Environment emergency is legacy of colonialism: Greenpeace UK

UK chapter of Greenpeace, the environmental activism group has held colonialism responsible for environment emergency. The group has also said that systemic racism has also been a cause why people of colour have and continue to face worst of detriorating environment. The report says that people of colour, despite having contributed the least to emission of Greenhouse gases are now “disproportionately losing their lives and livelihoods” by millions.

Colonialism “established a model through which the air and lands of the global south have been … used as places to dump waste the global north does not want,” says the report.

A similar argument is quite often raised by developing countries around the world on global forums. These countries contend that developed nations have released greenhouse gases in almost unfettered way in past centuries to get where they are now and when developing nations seek to ensure their own development, there is increased pressure on them to limit emissions.

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The report by Greenpeace sheds light on inequalities even within the developed nations. It says that in UK, almost half of all waste-burning incinerators are located in neighbourhoods populated mainly by people of colour. Even in London, the report says that black people are more likely to breathe air with illegal level of pollutants.