out of sight, out of mind, right? Well just outside of Philadelphia two other cities deal with all the garbage large cities from surrounding areas. Chester, PA and Camden, NJ are two very polluted areas dealing with racial environmental injustices effecting the health of individuals. Is the right to an adequate environment a genuine human right? Should these people be forced to suffer so millions can live healthy lifestyles?

What goes on in these two cities is a tragedy and a different kind of environmental concern, that is perhaps even harder to fix than some others.

Ursula K. Le Guin wrote an allegory titled "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas". It's a story of a beautiful thriving city with happy and healthy residents. However, everyone's happiness rests on one person's suffering. Residents that visit the suffering soul, often go back to their normal lives forgetting what they saw others leave Omelas not knowing where to, but that such injustices are inhumane.

Environmental injustices occur around the world and are of a similar nature, those suffering are doing so at the benefit of others living a healthier and safer life. Chester, Pa and Camden, NJ are two places where fighting large corporations from a grassroots level has been difficult and little gains made to help protect the city's residents. Below or two clips from YouTube about the injustices. A film was made in the 1990s called "Laid to Waste" about the environmental injustices in Chester, because it is one of the worst places and largest environmental justice case in the United States. Camden's issues were something I learned about while researching Chester. Both are interesting a deserve attention.

CHESTER



CAMDEN