Early investigations of environmental justice presented in reports provided by the US GAO (1983)

We examined early investigations of environmental justice presented in reports provided by the
US GAO (1983), United Church of Christ (1987), and National Law Journal (1992). Each study
found a statistically significant relationship between environmental hazards and race/ethnicity
characteristics of neighborhoods and communities. More recently, we’ve engaged with notions
seeking to explain why these patterns consistently appear and several explanations have been
offered by Bullard (1994), Morello-Frosch (2002), and Pulido (2017). Our reading of these
pieces revealed several themes used to account for environmental justice: lack of multiple forms
of equity and triple vulnerability; racialized labor markets and location of industry;
suburbanization and segregation; economic restructuring; racial capitalism; and, state-sanctioned
violence. Drawing from these ideas, let us begin connecting race, class, and environment.
In this essay, I would like you to accomplish the following two (2) tasks. Please label/identify
each section to receive credit:
 Finding a useful lens: Consider the themes offered by Bullard (1994), Morello-Frosch
(2002), and Pulido (2017). Each author seeks to explain why marginalized populations
experience gross environmental injustices. In your opinion, which of these
explanations is the most effective lens to confront environmental justice? What are
the key points? Why does this lens resonate so strongly with you?
 Contemporary colonialism: Both Morello-Frosch (2002) and Pulido (2017) argue, in
some fashion, that current environmental justice issues are a form of contemporary
colonialism. This position holds that non-White populations in the US remain subjugated
and exploited under the current capitalist system. Do you agree with this argument?
Why or why not? What, if any, aspects of our current capitalist arrangement mirror
colonial practices?