Blacks measure up favorably on environmental awareness
ANN ARBOR, Mich., February 4, 2008--
When activist groups such as the Sierra Club and the World Wildlife Fund make news trying to save the planet from environmental disaster, blacks are rarely visible. But this is not a true reflection of where the black community stands on green issues, a professor says.
"It is striking to me that when surveys focus specifically on pollution concerns, such as air and water pollution, exposure to toxic substances, and the like, African Americans consistently express greater concern about such issues than white Americans," says Paul Mohai, author of the study, Dispelling Old Myths: African American Concern for the Environment. His research shows that attention to pollution is directly related to the environmental quality of neighborhoods.
"There have been many studies done over the past two decades that convincingly document the disproportionate burden of environmental hazards in African American and other communities (of people of color)," says Mohai, a professor at the School of Natural Resources and Environment. "They are particularly concerned about possible health effects. But other quality of life impacts are also of concern, such as visual blight, noxious odors, noise, traffic congestion, the safety of residents' children and social stigmatization."
Furthermore, surveys Mohai and colleagues conducted in Detroit debunked assumptions that blacks' environmental interests were limited to direct local nuisances. Their 2002 survey found that blacks expressed greater concern than whites not only regarding pollution and neighborhood environmental problems, but also about nature preservation and global environmental issues.
What's more, black residents also take action on green issues. For instance, Mohai's study found that of the respondents who often or always made pro-environmental lifestyle choices, blacks outdid whites for buying pesticide-free food, driving less and eating less meat. Blacks came up short, however, on recycling: While 64 percent of whites recycled, 44 percent of blacks did.
What appears to be low black participation in the green movement is an illusion: In 2000 a national survey found 9 percent of whites versus 8 percent of blacks belonged to an environmental group. Instead of joining well-known and highly publicized national organizations, black environmental activists often form their own local groups. Green activism in the black community dates back to the 1980s when the environmental justice movement sprang up as grassroots mobilizations opposing the dumping of toxic waste near black neighborhoods.
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Story by:
Cliff Hocker, School of Natural Resources & Environment
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