Why COVID-19 is an Environmental Justice Issue Too | Op-Ed | NowThis

00:05:19
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFTd6oWfgo4

摘要

TLDRThe video addresses the heightened vulnerability of marginalized communities to the COVID-19 pandemic due to pre-existing environmental injustices and chronic health conditions. It stresses that minority and low-income populations, particularly African-Americans, are disproportionately affected by the virus, exacerbated by the environmental pollution such as in Cancer Alley, Louisiana. The lack of enforcement on environmental regulations further endangers these populations. The speaker advocates for directing economic recovery efforts to these communities, improving healthcare access, and enhancing transportation systems to ensure better resilience against future crises. Empowering community voices through sharing stories and voting is emphasized as critical for driving positive change.

心得

  • 🦠 Communities with underlying health conditions are more vulnerable to COVID-19.
  • 🏭 Industrial pollution impacts minority and low-income communities the hardest.
  • 🌍 Areas like Cancer Alley have faced decades of environmental injustice.
  • 💔 African-Americans are disproportionately affected by COVID-19.
  • 🚫 Lack of regulation enforcement endangers vulnerable populations.
  • 💰 Economic recovery efforts should focus on the most vulnerable communities.
  • 🏥 Healthcare access needs improvement in underserved areas.
  • 🗳️ Voting is crucial to bring about change in community welfare.
  • 🚄 Transportation systems need to be more resilient.
  • 📹 Sharing personal stories and awareness can empower communities.

时间轴

  • 00:00:00 - 00:05:19

    More people are being infected and dying from the coronavirus, particularly those from communities facing longstanding injustices. These communities, often bearing the burden of environmental pollution, have underlying health conditions that make them more susceptible to severe COVID-19 impacts. In places like Detroit and Cancer Alley, the correlation between pollution and increased vulnerability to infections is evident. To protect these communities, enforced regulations against pollution must continue, and economic recovery efforts must prioritize vulnerable areas. Enhancing healthcare access and improving infrastructure are critical steps. Civic engagement and voting for representatives who care about community well-being are emphasized as powerful tools for change.

思维导图

视频问答

  • Why are certain communities more affected by COVID-19?

    Communities with underlying health conditions and those exposed to prolonged pollution are more vulnerable to COVID-19.

  • Which areas are mentioned as suffering from pollution?

    Cancer Alley in Louisiana is highlighted as an area suffering from decades of petrochemical pollution.

  • What is a sacrifice zone?

    Sacrifice zones are areas, often low-income and minority communities, that bear the brunt of industrial pollution and environmental hazards.

  • How can communities become more resilient?

    Strengthening healthcare access, improving transportation, and focusing economic aid on vulnerable communities can enhance resilience.

  • What role does voting play in community empowerment?

    Voting for representatives who care about community-specific issues can drive systemic change and improve living conditions.

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    we're finding that more and more people
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    are getting infected and more and more
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    people are losing their lives and
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    unfortunately many of those folks are
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    actually the folks who've been carrying
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    the weight of the end justices that have
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    been going on for decades in this moment
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    right now it makes us more susceptible
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    to the corona virus pandemic
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    because if you have these underlying
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    medical conditions then that is a
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    gateway for that virus to actually be
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    able to impact what's going on because
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    of the immunosuppressant situations that
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    we find our communities
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    [Music]
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    you know communities of color
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    lower-income communities and indigenous
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    populations for decades have had to deal
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    with toxic pollution everything from
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    coal-fired power plants : it's just all
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    barns and turkey barns chicken farms and
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    incinerators communities of color they
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    have always been the sacrifice zones
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    they've been the places where we pushed
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    everything that nobody else wants and
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    because of those exposures there are a
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    number of other factors that happen
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    [Music]
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    [Music]
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    [Music]
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    and we overlay the coronavirus with a
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    community like there in Detroit what you
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    find is that you're going to have more
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    and more folks who are being exposed and
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    who are dealing with these infections
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    [Music]
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    african-americans are actually getting
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    infected at a higher rate and they are
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    losing their lives and a higher rate but
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    it's not just in the cities you can go
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    to cancer alley in Louisiana now we know
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    that New Orleans right now is one of the
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    hot spots and between New Orleans and
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    Baton Rouge is an area called cancer
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    alley where folks as far as the eye can
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    see in their petrochemical corporations
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    that have been pumping pollution into
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    their communities for decades and
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    decades
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    [Music]
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    [Music]
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    is nonsense because what it does it
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    creates or expands the sacrifice zones
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    that we have in this country it puts
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    more people's lives in danger because we
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    know there is a direct correlation
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    between the pollution that impacts all
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    communities but especially our most
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    vulnerable communities are usually
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    located the closest to these polluting
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    facilities and causing these other and
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    additional types of medical conditions
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    these chronic medical conditions that we
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    find inside of our most vulnerable
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    communities so by saying that you are no
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    longer going to enforce you're actually
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    making a death sentence for many
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    communities across their country we're
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    pumping three to five trillion dollars
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    over the next few months back into our
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    economy why don't we make sure that's
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    focused so that our most vulnerable
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    communities actually can move from
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    surviving to thrive in communities with
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    environmental justice concerns
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    emergencies is something that they deal
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    with on a daily basis we want to make
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    sure that people understand that we've
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    got these systemic sets of situations
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    that have been going on now for a long
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    time and we have an opportunity to
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    actually change some things we can make
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    sure that we actually have folks who are
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    focusing on are mentally underserved
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    areas we need to make sure that clinics
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    and hospitals that have been shutting
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    down if record numbers are actually in
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    these communities so folks can get there
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    we need to be better thinking our
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    transportation systems and one how
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    they've been impacted these communities
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    that we have situations that happen
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    whether it's a hurricane or a pandemic
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    that people have access and are able to
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    escape
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    you can also make sure that you are
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    donating to frontline communities and
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    others or out there doing everything
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    that they can to protect folks and you
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    can also pick up your phone and make a
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    video and share with the country how
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    you're feeling about what's going on and
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    one of the most important things that we
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    can do is to make sure that we vote I
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    never tell anyone who to vote for but I
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    do say vote for somebody who cares about
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    your community and what's going on
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    inside always remember that you have
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    power unless you give it away
标签
  • COVID-19
  • environmental justice
  • pollution
  • minority communities
  • healthcare access
  • voting
  • resilience
  • economic recovery
  • systemic change