Unveiling the Colonial Roots of Environmental Racism
In recent years, the world has witnessed an unprecedented surge in environmental awareness and action, bringing environmentalism to the forefront of global discourse. This growing movement has mobilized millions, particularly younger generations, to demand urgent measures to address climate change and environmental degradation. Through the power of social media and extensive media coverage, the call for climate action has inspired a new wave of eco-conscious activism.
However, this enthusiasm often masks a critical oversight: the failure to recognize the deep-seated intersectionality between environmental issues, racial justice, and the legacies of colonialism. This surface-level understanding of environmentalism perpetuates significant flaws in current and historical movements to achieve true sustainability. To forge a genuinely sustainable future, it is imperative to unravel these complex ties and confront the often-overlooked impacts of racism and colonial practices embedded within environmental policies.
Environmental racism refers to a form of systemic injustice where marginalized communities disproportionately suffer from environmental hazards. This phenomenon is deeply rooted in the colonial practices of exploiting lands once held by Indigenous and Black people for economic gain. Historically, colonial powers utilized fertile lands to cultivate cash crops, establish plantations, and even displace native populations for the creation of national parks, weaving environmental injustice into the fabric of racial oppression. Environmental racism is not a modern anomaly but a continuation of colonial exploitation. Kelly Duquette's insights in "Environmental Racism" underscore the historical context where colonizers commandeered lands for agriculture and displaced indigenous populations. Colonists' alteration of native ecosystems and imposition of foreign markets and invasive species severely impacted Indigenous societies, making recovery challenging.
The Americas serve as a critical example: during the 15th century, Europeans began colonizing the continent and pushing out Indigenous communities. Instead of supporting agricultural diversity, they developed monocrop cultures such as sugar, cotton, and tobacco, aimed solely at serving the European economy and market. This approach not only neglected the centuries-old agricultural traditions of Indigenous peoples but also led to forest degradation and soil depletion. Today, these structures still favor wealthier nations extracting resources from poorer ones, perpetuating economic and environmental disparities. Modern instances of environmental racism, like hazardous waste sites disproportionately affecting Black and Indigenous communities, echo these colonial legacies. The Standing Rock resistance and global Indigenous movements against ecological harm underscore the necessity of centering Indigenous voices and decolonization in environmental justice efforts.
Colonialism was deeply entrenched in exploiting the environment and the Indigenous people living on it. While some might claim we are in a post-colonial stage, unfortunately, we are not. History tends to repeat itself, and Neo-colonialism is one such example. As Indigenous people were barred from practicing their languages and traditions, they were also prevented from engaging in their indigenous farming methods. By the end of the 19th century, French colonizers in North and West Africa banned rural communities from practicing their centuries-old subsistence farming methods. This soon led to extensive environmental degradation. The locals were forced to chop down forests to make way for cotton plantations and other cash crops throughout French Equatorial Africa—which extended from the Congo River into the Sahel.
Many communities still suffer under the boot of their oppressors when it comes to their land. In the southern region of Palestine, the Palestinian population that once lived and farmed the area was expelled—largely to the Gaza Strip—and the region is now facing widespread desertification after the Israeli government diverted the Jordan River and uprooted countless native olive trees. During the early stages of the founding of the state of Israel and the displacement of Indigenous Palestinian communities, a joint Israeli-Australian project planted thousands of eucalyptus trees instead of native trees and vegetation in an effort to “dry the swamps” of southern Palestine.
The 2019 documentary "There is Something in the Water," directed by Elliot Page and Ian Daniel, serves as a poignant case study examining these themes as they manifest in Nova Scotia, Canada, highlighting the enduring legacies of contemporary environmental injustices. In Nova Scotia, systemic racial segregation has resulted in hazardous waste sites predominantly being located near Indigenous and Black communities. The documentary highlights the plight of residents in places like Shelbourne, where activists like Louise Delisle battle governmental neglect and face significant health risks. This scenario is a stark reminder of how colonial practices of land exploitation are perpetuated through environmental policies.
The environmental burdens borne by marginalized communities in Nova Scotia are not isolated incidents but part of a global pattern. For instance, in Chicago, Illinois, enforced segregation has historically confined Black communities to highly polluted neighborhoods, leading to elevated incidences of respiratory diseases. Similarly, peripheral countries like Bangladesh face the brunt of Western consumerism, where waste from developed nations is offloaded, exacerbating local environmental degradation. These examples illustrate how colonial economic policies continue to influence contemporary environmental outcomes.
Scholarly works like Max Liboiron's "Pollution is Colonialism" also criticize traditional scientific approaches that often sideline Indigenous knowledge systems. Practices like the "slash and burn" method, which Indigenous communities have used sustainably, are banned under modern environmental policies shaped by a colonial mindset. This dismissal of Indigenous practices highlights the ongoing colonial influence in environmental policy-making.
From the examples outlined, it is evident that the legacy of colonialism continues to oppress minority groups, with the environmental sector being a glaring example. Despite attempts to address these issues through conservation initiatives and scientific research to combat climate change and pollution, these efforts often harm Indigenous communities. Conservation projects frequently prevent Indigenous people from accessing their lands and sustaining their livelihoods, as decisions are made by foreign entities lacking the comprehensive historical and cultural context of the regions in question. An example for this is Tanzania. In June 2022, Tanzanian authorities forcibly evicted the indigenous Maasai from their ancestral lands in Loliondo, part of the Ngorongoro district. 70,000 Maasai have been violently removed from their land. Security forces used excessive force, leading to injuries, arbitrary arrests, and at least one enforced disappearance. These actions were justified by the authorities under the guise of conservation but these efforts were without the consent of the Maasai. The evictions have disrupted the Maasai’s livelihoods, education, and traditional practices, pushing many into poverty. Amnesty International has called for the recognition of Maasai land rights, thorough investigations into human rights abuses, and the involvement of Indigenous peoples in conservation efforts. This example shows that until environmentalism is approached from a framework that promotes Indigenous sovereignty and active decolonization efforts, it will continue to disproportionately harm Indigenous communities.
To effectively counteract the legacy of colonial environmental practices, it is imperative that we prioritize the voices of marginalized communities, particularly Indigenous ones, in environmental policymaking. The depth of Indigenous knowledge, honed over millennia, offers essential insights for achieving true sustainability. Indigenous sovereignty needs to be a priority in the dialogue of decolonizing modern environmentalism, and we must foster a collaborative approach that will help to forge a new path, away from the role of the oppressor and the oppressed, and towards a time when universal issues are approached from an angle that respects the human rights of all.
Work cited
Duquette, K. (2020, September 13). Environmental Colonialism. Postcolonial Studies. https://scholarblogs.emory.edu/postcolonialstudies/2020/01/21/environmental-colonialism/
Liboiron, M. (2021). Pollution is colonialism. Duke University Press.
There is something in the water. (n.d.). [Film]. Canada.
Varanasi, A. (n.d.). How colonialism spawned and continues to exacerbate the climate crisis. State of the Planet. https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2022/09/21/how-colonialism-spawned-and-continues-to-exacerbate-the-climate-crisis/
Colonization and the role of Agriculture in a Nutshell. World Rainforest Movement. (n.d.). https://www.wrm.org.uy/bulletin-articles/colonization-and-the-role-of-agriculture-in-a-nutshell
Authorities brutally violated Maasai amid forced evictions. Amnesty International. (2023, June 16). https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/06/tanzanian-authorities-brutally-violated-maasai-amid-forced-evictions/
