User:James Iversen/sandbox

Romani people, Eastern Europe
Predominantly living in Central and Eastern Europe, with pockets of communities in the Americas and Middle East, the ethnic Romani people have been subjected to environmental exclusion. Often referred to as gypsies or the gypsy threat, the Romani people of Eastern Europe majoritively live under the poverty line in shanty towns or slums. Facing issues such as long term exposure to harmful toxins given their locations to waste dumps and industrial plants, along with being refused environmental assistance like clean water and sanitation, the Romani people have been facing racism via environmental means. Many countries such has Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary have tried to implement environmental protection initiatives across their respected countries, however most have failed due to "addressing the conditions of Roma communities have been framed through an ethnic lens as “Roma issues". Only recently has some form of environmental justice for the Romani people come to light. Seeking environmental justice in Europe, the Environmental Justice Program is now working with human rights organizations to help fight environmental racism.

It is important to note that in the "Discrimination in the EU in 2009" report, conducted by the European Commission, "64% of citizens with Roma friends believe discrimination is widespread, compared to 61% of citizens without Roma friends".

Australian Environmental Justice
The Australian Environmental Justice (AEJ) is a multidisciplinary organization which is closely partnered with Friends of the Earth Australia (FoEA). The AEJ focuses on recording and remedying the effects of environmental injustice throughout Australia. The AEJ has addressed issues which include "production and spread of toxic wastes, pollution of water, soil and air, erosion and ecological damage of landscapes, water systems, plants and animals". The project looks for environmental injustices that disproportionately affect a group of people or impact them in a way they did not agree to.

Bougainville, Papua New Guinea
Starting production in 1972, the Panguna mine in Papua New Guinea has been a source of environmental racism. Although closed since 1989 due to conflict on the island, the indigenous peoples (Bougainvillean) have suffered both economically and environmentally from the creation of the mine. Terrance Wesley-Smith and Eugene Ogan, University of Hawaii and University of Minnesota respectively, stated that the Bougainvillean's "were grossly disadvantaged from the beginning and no subsequent renegotiation has been able to remedy the situation". These indigenous people faced issues such as losing land which could have been used for agricultural practices for the Dapera and Moroni villages, undervalued payment for the land, poor relocation housing for displaced villagers and significant environmental degradation in the surrounding areas.

Bellevue, Western Australia
The Western Oil Refinery started operating in Bellevue, Western Australia in 1954. It was permitted rights to operate in Bellevue by the Australian government in order to refine cheap and localized oil. In the decades following, many residents of Bellevue claimed they felt respiratory burning due to the inhalation of toxic chemicals and nauseating fumes. Lee Bell from Curtin University and Mariann Lloyd-Smith from the National Toxic Network in Australia stated in their article, "Toxic Disputes and the Rise of Environmental Justice in Australia" that "residents living close to the site discovered chemical contamination in the ground- water surfacing in their back yards". Under immense civilian pressure, the Western Oil Refinery (now named Omex) stopped refining oil in 1979. Years later, citizens of Bellevue formed the Bellevue Action Group (BAG) and called for the government to give aid towards the remediation of the site. The government agreed and $6.9 million was allocated to clean up the site. Remediation of site began in April 2000.

Bougainville, Papua New Guinea
The Journal of Pacific History, Anthony J. Regan, Vol. 33, No. 3 (Nov., 1998), pp. 269-285

Copper, Class, and Crisis: Changing Relations of Production in Bougainville, Terrance Wesley-Smith and Eugene Ogon, (1992), pp. 245-267

Bellevue, Western Australia
"Australian Environmental Justice project". Friends of The Earth Australia. Retrieved Feb 17, 2020 (Website)

"Toxic Disputes and the Rise of Environmental Justice in Australia", Mariann Lloyd-Smith and Lee Bell, International journal of occupational and environmental health, (Jan 2003), pp. 15-24

Romani people, Eastern Europe
Loveland, Matthew T.; Popescu, Delia (2016-07-25). "The Gypsy Threat Narrative". Humanity & Society. 40 (3): 329–352

"Discrimination in the EU in 2009" (10) https://ec.europa.eu/commfrontoffice/publicopinion/archives/ebs/ebs_317_sum_en.pdf

Harper, Krista; Steger, Tamara; and Filcak, Richard, "Environmental Justice and Roma Communities in Central and Eastern Europe" (2009). Environmental Policy and Governance. 5.