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Dr. Ana Baptista, co-director of the Tishman Center, has recently been featured on the Resources Radio podcast with host Margaret Walls. In Episode 219, “Environmental Justice and the Cumulative Impacts of Pollution”, Ana breaks down the definition of “cumulative impacts”, why they are a particularly tough problem for overburdened communities to combat, and how environmental justice movements have successfully pushed for greater cumulative impacts legislation in recent years.
Read MoreThe issue of cumulative impacts (CI) has been a central focus of the environmental justice (EJ) movement for decades. Understanding cumulative impacts requires consideration of the complex interplay between socio-demographic, environmental, and public health factors that impact EJ communities. These communities are both more likely to be overburdened with pollution (higher vulnerability) and more likely to suffer severe impacts from pollution (higher susceptibility) . Yet advancing actions that address cumulative impacts in EJ communities has been challenging for a variety of reasons. One of the key barriers to addressing CI in environmental decision-making is the narrow focus of existing environmental regulations that do not include an explicit mandate to consider multiple pollutants from multiple sources. There are gaps in our knowledge about how multiple pollutants interact with each other and impact public health under different conditions; and most environmental laws do not consider the socio-demographic and health disparities that impact EJ communities . Finally, one of the biggest obstacles to implementing a proactive approach to addressing CI has been the lack of political will to limit the activity of industry in EJ communities where cumulative impacts have traditionally been concentrated…
Read MoreFor the fourth part of the Tishman Center’s video interview series, we spoke to Dr. Nicky Sheats, director of the Center for the Urban Environment of the John S. Watson Institute for Public Policy at Thomas Edison State University and a key member of the New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance (NJEJA). He is also a lawyer and longtime advocate for environmental justice.
Read MoreFor the second part of the Tishman Center’s video interview series, we would like to highlight Maria Lopez-Nuñez. As the Deputy Director of Organizing and Advocacy at the Ironbound Community Corporation (ICC) in Newark, NJ, Maria is an environmental justice activist deeply rooted in the Ironbound community.
Read MoreEarlier this month, Ana Baptista, Director of the Tishman Center and Chair of Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management program, gave a Congressional briefing in front of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce about the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on environmental justice communities.
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