Environmental Health Research Paper

Environmental Health Research Paper

Environmental Health Research Paper

Abstract

Environmental health is both a public health and social justice issue. This paper will describe how environmental health is both a public health and social injustice issue and some of the environmental injustices in the United States. It will also explain the functions of environmental health movements in the US.

Finally, the paper will describe some of the intervention opportunities in curbing environmental injustices including health education, advocacy, policy, leadership opportunities, and community focus and give my future leadership role as far as environmental health is concerned.

Keywords

Environmental health, public health, social injustice, minority groups

Section 1: Topic Description

The topic that I chose is Environmental Health. This topic is a public health issue because the environment in which we live in shapes our health every moment of every day. Our health can be affected by what we eat, where we live, and how we interact with the world around us.

That is where environmental health professionals, programs and policies, all come into play. Environmental health is a large field in public health because of the numerous ways exterior factors can impact how we live, grow and, even eat. These factors concern how we address our natural environment like sanitation and clean water, but they are also the consequences of our actions as human beings (Krometis et al, 2017).

Environmental Health is also a social justice issue because all the conversations about protecting habitats, mitigating climate change and recycling are not just about saving and protecting the earth, they are more about the struggle for protecting and providing basic human rights to good health. Every human being is entitled to quality air, clean water, and sanitation (Marmot, 2017).

Section 2: Social Injustice

Two Environmental Social Injustices

One major environmental social injustice is the disproportional placing of dangerous waste amenities in poor and largely ethnic and racial minority localities. Research shows that there are ethnic and racial discrepancies in the locations of dangerous waste across the United States. As a result of these injustices people living in such an environment have developed diseases like cancer.

Another social injustice is the environmental influence on healthy eating, physical activity, and obesity in ethnic and racial minority communities with low income. The principal concern here is the deprivation amplification such that in locations where have little individual resources, the local amenities that help people to live healthily, are poorer than those in non-socially and non-impoverished deprived places.

Research has shown that there are major discrepancies in accessing facilities that support physical activity, with poor, ethnic and racial minority communities being disadvantaged (Bullard, 2018).

Two examples of Environmental Social Justice Movements

The environmental justice movement: This group was formed when communities of Native American, Latin, Black, immigrants groups, and low-income realized that they were disproportionately affected by mental and physical health risks resulting from environmental factors.

Several of these communities were relocated close to shipyards, ports, and waste treatment facilities, which can expose people to dangerous air toxins and pollutants, decaying animal parts, fossil fuel combustibles, and hazardous waste. Lack of access to clean drinking water and fresh produce and overcrowding are other factors can intensify the spread of diseases in these communities (Purdy, 2017).

The Environmental Equity Working Group which was formed in 1990: The government through this group addresses environmental injustices in populations with low incomes and minority groups in the US. The government has been working with affected groups since that time by offering resources, funding, and grants (Harris, 2017).

Section 3: Intervention Opportunities

1. Health Education

To resolve these environmental injustices, there is a need for a network that can help the community as a whole. The network needs enhancements in public and professional education. Health professionals must learn more about the health conditions that are caused by environmental factors. Medical students should also be given adequate training in environmental health.

To combat mortality and morbidity, the community should also be made aware of the environmental risks to its health. The community should be trained in basic environmental health issues, resources, and concepts. The community’s role in identifying environment-related problems should be increased. The community should be involved in research programs for these problems (Lee, 2017).

2. Advocacy

Advocacy is all about bringing change by influencing policies, systems, structures, and people. It is about communicating with the people in power and persuading them to act in more equitable and just and equitable. At the local level, advocacy can involve influencing the decision-makers in the factory by showing them the effects of pollution and requesting them to stop polluting the environment. At the national level, advocacy can involve asking for changes to the regulations related to pollution by industries. Because climate change is a global problem, governments around the world need to work together to find a solution.

3. Policy

There is a need to fund additional research which will help in making better-informed decisions and policies on environmental health. Environmental protection Agencies need to come up with policies, programs, and initiatives of addressing adverse environmental effects on ethnic and racial minorities and populations with low income.

There is also a need to involve all people irrespective of their ethnicity, race, nationality, education level, and income in developing, implementing, and enforcing environmental policies, regulations, and laws (Lee, 2017).

4. Leadership Opportunities

The mainstream environmental organizations should use their privilege to effectively support grassroots and frontline organizations by providing the required technical assistance when necessary. This support can include training on water testing or how to submit comments on environmental policies.

These organizations can also help in connecting communities with funding and research opportunities that would help in addressing environmental problems. When developing proposals, programs, and comments, mainstream organizations should consider the feedback and input from the people who are affected by environmental injustices.

Finally, these organizations should create more just distributions of funds to improve the strategies for promoting social justice (Sandhaus, 2018).

Section 4: My Leadership Role in the Future Regarding Environmental Health

I am intending to work in a mainstream environmental organization so that I will be able to push for the environmental health policies that will protect the minority groups and people with low incomes who are majorly affected by environmental health injustices.

I want to be in the front line of advocating for a change of policies, regulations, and laws on environmental health. My dream is to see every resident of America being able to access the basic right of good health by ensuring that they live in a safe environment where their health is no longer at risk.

I will achieve this by working in partnership with government agencies, community members, academic institutions, and other stakeholders to address health challenges related to the environment; improving understanding of health issues related to the environment at the community level; offering culturally suitable and accessible opportunities for minority groups and people with low income and ensure that they take part in our decision-making process; and enhancing the methods used to identify, address, track, and measure progress towards attaining environmental justice.

Section 5: Community Focus

Community groups can collaborate with non-profit organizations, government agencies, academic institutions, and other stakeholders to address environmental-related health issues. As a leader of a community group, I can help my community group by helping the members of my community to understand the environmental challenges the community is facing and how these challenges can affect their health.

I can also come up with training programs for helping the members to deal with these challenges. Most importantly, I can help my community group by making sure that the community takes part in decision-making processes by ensuring that I relay the concerns of my community to the right channels of decision-making and policy-making process.

Conclusion

It is no doubt that the environment shapes the way we live and eat and this affects our health in some way. There have been environmental social injustices over the years but the good news is that through health education, advocacy, policymaking, good leadership, and community focus, these injustices can be eradicated.

References

Bullard, R. D. (2018). Dumping in Dixie: Race, class, and environmental quality. Routledge.

Harris, P. G. (2017). International equity and global environmental politics: power and principles in US foreign policy. Routledge.

Krometis, L. A., Gohlke, J., Kolivras, K., Satterwhite, E., Marmagas, S. W., & Marr, L. C. (2017). Environmental health disparities in the central Appalachian region of the United States. Reviews on environmental health, 32(3), 253-266.

Lee, L. M. (2017). A bridge back to the future: public health ethics, bioethics, and environmental ethics. The American Journal of Bioethics, 17(9), 5-12.

Marmot, M. (2017). Social justice, epidemiology and health inequalities. European journal of epidemiology, 32(7), 537-546.

Purdy, J. (2017). The Long Environmental Justice Movement. Ecology LQ, 44, 809.

Sandhaus, S., Ramírez-Andreotta, M. D., Kilungo, A., Wolf, A. M., Sandoval, F., & Henriquez, P. (2018). Combating climate injustices: An informal science and popular education approach to addressing environmental health disparities. Pedagogy in Health Promotion, 4(4), 260-269.

Environmental Health Research Paper

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