A story in pictures

Posted by David Roberts at 10:57 AM on 19 Apr 2008

Read more about: coal | energy | health | environmental justice | US EPA

Minorities are 79 percent more likely than whites to live in neighborhoods where industrial pollution ... is suspected of posing the greatest health danger, according to an analysis by The Associated Press.

...

• The Government Accountability Office concluded earlier this year that EPA devoted little attention to environmental equality when it developed three major rules to implement the Clean Air Act between 2000 and 2004.
• The EPA's inspector general reported last year that the agency hadn't implemented Clinton's order nor "consistently integrated environmental justice into its day-to-day operations." The watchdog said EPA had not identified minority and low income groups nor developed any criteria to determine if those groups were bearing more than their share of health risks from environmental hazards.
• The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights concluded two years ago after an investigation that "federal agencies still have neither fully incorporated environmental justice into their core missions nor established accountability and performance outcomes for programs and activities."

For story: A story in pictures
11 Comments | Post a Comment

"for minorities"

It should be noted that in the maps indicating "risk assessment for minorities," when states are not marked with that cafe'-au-lait color, e.g. NY and NJ, that does not mean necessarily that everything is hunky-dory; it just means that underprivileged white people are getting socked at at least 50% the rate of minorities.

None of the northeastern states should be considered off the hook (well, VT, NH and ME maybe). So I do not know why Rhode Island figures so prominently; it is hardly large enough to have discreet minority districts.

Who are those pretty little twins, wearing BOTH "Clean Coal" caps AND Obama buttons?

Or is that the campaign message?: "Vote for Barack Obama, he wants us all to die, and he can do it!"

Chickens deserve our true friendship! So do fish! So do other sentient beings! Let us learn to be kind.

by caniscandida at 3:14 PM on 19 Apr 2008

Alternative energy and changing behaviors

I recently had a guest speaker discuss the inefficiencies of using coal for energy - 2/3 of the energy is lot before it is utilized by consumers. In addition, the byproduct is not environmental friendly. So, this brought up the topic of alternative energy and its feasibility. The U.S. is quite large and I don't think one energy type will be able to fuel the country's needs. It would be better to divide the country into regions and have them create energy that is most efficient for them. For example, the West and South should focus on solar energy, the Plains on corn, the Midwest on wind, and the East coast on wind (or nuclear). If we are able to create tangible incentives for energy companies to adopt a new method of energy generation that is profitable, I feel this proposal will work. Large investment in infrastructure will be required, but it is possible if there is support from private companies. Privatizing energy might be a good way to go about this proposal.

Also, we need to become more energy efficient. This is especially true for building and home consumption. New and renovated buildings should have a strict energy efficiency code to follow. There are several new building coming up in my community, but only a few are green certified. Builders and developers are not driven to create green certified buildings. Architect schools need to have sustainable building courses as core requirements. Additionally, consumers need to be more aware of how they can conserve energy. Educational outreach already exists, but the intensity needs to be increased.

by nsehgal at 5:50 PM on 19 Apr 2008

Size of the pie

There are several new building coming up in my community, but only a few are green certified. Builders and developers are not driven to create green certified buildings.

Adding salt sparingly to the mix, as it were, is always a good idea, of course, but the real problem is the size of the pie!

I may have posted the link to 'Story of Stuff' earlier, but it's well worth the repeat:

http://feww.wordpress.com/videos/
http://www.storyofstuff.com/

by LGT at 9:00 PM on 19 Apr 2008

Nice one, Dave

In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts--Protecting the biodiversity of our world

by biodiversivist at 11:12 PM on 19 Apr 2008

Economy VS Environment

It's sad to say that because of coal's relatively lower cost of generating electricity, the bad effects are overlooked by most of the countries in our world.

http://environe.blogspot.com

by Sephyrave at 2:37 AM on 20 Apr 2008

It should be understood

that these girls are apparently NOT Barack Obama's daughters, Malia Ann and Natasha.

Nor should it be held against Obama that he named his younger daughter a Russian name.

Nor should it affect anything, that he happened to cross paths with the goodlooking young Weatherman William Ayers.

But, you never know what people will say.

FWIW, I (ancient supporter of John Edwards, then Bill Richardson and Dennis Kucinich, mein Gott!) would like to be able to vote for either Hillary or Obama in November. But I do not see how Hillary gets nominated without disaster ensuing.

Meanwhile, I wish American politics would be more responsive to people talking about climate, biodiversity and animals.

After all, those little girls are the ones who are going to grow up in the world we left them. Don't we want to make it as beautiful as they are?

Chickens deserve our true friendship! So do fish! So do other sentient beings! Let us learn to be kind.

by caniscandida at 3:23 AM on 20 Apr 2008

question

david,

do you know the girls in this photo? the irony of this 'story in pictures,' though poignant, has a tone of mockery that leaves me uneasy. is the contrast meant to be that these two young females of color are openly advocating (as much as someone their age can 'advocate') a technology that, according to the rest of the story, negatively affects their specific demographic?

i am not a proponent of 'clean coal' (quite the opposite) and i am a huge fan of grist, but without any idea of these girls' story i find this post borderline exploitative. i hope i am wrong.

green.myninjaplease.com

by jpgmnp at 7:12 PM on 20 Apr 2008

exploitation

Jessie (aka jpgmnp),
DR can explain himself, but I suspect he will say his intention was certainly not to mock the lovely children, only those misguided grown-ups who have high hopes regarding coal.

I do not know if "exploitation" is quite the right word, but our pals in Seattle do seem to skate perilously close sometimes to a line that probably should not be crossed.

For example, I do not understand how the triply repeated image of a shapely young woman's backside, on their banner job-listings ad at the top of the page, entitled "The Bottom Line," has passed muster all this time.

By the way, there is probably a technical term for that aperture, when you can look at a woman's crotch and see daylight through it. Whether the sight of it does anything for anyone so inclined, I would not know, happening not to be so inclined. But it is worthwhile to note that in all art history, that aperture is not likely to have been present in the great majority of female nudes, from the Ice-Age Venuses, through Greco-Roman Venuses, through Renaissance figures, to Manet's Olympia and Renoir's nudes, and beyond.

Hence, the age-old exasperated question, What do men want?! And the more important sequels: Do they themselves know? And does it matter?

Chickens deserve our true friendship! So do fish! So do other sentient beings! Let us learn to be kind.

by caniscandida at 11:30 PM on 20 Apr 2008

jpgmnp,

The photo of the young girls is from a collection of photos taken by a representative of ABEC, the coal front group:

http://flickr.com/photos/25256152@N07/

ABEC has been going to rallies for all the candidates, passing out literature (and hats, shirts, etc.) on "clean coal." (So the picture shouldn't be taken as any kind of comment on Obama or Obama supporters in particular.)

The point of the post is that ABEC representatives are using these young black girls to advertise for a product that is killing African Americans across the country. Our cheap power comes at the expense of their lives. And then the coal industry uses them as billboards? That is the exploitation. Sorry if it seemed otherwise.

grist.org

by David Roberts at 11:56 PM on 20 Apr 2008

Passage of good hope

Canis. I think that's it? Hope springs eternal in the pants of man.

http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog

by amazingdrx at 12:06 AM on 21 Apr 2008

word

david,

thanks for your explanation. i respect what you are saying and agree with the atrociousness of the ABEC campaigning (i was unaware) - i have to say though that i still don't feel right about using these girls' pic as propaganda, on either side.

as for grist skirting fine lines - that is why i like this site so much in the first place...so keep it up.

green.myninjaplease.com

by jpgmnp at 8:48 PM on 21 Apr 2008
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