Race activists in West Oakland, California say rising sea levels are not their fault and are demanding reparations

The community of West Oakland in the San Francisco Bay Area faces a new environmental threat in the form of toxic waste lurking underground and residents clamoring for “climate justice” in the form of reparations.

The threat comes on top of existing pollution faced by residents in predominantly colored communities.

The stability of contaminants buried underground is a reminder of Oakland’s industrial history, but the health and safety of local residents depends heavily on whether it remains in the ground.

But as the waters of the San Francisco Bay rise and reach beneath these pockets of pollution, some of the waste will be moved and scattered with more than 130 sites at risk.

West Oakland residents are now calling for “climate justice” in the form of reparations

The rise in groundwater is believed to be caused by human-induced climate change and the impact is already being felt in West Oakland and other parts of the Bay Area.

Climate scientists warn that plumes of waste will migrate underground, exposing communities of color to contamination long before floods engulf industrialized coastlines.

“These are environmental health issues that need to be addressed now,” said Rachel Morello-Frosch, a researcher at poisonous tides, a project mapping pollution in areas vulnerable to sea level rise at UC Berkeley.

Frosch told NPR that she believes the issue is urgent and that the looming environmental health problems must be addressed.

West Oakland’s toxic waste and pollution are the result of historic racism in housing, economics and past policies, activists argue.

Margaret Gordon, a 75-year-old black woman and environmental advocate, explained that the threat of underground toxins exacerbates the neighborhood’s already serious environmental challenges

Toxic Tides is a project that maps pollution in areas vulnerable to sea level rise

Residents did not agree to live in such conditions and are now demanding a major role in climate resilience plans.

Margaret Gordon, a 75-year-old black woman and environmental advocate, explained that the threat of underground toxins exacerbates the neighborhood’s already serious environmental problems.

“The recovery movement is the next level of civil rights,” Gordon told NPR. “We can’t just survive. We should flourish.

“There are tons of pollutants or toxins in the soil. You can’t build a garden without having your soil tested,” she explained. “It still comes down to racing.”

West Oakland is just one example of many communities of color disproportionately affected by climate change on a global scale.

Gordon sees climate justice as a form of reparations for historically marginalized communities and believes that a payment, in both financial resources and services, would be a way to repair the damage caused by decisions that allowed toxic industries to operate nearby, allowing essentially devalued the lives of black people.

“Let’s talk about reparations,” Gordon suggests. “We would have long-term sustainability. I would know that there is housing for my children and grandchildren, so there is work for them.’

Reparations can strengthen the local economy and improve overall health.

West Oakland’s industrialization dates back 150 years when it became an economic powerhouse with the end of the Transcontinental Railroad

Over time, industries such as shipbuilding, foundries and manufacturing settled in the area, but racist credit policies such as restricting black people in the neighborhood prevented them from seeking housing elsewhere

“Complete freedom to say, ‘I can leave or I can stay,'” Gordon said. Or, “I have the freedom, the values, and the finances to create the future I want.”

The situation in West Oakland is also exacerbated by the physical restrictions imposed by three surrounding highways, limiting mobility and opportunities for its approximately 23,000 residents, 75 percent of whom are people of color.

The median income for black residents of West Oakland is about $30,000, one-third of the median income whites earn annually, according to the City of Oakland.

The neighborhood faces the pressures of low wages, high housing costs and poor health due to increased exposure to pollution.

Gordon founded the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project to advocate for environmental justice for communities of color with West Oakland the city most susceptible to toxic rising groundwater.

In Oakland, where there has been redlining, is right where all the toxic sites are

According to Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò, author of the book Reconsidering Reparations, which includes a chapter on climate reparations, the concepts of climate justice and reparations are similar.

Táíwò argues that climate change and reparations in response to historical racial injustice have common roots. Given that climate change is already affecting communities of color, the two concepts are linked, he believes.

“Climate change and reparations in terms of a response to the history of racial injustice have the same roots,” he explained.

“Even if you haven’t believed the historical story of why reparations and climate crisis are linked, I think there’s a clear, practical story if you want to change who faces [high] levels of death, disease and displacement,” he said.

Scientists believe that the Bay Area’s current coastlines could be completely submerged by 2100, with the Bay’s water inundating the land and creating a layer of salt water below ground, but in reality it could pose problems if the waterline is only a few inches. rises.

This upward pressure on the existing groundwater can lead to contact with contaminated soil.

The rise in groundwater is a precarious situation that also poses risks in terms of infrastructure, such as sewage pipes coming under pressure, leading to cracking and breaking with the release of toxic contaminants into the environment.

West Oakland’s industrialization dates back 150 years when it became an economic powerhouse with the end of the transcontinental railroad.

Over time, industries such as shipbuilding, foundries and manufacturing settled in the area.

Gas stations, dry cleaners and car yards later joined the mix, but racist lending policies such as pushing incarcerated black people back to the neighborhood prevented them from seeking housing elsewhere.

In Oakland, where there has been redlining, is right where all the toxic sites are.

Redlining is a discriminatory practice in which financial institutions, insurance companies and other businesses draw lines on a map to delineate areas where they may or may not provide services, such as mortgages, insurance or loans.

The practice was most commonly used in the 20th century and was based on racial and ethnic discrimination.

Redlining resulted in a lack of investment and neglect in minority neighborhoods, leading to persistent poverty and limited access to financial services and investment.

Although redlining was banned in the United States by the Fair Housing Act of 1968, its legacy continues to shape urban landscapes and communities.

West Oakland was severely neglected due to redlining, resulting in deteriorating buildings, overcrowding, and limited housing.

Local and federal policies further worsened the situation by seizing land through eminent domain for highways, public housing and a BART station.

The actions had a major impact on the historic black neighborhood.