Page 474 - Introduction To Sociology

466 Chapter 20 | Population, Urbanization, and the Environment
experienced by tribes are forcible removal and burdensome red tape to receive the same reparation benefits afforded to non-Indians.
To better understand how this happens, let’s consider a few example cases. The home of the Skull Valley Band of Goshute Indians was targeted as the site for a high-level nuclear waste dumping ground, amid allegations of a payoff of as high as $200 million (Kamps 2001). Keith Lewis, an indigenous advocate for Indian rights, commented on this buyout, after his people endured decades of uranium contamination, saying that “there is nothing moral about tempting a starving man with money” (Kamps 2001). In another example, the Western Shoshone’s Yucca Mountain area has been pursued by mining companies for its rich uranium stores, a threat that adds to the existing radiation exposure this area suffers from U.S. and British nuclear bomb testing (Environmental Justice Case Studies 2004). In the “four corners” area where Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico meet, a group of Hopi and Navajo families have been forcibly removed from their homes so the land could be mined by the Peabody Mining Company for coal valued at $10 billion (American Indian Cultural Support 2006). Years of uranium mining on the lands of the Navajo of New Mexico have led to serious health consequences, and reparations have been difficult to secure; in addition to the loss of life, people’s homes and other facilities have been contaminated (Frosch 2009). In yet another case, members of the Chippewa near White Pine, Michigan, were unable to stop the transport of hazardous sulfuric acid across reservation lands, but their activism helped bring an end to the mining project that used the acid (Environmental Justice Case Studies 2004).
These examples are only a few of the hundreds of incidents that American Indian tribes have faced and continue to battle against. Sadly, the mistreatment of the land’s original inhabitants continues via this institution of environmental racism. How might the work of sociologists help draw attention to—and eventually mitigate—this social problem?
Why does environmental racism exist? The reason is simple. Those with resources can raise awareness, money, and public attention to ensure that their communities are unsullied. This has led to an inequitable distribution of environmental burdens. Another method of keeping this inequity alive is NIMBY protests. Chemical plants, airports, landfills, and other municipal or corporate projects are often the subject of NIMBY demonstrations. And equally often, the NIMBYists win, and the objectionable project is moved closer to those who have fewer resources to fight it.
Chapter Review
Key Terms
asylum-seekers: those whose claim to refugee status have not been validated
cancer cluster: a geographic area with high levels of cancer within its population
carrying capacity: the amount of people that can live in a given area considering the amount of available resources
climate change: long-term shifts in temperature and climate due to human activity
concentric zone model: a model of human ecology that views cities as a series of circular rings or zones
cornucopian theory: a theory that asserts human ingenuity will rise to the challenge of providing adequate resources for a growing population
demographic transition theory: a theory that describes four stages of population growth, following patterns that connect birth and death rates with stages of industrial development
demography: the study of population
e-waste: the disposal of broken, obsolete, and worn-out electronics
environmental racism: the burdening of economically and socially disadvantaged communities with a disproportionate share of environmental hazards
environmental sociology: the sociological subfield that addresses the relationship between humans and the environment
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