By Gregoy Kolen II. Each year on Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Born January 15th, 1929, celebrated on January 20th, this year), we reflect on the life and legacy of a leader whose vision of justice, equality, and dignity for all continues to inspire movements for social change. Dr. King’s enduring message of interconnectedness—that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”—resonates deeply with the environmental justice movement, which seeks to address the disproportionate environmental burdens faced by marginalized communities. The Ties Between Civil Rights and Environmental Justice Dr. King’s

By Sharon Franklin. Recent data collected by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) during a air monitoring trip included a benzene reading that was three times the Texas hourly guideline, which is the weakest in the nation.  In two instances, benzene fumes were so strong that scientists with TCEQ, experienced headaches and had to leave the area.  Why is this important?  The health effects of benzene can cause immune problems, nervous system conditions, and even certain cancers. Acute symptoms of relatively short-term exposure to benzene include skin, eye, and

By Stephen Lester. Excerpted from Bhopal: 40 Years of Injustice, an update and report by Amnesty International Yesterday marked the 40th anniversary of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, often considered the world’s worst chemical industrial disaster. Shortly before midnight on December 2, 1984, tons of the deadly chemical methyl isocyanate (MIC), along with other chemicals, began to leak from storage tanks on the property of the U.S. multinational corporation Union Carbide Corporation located on the outskirts of Bhopal in central India. Over the course of that night, more than 27 tons of this

By Ben Chisam. With the recent presidential election, it’s important to anticipate the incoming administration’s approach to environmental issues. While Trump’s exact plans are unclear, we can gain some insight from Project 2025, a federal policy agenda written by former Trump officials and The Heritage Foundation.  Project 2025 is a thorough blueprint for restructuring the federal government, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Overall, the plan would greatly reduce the size and strength of the EPA to target the economic impact of environmental regulations. In practice, Project 2025 would reduce

By Leila Waid. During a presidential election cycle, it may feel like national-level politics will make or break the societal issues you care the most about for the next four years – or even beyond. Environmental justice and climate change have always been politically charged topics, so it’s no wonder that during this election cycle, people felt a lot of climate anxiety. In fact, climate anxiety among youth is on the rise, according to the World Economic Forum. The uncertainty, fear, and anxiety that individuals feel about what the future

By Lois Gibbs. As we sit back and ponder yesterday’s election results, it seems like a good time to pause and reflect on how lasting change happens. One valuable lesson is that long-term change, a cultural shift in society, begins at and grows from local communities to the national level. Peter Montague, a scholar of the grassroots environmental health movement who has written about lasting change talks about changing the climate of opinion. He wrote that, “today slavery is not only illegal, it is unthinkable. The climate of opinion would