Central Waste Park

Central Waste Park

 
An aerial view of Central Park, though with a large pile of waste occupying much of the middle of its landscape.

What would it be like if there was a toxic waste site directly in the center of Central Park? Can you even begin to fathom central Manhattan covered in piles of hazardous waste? This is something that would never happen because wealthier communities can afford high enough housing fees to ensure that they don’t live in residential areas near environmental hazards such as landfills or polluted industrial plants. Because of this, thousands of lower income communities constantly suffer a disproportionate amount of the environmental costs while the wealthier communities continue to reap the benefits. This kind of inequality is what the Environmental Justice movement is concerned with fixing. Environmental Justice activists believe that the environmental costs should go hand in hand with the benefits reaped. So, next time you are sitting in Central Park, close your eyes for a minute and try to imagine being surrounded by dirty, polluted, toxic air. That’s not something you would ever want to live with, so why should anyone else?

 
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