Dear Mr. Prime Minister, and all those it may concern,
I’ve written you a letter a week about the environment since December and there has never been a better time to talk about Environmental Racism. I’m sure you’ve heard of it, but I’ll give you a description anyway. Environmental Racism is racism that takes the form of environmental destruction. Like the fact that landfills and toxic waste are more likely to be placed (often by the government) near Black and Indigenous communities. On a larger scale, the fact that climate change is going to have a greater effect on the largely non-white global south than on the whiter North is a form of Environmental Racism. Environmental Racism is extremely detrimental to marginalized communities. Living near sources of pollution can cause serious health problems and it has been shown that as a result of Environmental Racism rates of cancer and other deadly diseases are higher in Black and Indigenous communities than in white communities.
It is unjust that anyone should have to live near dumps, landfills and other sources of pollution. But the fact that the placement of these things are influenced by racism is disgusting and unacceptable anywhere, especially in a country that claims to be progressive on issues of environment and race. Last Sunday Canada celebrated National Indigenous People’s day. But that holiday doesn’t mean anything unless actual steps are taken to have Indigenous rights observed. Yet still the most basic human right, access to clean water, is denied from many Indigenous communities. I understand that it is hard to get water to remote towns, but I don’t understand why you then let the natural sources of clean water (rivers, often sacred ones) be polluted.
This racism is causing serious health problems, proving a point I briefly touched on in letter 26 that racism is a health problem. As the leader of a country full of examples of Environmental Racism you should be doing a lot more to stop this and remove the harmful sites already built. Stop building pipelines through Indigenous land and stop placing landfills near Black communities. Stop Environmental Racism.
I hope you have a wonderful day,
Amelia Penney-Crocker