scholarly journals “Sacrifice Zones” in the Green Energy Economy: Toward an Environmental Justice Framework

2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 861-898 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dayna Nadine Scott ◽  
Adrian A. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Justice ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Food Justice ◽  
Green Energy ◽  
Toxic Waste ◽  
Energy Projects ◽  
Energy Economy ◽  
Colonial Capitalism

The environmental justice movement validates the grassroots struggles of residents of places which Steve Lerner refers to as “sacrifice zones”: low-income and racialized communities shouldering more than their fair share of environmental harms related to pollution, contamination, toxic waste, and heavy industry. On this account, disparities in wealth and power, often inscribed and re-inscribed through social processes of racialization, are understood to produce disparities in environmental burdens. Here, we attempt to understand how these dynamics are shifting in the green energy economy under settler colonial capitalism. We consider the possibility that the political economy of green energy contains its own sacrifice zones. Drawing on preliminary empirical research undertaken in southwestern Ontario in 2015, we document local resistance to renewable energy projects. Residents mounted campaigns against wind turbines based on suspected health effects and against solar farms based on arable land and food justice concerns, and in both cases, grounded their resistance in a generalized claim, which might be termed a “right to landscape”. We conclude that this resistance, contrary to typical framings which dismiss it as NIMBYism, has resonances with broader claims about environmental justice and may signal larger structural shifts worth devoting scholarly attention to. In the end, however, we do not wholly accept the sacrifice zone characterization of this resistance either, as our analysis reveals it to be far more complex and ambiguous than such a framing allows. But we maintain that taking this resistance seriously, rather than treating it as merely obstructionist to a transition away from fossil capitalism, reveals a counter-hegemonic potential at its core. There are seeds in this resistance with the power to push back on the deepening of capitalist relations that would otherwise be ushered in by an uncritical embrace of “green energy” enthusiasm.

Descriptive characterization of sound levels in an environmental justice city before and during a global pandemic

2021 ◽  
pp. 111353
Author(s):  
Erica D. Walker ◽  
Nina F. Lee ◽  
Madeleine K. Scammell ◽  
Arielle P. Feuer ◽  
Maria B. Power ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Justice ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Sound Levels

scholarly journals Synthesis and Piezoelectric Characterization of UV-Curable Nanocellulose/ZnO/AlN Polymeric Flexible Films for Green Energy Generation Applications

Proceedings ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 36
Author(s):  
Maria Assunta Signore ◽  
Giulio Malucelli ◽  
Donatella Duraccio ◽  
Chiara De Pascali ◽  
Ambra Fioravanti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Generation ◽  
Green Energy ◽  
Nitride Film ◽  
Cantilever Beams ◽  
Functional Coatings ◽  
Uv Curable ◽  
Mass Insertion ◽  
Flexible Films ◽  
Piezoelectric Behavior

In this work, the fabrication of composites consisting of piezoelectric ZnO ceramic nanostructures and nanocellulose fillers in a UV-cured acrylic matrix has been exploited for the design of new functional coatings for green energy generation. The piezoelectric behavior was investigated at different accelerations applied to cantilever beams. The piezoelectric signal generated by the different ZnO nanostructures was improved by aluminum nitride film integration on the beam and proof mass insertion at the tip.

Removal of Ni(II) from aqueous solution using Moringa oleifera seeds as a bioadsorbent

2012 ◽  
Vol 65 (8) ◽  
pp. 1435-1440 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thiago L. Marques ◽  
Vanessa N. Alves ◽  
Luciana M. Coelho ◽  
Nívia M. M. Coelho
Keyword(s):  
Moringa Oleifera ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Toxic Waste ◽  
Adsorption Model ◽  
New Techniques ◽  
Sorption Data ◽  
Natural Adsorbents ◽  
Ph Range

Metal contaminants are generally removed from effluents by chemical and physical processes which are often associated with disadvantages such as the use of toxic reagents, generation of toxic waste and high costs. Hence, new techniques have been developed, among them the study of natural adsorbents, for instance, the use of Moringa oleifera seeds. The potential of M. oleifera seeds for nickel removal in aqueous systems was investigated. The seeds utilized were obtained from plants grown in Uberlândia/Brazil. After being dried and pulverized, the seeds were treated with 0.1 mol/L NaOH. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and thermogravimetric analyses were used for the characterization of the material. Using the optimized methodology (50 mL of 4.0 mg/L Ni(II), pH range of 4.0–6.0, agitation time of 5 min and adsorption mass of 2.0 g) more than 90% of Ni(II) could be removed from water samples. The sorption data were fitted satisfactorily by the Langmuir adsorption model. Evaluation applying the Langmuir equation gave the monolayer sorption capacity as 29.6 mg/g. The results indicate that this material could be employed in the extraction of nickel, considering its ease of use, low cost and environmental viability, which make it highly attractive for application in developing countries.

EcoPopulism: Toxic Waste and the Movement for Environmental Justice.

1995 ◽  
Vol 82 (1) ◽  
pp. 371
Author(s):  
Martin V. Melosi ◽  
Andrew Szasz
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Justice ◽  
Toxic Waste

Phytochemical characterization of Caraway (Carum carvi) seed extract and its use as a potent medicinal agent

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (10) ◽  
pp. 102-110
Author(s):  
Vivek Chauhan ◽  
Sunita Devi ◽  
Sonaxi Sharma ◽  
Shamsher S. Kanwar
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Epidermidis ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Seed Extract ◽  
Phytochemical Analysis ◽  
Phytochemical Screening ◽  
Food Industries ◽  
Carum Carvi ◽  
Medicinal Properties ◽  
The Village

Carum carvi (Caraway) is a member of Apiaceae family which originated in Asia. Due to its economic importance, it is widely cultivated. Caraway is the only annual species, commonly present in arable land, moist meadows and on low lands to mountains. Caraway has different applications in pharmaceutical and food industries. Phytochemical screening of different medicinal plants is helpful in identifying new sources of industrially and therapeutically important compounds. In this study, Caraway obtained from forest surrounding the village Goherman, Lahaul and Spiti, Himachal Pradesh (India) was used. Seed extract of caraway extracted in methanol (MSE) and distilled water (WSE) was used for phytochemical analysis to determine the constituents of caraway seeds. Further, caraway seeds extract was checked for antibacterial activity [Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 6538), Salmonella typhimurium (NCTC 74), Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922) and Staphylococcus epidermidis (ATCC 12228)], antioxidant activity and acid neutralizing activity. After analysing the results, it can be said that caraway seeds possess many medicinal properties and it can be used in enhancing human health.

scholarly journals Characterization of small-scale fisheries in the Camamu-Almada basin, southeast state of Bahia, Brazil

2008 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 711-719 ◽  
Author(s):  
TCM. Souza ◽  
M. Petrere-Jr
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Income Generation ◽  
Target Species ◽  
Market Prices ◽  
Marine Fishery ◽  
Small Scale Fisheries ◽  
Main Factor ◽  
Stock Abundance

In the Camamu-Almada basin, marine fishery is exclusively small-scale, with several structural deficiencies such as boats with low or absent navigational technology, lack of credit and low income. Local fishers complain that shrimp and lobster trawling fishing is the main factor responsible for low stock abundance, but they still persist in these activities as these two species command the highest market prices. So they feel that the target species are already over-fished. We suggest that proper management action, alternative ways of income generation and the payment of job insurance would help to mitigate the problem.

Assessing regional progress towards a ‘Green Energy Economy’

2016 ◽  
Vol 179 ◽  
pp. 1372-1394 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis Mundaca ◽  
Anil Markandya
Keyword(s):  
Green Energy ◽  
Energy Economy

scholarly journals Setting the table, not running it: An inclusive approach to access to healthy foods

2021 ◽  
pp. 47-50
Author(s):  
Karen Emmerman
Keyword(s):  
Child Labor ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Food System ◽  
Food Justice ◽  
Healthy Foods ◽  
Species Barrier ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Living Wages ◽  
Inclusive Approach ◽  
Access To Healthy Foods

Food Empowerment Project (F.E.P.) is a vegan food justice nonprofit in northern California. We focus on making a more just and sustainable food system for everyone involved. Since injustice in the food system crosses the species barrier, we work to connect the dots between the exploitation of human and nonhuman animals. We focus our efforts on four main areas: ending the use of animals in the food system, improving access to healthy foods in Black, Brown, and low-income communities, exposing the worst forms of child labor (including slavery) in the chocolate industry, and advocating for farmworker rights. These seemingly disparate areas have much in common: they are interlocking forms of oppres­sion, marginalization, and domination in the food system. We recognize that the intersecting nature of oppression necessitates a nuanced response. For example, as an organization working on both farm­worker justice and food apartheid, we cannot advocate for lowering the price of food as this would negatively impact produce workers who already suffer grave systemic injustice. Instead, we advocate for equality of access and living wages for everyone.[1] In this piece, we focus on our approach to the lack of access to healthy foods, and specifically our community-based efforts in Vallejo, California.

scholarly journals Local characterization of the Covid19 Response in low-income country: The case of a Lockdown in Zambia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Choolwe Muzyamba
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Incidence Rates ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Low Income Country ◽  
Phone Calls ◽  
Heated Debate ◽  
Local Characterization

Abstract Background The onset of the covid19 pandemic has sparked heated debate among scholars on the relevance of lockdowns. There are those in favor of the lockdown and others who are critical of it. However, despite the increased interest in understanding the relevance of lockdowns, there still has not been much focus on its relevance in low income countries like Zambia. Thus with the help of the SRT, we set out to explore and document the local characterization of the lockdown by residents of Lusaka, Zambia.Methods A qualitative study in the form of interviews was conducted in Lusaka, Zambia involving a sample of 68 participants. Due to the lockdown measures that were in place during the study, the interviews were conducted via phone calls and the data collected were later analyzed by use of thematic analysis technique.Results The lockdown was on one hand lauded for slowing down the incidence rates, preventing fatalities, and for protecting the healthcare system from collapse. On the other hand, it was criticized for exacerbating poverty levels, unemployment rates, increasing the rate of mental health problems, aiding gender based violence, and intensifying political repression and corruption. The results speak to the complexity in the characterization of the lockdown as a response to covid19 in Zambia. This observation demonstrates the folly of viewing, applying and characterizing the covid19 lockdown as a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach in Zambia.Conclusion Thus rather than definitely establishing the lockdown as an incontestable good, as it is depicted by some scholars or as useless by its critics, our findings instead demonstrate the diversity and complexity in how it is locally viewed by Zambians. The study provides grounds for caution on simplistic and binary characterization of lockdowns. It indicates the need for careful dialog between the designers of lockdowns and citizens in order to tailor such interventions to local realities in context-specific ways. It also shows that though the development of such interventions, all the various and complex elements it embodies must be taken into account in order to realize optimum outcomes.

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