The Business Case for Addressing Environmental Justice
Introduction
In the United States, racial and ethnic minorities are exposed to higher levels of pollution than their white counterparts, contributing to higher rates of mortality and chronic disease. A history of racial inequity and environmental injustice within the United States was perpetuated, in part, by government-sanctioned policies and practices, such as redlining and segregation. In the 1930s, neighborhoods across the country were categorized by their “desirability” based on characteristics like racial and ethnic composition, proximity to polluting industry, and economic class. This allowed lending institutions to deny borrowers access to credit based on the location of properties—a practice known as redlining. As a result, low-income people and people of color—and in particular, Black and Hispanic people—were systematically denied access to desirable locations and forced to live in neighborhoods deemed hazardous or declining, often alongside heavy industry.