Water Security and Racial Discrimination

2020 ◽  
pp. 83-102
Author(s):  
Rhett B. Larson
Keyword(s):  
Water Security ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
The United States ◽  
Water Insecurity ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Marginalized Communities ◽  
Water Policies ◽  
Ethnic Inequalities ◽  
Water Provision ◽  
Laws And Policies

Water policies around the world are developed or applied in ways that perpetuate racial or ethnic inequalities and discrimination. From the health crisis in Flint, Michigan, in the United States, to inadequate water provision to Romani communities in Europe, to disparate impacts of water pricing in South Africa, marginalized communities consistently face greater threats of water insecurity. For indigenous peoples, the challenge of water insecurity is often all the more poignant because of the unique cultural relationship these communities often have with their traditional waters. This chapter discusses how water laws and policies can deepen and perpetuate racial and ethnic inequalities, how existing laws can be asserted to promote the water rights and water security of racial and ethnic minorities, and the unique legal tools available to indigenous communities to pursue reforms and advances to achieve water security.

The effects of drinking water service fragmentation on drought-related water security

Science ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 368 (6488) ◽  
pp. 274-277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan Mullin
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Water Security ◽  
The United States ◽  
Water Systems ◽  
Drought Vulnerability ◽  
Water Insecurity ◽  
Community Water Systems ◽  
Systems Research ◽  
Community Water ◽  
Water Provision

Drought is a critical stressor that contributes to water insecurity. In the United States, an important pathway by which drought affects households’ access to clean, reliable drinking water for basic needs is through the organization and activities of community water systems. Research on the local political economy of drinking water provision reveals the constraints on community water systems that affect their performance when confronting drought hazards. Fragmentation in responsibility for drinking water contributes to disparities in drought vulnerability, preparation, and response across households and across communities. The nature and extent of these disparities require further investigation to identify strategies for expanding water security in the face of drought and other water hazards.

Reducing Mass Incarceration Through Trauma-Informed Pedagogy

2022 ◽  
pp. 123-143
Author(s):  
Belinda Marie Alexander-Ashley
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Mass Incarceration ◽  
The United States ◽  
Childhood Experiences ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Trauma Research ◽  
Marginalized Communities ◽  
Adverse Childhood ◽  
Trauma Informed ◽  
School Pedagogy

This chapter outlines strategies and practices that align with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's trauma-informed approach applied to school pedagogy in the United States to minimize or prevent trauma, especially for students referred to the school-to-prison pipeline, consequently reducing mass incarceration. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the United States' health crisis exposed a vulnerability for people of color, poorer communities, and those incarcerated, stressing a need to respond expediently to address trauma in marginalized communities. The Adverse Childhood Experiences Connection referred to childhood trauma as “America's hidden health crisis.” Focusing on trauma for school-aged youth offers a path to preventing or minimizing trauma. Research suggests that more robust, multidisciplinary research, with an intentional purpose to transform teacher practices and responses to disciplinary conduct, is needed.

Soft Sterilization: Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives in the Carceral State

Affilia ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 218-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Della J. Winters ◽  
Adria Ryan McLaughlin
Keyword(s):  
The United States ◽  
State Agencies ◽  
Reproductive Justice ◽  
Reproductive Autonomy ◽  
Carceral State ◽  
Marginalized Communities ◽  
Reproductive Control ◽  
Laws And Policies ◽  
Long Acting ◽  
Long Acting Reversible Contraceptives

In the United States, between 1907 and 1978, the proliferation of eugenic state practices routinely targeted institutionalized women with legalized involuntary sterilization. Sterilization laws and policies were a form of reproductive control, which predominantly impacted women from marginalized communities. After the implementation of federal regulations prohibiting involuntary sterilization practices, state agencies continued to engage in coercive sterilization under the guise of “voluntariness.” Using a reproductive justice framework, we introduce a concept of reproductive control embedded within the carceral state. Tracing historical sterilization practices and examining the use of long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC), we argue that LARC represents a different form of involuntary sterilization. The emergence of LARC as a highly effective, nonagentive, and mediated form of contraception for vulnerable populations demands interrogation. We identify the use of LARC as soft sterilization, which is both related to and distinct from other forms of reproductive control. As such, reproductive autonomy is not possible without the destruction of the carceral state.

Gender, Politics, and Water in Australia and Bangladesh

2019 ◽  
pp. 165-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret Alston
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Water Insecurity ◽  
Critical Feature ◽  
Water Policies ◽  
The Face ◽  
Farming Families ◽  
Climate Events ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Way

In the wake of climate change, environmental degradation, and increasing global populations, food and water security are under threat throughout the world. This chapter focuses on the impacts of climate change on water security in Australia and Bangladesh, noting in particular the gendered implications and the way policies influence and shape gendered responses. In Bangladesh, for example, following disasters, access to safe, uncontaminated water may involve women walking significant distances. Australian research has examined the impact of water policies on gendered livelihood strategies as farming families readjust to their reduced access to irrigation water. A critical feature of this chapter is an examination of the way water has become “commodified” and reconfigured around new forms of market value. The chapter poses questions about the ongoing impact of water insecurity in the face of predicted and extreme climate events.

scholarly journals Water Security as an Emergent Opportunity in Canada

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 4
Author(s):  
CASIS
Keyword(s):  
Water Policy ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Water Insecurity ◽  
Global Issues ◽  
Editorial Boards ◽  
Canadian Association ◽  
August 15Th ◽  
Intelligence Studies

On August 15th 2019, the Canadian Association for Security and Intelligence Studies hosted its monthly roundtable focusing on “Water Security as an Emergent Opportunity for Canada”. The presentation was delivered by Dr. Zafar Adeel, a serving member on the editorial boards of Sustainability Science (Springer) and New Water Policy and Practice Journal (PSO). Dr. Adeel highlighted various emerging and continuing water security threats in British Columbia, emphasizing their similarities to other global issues. He directed his talk to addressing the impacts of climate change on water insecurity and its ability to create new threats to Canada’s coastal cities. The following roundtable discussion centered around a dialogue on the persistent insecurity in Canada’s indigenous communities as a security concern describing the matter as a play off between policy and security affairs. Audience members then brought into question the suitability of using the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) doctrine to intervene where a nation’s water security is at risk and addressed the complexities of the ‘react’ pillar in intervening militarily.

Water insecurity in Indigenous Canada: a community-based inter-disciplinary approach

2015 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 270-281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maura Hanrahan ◽  
Atanu Sarkar ◽  
Amy Hudson
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Water Insecurity ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Methods ◽  
Piped Water ◽  
Project Phases ◽  
Island Community ◽  
Two Phases

Water insecurity in Northern Indigenous communities in Canada remains a pressing problem, with multiple dimensions and health impacts. We carried out a case study of long-term water insecurity in the Southern Inuit island community of Black Tickle, Labrador, where there is no piped water and people rely on an under-funded potable water dispensing unit (PWDU) and unmonitored water sources. Our community-based multi-disciplinary project involved qualitative and quantitative methods including key informant interviews, focus groups, a census, a literature review, water testing, and an engineering site visit. In Black Tickle, water security was chronically and severely compromised and was linked to poverty, food insecurity, men's health, and mental health. We have taken a materialist approach; accordingly, later project phases involve research aimed at identifying appropriate solutions, and conducting pre-engineering and engineering work. This article reports on the first two phases of the project, through which we described the problem and identified its impacts.

scholarly journals Letter on Rocket's et al., manuscript: Fatal self-injury in the United States, 1999–2018: Unmasking a national mental health crisis

2021 ◽  
Vol 34 ◽  
pp. 100820
Author(s):  
Julian Santaella-Tenorio ◽  
Tarlise Townsend ◽  
Noa Krawczyk ◽  
David Frank ◽  
Samuel R. Friedman
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mental Health Crisis ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Self Injury ◽  
National Mental Health

scholarly journals Planning for the First and Last Mile: A Review of Practices at Selected Transit Agencies in the United States

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 2222
Author(s):  
Hossain Mohiuddin
Keyword(s):  
Los Angeles ◽  
Gap Analysis ◽  
The United States ◽  
Design Guidelines ◽  
Plan Implementation ◽  
Marginalized Communities ◽  
Transit Ridership ◽  
Last Mile ◽  
Transit Agencies

A transit trip involves travel to and from transit stops or stations. The quality of what are commonly known as first and last mile connections (regardless of their length) can have an important impact on transit ridership. Transit agencies throughout the world are developing innovative approaches to improving first and last mile connections, for example, by partnering with ride-hailing and other emerging mobility services. A small but growing number of transit agencies in the U.S. have adopted first and last mile (FLM) plans with the goal of increasing ridership. As this is a relatively new practice by transit agencies, a review of these plans can inform other transit agencies and assist them in preparing their own. Four FLM plans were selected from diverse geographic contexts for review: Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro), Riverside (CA) Transit Agency (RTA), and Denver Regional Transit District (RTD), and City of Richmond, CA. Based on the literature, we developed a framework with an emphasis on transportation equity to examine these plans. We identified five common approaches to addressing the FLM issue: spatial gap analysis with a focus on socio-demographics and locational characteristics, incorporation of emerging mobility services, innovative funding approaches for plan implementation, equity and transportation remedies for marginalized communities, and development of pedestrian and bicycle infrastructures surrounding transit stations. Strategies in three of the plans are aligned with regional goals for emissions reductions. LA Metro and Riverside Transit incorporate detailed design guidelines for the improvement of transit stations. As these plans are still relatively new, it will take time to evaluate their impact on ridership and their communities’ overall transit experience.

NEEDED: Grassroots Leaders to Lead Systems Change Efforts that Reduce Infant Mortality

2020 ◽  
pp. 016059762096974
Author(s):  
Nathan Marquam ◽  
Ashley Irby ◽  
Nancy Swigonski ◽  
Kara Casavan ◽  
Jack Turman
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Infant Mortality ◽  
Birth Outcomes ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Marginalized Communities ◽  
Grassroots Movements ◽  
Reduce Infant Mortality ◽  
Reduction Strategies

The death of an infant devastates a mother, family and community. The United States has one of the highest infant mortality rates among the world’s high income nations. Infant mortality is a key indicator of a population’s health and societal well-being, yet interventions aimed at improving societal well-being are rarely a priority when devising infant mortality reduction strategies. Historically, grassroots movements have been critical in advancing social change to improve women’s health and empowerment in marginalized communities. Understanding strategic and infrastructure elements of these grassroots movements is a critical first step to efficiently growing USA grassroots movements to address social systems associated with poor birth outcomes. We provide an analysis of the diverse array of grassroots structures and strategies utilized to improve maternal and child health outcomes. It is time for grassroots movements to form and be recognized as vital players in efforts to sustainably reduce infant mortality in the United States. It is essential to foster grassroots leaders and movements that improve long standing social structures that contribute to poor birth outcomes. The personal and community knowledge of these leaders and community members are desperately needed to save women and infants in our nation.

scholarly journals Impact of Extreme Drought Climate on Water Security in North Borneo: Case Study of Sabah

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 1135
Author(s):  
Carolyn Payus ◽  
Lim Ann Huey ◽  
Farrah Adnan ◽  
Andi Besse Rimba ◽  
Geetha Mohan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Resource ◽  
Supply And Demand ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Extreme Drought ◽  
Northeast Monsoon ◽  
Water Insecurity ◽  
The North ◽  
North Borneo

For countries in Southeast Asia that mainly rely on surface water as their water resource, changes in weather patterns and hydrological systems due to climate change will cause severely decreased water resource availability. Warm weather triggers more water use and exacerbates the extraction of water resources, which will change the operation patterns of water usage and increase demand, resulting in water scarcity. The occurrence of prolonged drought upsets the balance between water supply and demand, significantly increasing the vulnerability of regions to damaging impacts. The objectives of this study are to identify trends and determine the impacts of extreme drought events on water levels for the major important water dams in the northern part of Borneo, and to assess the risk of water insecurity for the dams. In this context, remote sensing images are used to determine the degree of risk of water insecurity in the regions. Statistical methods are used in the analysis of daily water levels and rainfall data. The findings show that water levels in dams on the North and Northeast Coasts of Borneo are greatly affected by the extreme drought climate caused by the Northeast Monsoon, with mild to the high risk recorded in terms of water insecurity, with only two of the water dams being water-secure. This study shows how climate change has affected water availability throughout the regions.

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