SOC 3 Global Inequalities

Author 

Date

Quote

Analysis 

Robert Bullard

2005

"Environmental racism is the intentional siting of hazardous waste sites in communities of color."

Bullard highlights how environmental degradation is often racially targeted, illustrating how marginalized communities are forced to bear the burden of industrial waste and environmental hazards.

Jason W. Moore

2015

"The environment is a social construct, shaped by power relations."

Moore suggests that environmental issues are not simply natural or ecological, but deeply intertwined with socio-economic power structures, highlighting the intersection of capitalism and environmental degradation.

Leila Patel

2019

"Marginalized communities, especially Indigenous populations, disproportionately bear the brunt of environmental degradation caused by capitalism's extractive practices."

Patel draws attention to how Indigenous populations are particularly vulnerable to environmental harms, often as a result of global capitalism's relentless resource extraction.

The United Nations

2021

"Up to 60% of the world's land and 60% of the world's population live in areas that are highly vulnerable to climate change."

This statistic illustrates the global scale of vulnerability to climate change, with a majority of the world's population at risk, disproportionately impacting the global poor.

Joni Adamson

2014

"Environmental justice is a movement led by marginalized communities that challenges the intersections of social and environmental issues."

Adamson frames environmental justice as an intersectional movement that confronts inequalities not just in the environment but also in social systems, linking race, class, and environmental degradation.

World Health Organization

2022

"Women and children are often the most affected by the health impacts of climate change."

WHO highlights how the health impacts of climate change disproportionately affect vulnerable populations, particularly women and children, emphasizing the intersection of environmental degradation and public health.

Oxfam International

2023

"Every year, 1.7 million people die from air pollution, with the poorest and most marginalized communities suffering the most."

This statistic sheds light on the health inequalities caused by environmental degradation, where air pollution disproportionately affects impoverished and marginalized populations.

UN Women

2020

"Gender-based violence increases during disasters, particularly affecting women and girls in vulnerable communities."

UN Women highlights how environmental disasters exacerbate gender inequalities, particularly increasing violence against women during times of crisis.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

2021

"Women in developing countries are disproportionately affected by climate change, with their livelihoods often tied to natural resources."

The IPCC emphasizes how gender intersects with environmental vulnerability, particularly in developing countries where women’s survival is directly connected to natural resources.

Patrick Bond

2002

"Globalization is a process that has embedded capitalism's environmental degradation within its operations."

Bond critiques how globalization has deepened the exploitation of the environment, with capitalist practices embedded in global trade and resource extraction, often to the detriment of the global poor.