Environmental racism is a form of institutional racism leading to landfills, incinerators, and hazardous waste disposal being disproportionally placed in communities of colour. This includes the lack of minority and indigenous representation in environmental decision-making and inequality in resource development. Internationally, it is also associated with extractivism, which places the environmental burdens of mining, oil extraction, and industrial agriculture upon Indigenous peoples and poorer nations largely inhabited by people of colour.
Environmental racism in Western Europe is well documented. Minority groups such as Romani people are subjected to disproportionate exposure to environmental hazards, denial of access to clean air, water, and natural resources, and infringement of environmentally related human rights.Steger, Tamara et al. eds. Making the Case for Environmental Justice in Central & Eastern Europe. Budapest: CEU Center for Environmental Policy and Law, The Central European University; The Health and Environment Alliance; and The Coalition for Environmental Justice, March 2007. pp. 1–57. Web. April 10, 2016. In Northern Europe, indigenous groups such as the Sami face a history of environmental racism across the Sápmi region in Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. This continues today largely in the form of resource development that disproportionally impacts indigenous lands and livelihoods.
Germany The systematic targeting and genocide of Romani and Sinti communities in Germany during the Holocaust was not officially recognized until 1982.Abdikeeva, Alphia. "Germany's Policies Toward Sinti and Roma: Living apartheid?" European Roma Rights Centre. European Roma Rights Centre, May 7, 2002. n. pag. Web. April 10, 2016. Despite having a recorded presence in German-speaking territories since 1419,Abdikeeva, Alphia; Kawczyński, Rudolf; Heuss, Herbert. "The Situation of Roma in Germany," p. 141–224. Ed. EU Accession Monitoring Program of the Open Society Institute. Open Society Institute. November 25, 2002. Web. April 10, 2016. many Romani and Sinti were denied or stripped of citizenship following the second world war. In absence of comprehensive reparation or conciliation processes, Romani and Sinti in Germany have experienced ongoing violence, harassment, and marginalizationPopp, Maximilian. Sinti, Roma and Racism: Report Blasts Berlin's Inaction. Spiegel Online International, December 12, 2012. n. pag. Web. April 10, 2016. within a broader context of environmental discrimination.Peuker, Mario; Bochmann, Annett; and Heidmann, Rachel. Germany RAXEN National Focal Point Thematic Study Housing Conditions of Sinti and Roma. European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, 2009. p. 1–79. Web. April 10, 2016. The relationship between postwar socio-economic exclusion of Romani and Sinti communities with environmental marginalization has been documented by scholars such as Alphia Abdikeeva as early as 2002. According to Abdikeeva, Heuss, and Kawczyński, "most of the so-called 'Sinti settlements' were formed after the war, when German Sinti and Roma who returned to their hometowns from concentration camps were resettled in city and town slums, usually in the least attractive area, in conditions which posed serious environmental and health risks".
Heidelberg: Sinti settlement in Henkel-Teroson-Street As of 2004, several hundred Sinti families resided on the outskirts of Heidelberg in a settlement in Henkel-Teroson-Street.ERRC. "Joint EU Monitoring and Advocacy Program / European Roma Rights Center Shadow Report. Provided to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women Commenting on the fifth periodic report of the Federal Republic of Germany Submitted under Article 18 of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. " European Roma Rights Centre. EU Monitoring and Advocacy Program, Open Society Institute. 2004. Web. April 10, 2016. p. 30 Most residents were unemployed; both the land and groundwater were believed to be contaminated. Across the street from the site is a chemical plant operated by Henkel Chemical Company. In spite of health concerns, as of 2004 no studies on health and environmental effects had been conducted. The plot is owned by Heidelberg city and now holds "Notwohnungen" (emergency housing) and refugee accommodations constructed in 2006. An environmental impact assessment for a planned neighbouring big-box store did not assess groundwater contamination in 2021.
Berlin Land Dreilinden property (Sinti camp) Since 1995, authorities in Berlin have operated a user-fee camping facility for seasonal Sinti workers on the Dreilinden property. The facility houses up to 200 persons and is a source of concern due to its location on the outskirts of Berlin, on a part of former Checkpoint Bravo. Housing conditions are poor, while utilities and infrastructure is minimal.
Hamburg: Georgswerder Ring Sinti settlement In the mid-1980s, authorities selected an area next to a former toxic waste dump as the location for a new Sinti settlement by the name of Georgswerder Ring on the outskirts of Hamburg, in spite of the site having been deemed unfit for human habitation during the mid-1970s. Home to at least 200 persons, residents were not informed of the site's history. As of 2004, there were concerns that rising groundwater may have forced toxins to the surface and contaminated the land and air, sparking fears among some medical experts that birth defects, stillborns, and certain illnesses could be dramatically on the rise. As of 2004, the settlement was isolated, poorly served by public transportation, and located in close proximity to the new Hamburg city dump posing further ongoing health concerns.
Kistnersgrund Sinti settlement In the 1970s, the Kistnersgrund Sinti settlement was constructed in Bad Hersfeld, Hesse. Located on the outskirts of the city, it was situated on top of a garbage dump. Following a hepatitis outbreak in the early 1980s, authorities relocated the community to a new settlement called Haunewiese, where residents have experienced substandard housing conditions.
United Kingdom
Air pollution in the United Kingdom has been identified as an issue disproportionately affecting minority ethnic and racial groups, particularly those who identify as Black-British.UK Government. "UK notification to the European Commission to extend the compliance deadline for meeting PM10 limit values in ambient air to 2011—Racial Equality Impact Assessment (England) ." The ENDS Report. UK Government, August 2009. p. 1-15. Web. April 10, 2016. p.15 According to a British government report, "Nationally, for those who live in areas overlapping the motorway and A road network in England, on average ethnic groups not classified as White–British are exposed to 17.5 per cent higher concentrations of PM10 ... Across the different areas individuals identified as Black or Black-British African are exposed to the highest levels of PM10 of up to almost 30 per cent higher than White British.
Romani and Travellers in the UK have been identified as experiencing unequal burdens of negative environmental living conditions. In Wales, Romani and Traveller sites have been documented as being frequently located near scrap metal facilities, which is a major source of employment.Staniewicz, Teresa. "United Kingdom RAXEN Focal Point Thematic Study Housing Conditions of Roma and Travellers." European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, 2009. p. 1–109. Web. June 1, 2016.Le Bas, Damian. On the Scrap Heap. Romedia Foundation: New Avenue for Social Change. September 20, 2013. n. pag. Web. April 10, 2016. Romani and Travellers frequently burn scrap as a way of cleaning metals for recycling which can be a cause for health concerns. Throughout the United Kingdom, many public Romani and Traveller encampment and housing sites are, according to Staniewicz, "located in polluted environments, far away from local services, next to sewage works or under flyovers. Pitches are often overcrowded and facilities are well below the standard expected of social housing."
In general, Romani and Traveller sites are rural and segregated from areas that would normally be considered residential areas; it is common for these sites to be environmentally disadvantaged by being located near motorways, railroads, and garbage dumps, quarries, waterways, electrical transmission lines, or surrounded by industrial zones, all of which have been identified as environmental health concerns.Power, Colm. "Room to Roam: England's Irish Travellers." Report of Research Funded by the Community Fund (UK), June 2004. Statewatch. p. 1-130. Web. April 10, 2016. p.45 As of 2004, seventy percent of local authority (LA) Irish Traveller sites in England were identified as having at least two or more environmental hazards, while twenty-three percent of such sites were identified as being subject to four or more environmental hazards.
According to Steger, "A high percentage of Gypsy and Traveller communities in the United Kingdom (UK) are located in areas that are fully unsuitable for living and raising families. In addition to the environmental health risks posed by living in highly polluted areas, such communities also tend to be on the outskirts of towns making access to public services, transportation, and employment difficult, if not impossible."Steger, Tamara et al. eds. Making the Case for Environmental Justice in Central & Eastern Europe. Budapest: CEU Center for Environmental Policy and Law, The Central European University; The Health and Environment Alliance; and The Coalition for Environmental Justice, March 2007. pp. 1–57. Web. April 10, 2016. The United Kingdom Department of Health supported a 2004 study that identified Romani and Travellers as being subject to disproportionate health needs compared to other ethnic minority groups in the UK, yet receiving substantially less health services.
Barry's Council's Gander site
One location of particular concern has been Barry's Council's Gander site in West London, inhabited by Irish Travellers. As of 2004, the site was situated near a highway and next to an aggregate concrete factory, which was built in 1999, prior to the Travellers being moved onto the site by local authorities. One survey determined that approximately half the residents felt that the site was unhealthy; since moving to the site, residents have reported skin rashes and abnormalities, asthma, and breathing difficulties among infants. One observer has stated