Date of Award

5-8-2024

Advisor(s)

John Van Buren

Abstract

This paper explores Cancer Alley, a large stretch of land along the Mississippi River in Louisiana, home to nearly half a million people. Unfortunately, this community must also share space with hundreds of chemical processing plants. Residents of Cancer Alley, most of whom cannot relocate or choose not to, face disproportionately higher risk of cancer and other diseases due to the damaging effects of these neighboring factories. Moreover, this population has been sacrificed by federal and state policies for the economic gain of said industries, from which the government benefits. This paper seeks to address this case of environmental injustice and highlight it as an example of modern-day human sacrifice. Chapter 1 describes the factual background of the issue including the geographical location, target group demographics, and quantitative medical data. Chapter 2 sets forth a historical perspective of environmental sacrifice that is augmented by particular instances of this phenomenon in the United States over the past few centuries. Chapter 3 entails a discussion of the economics behind the industries in question to explain their longstanding pervasiveness and control over the region. Chapter 4 exposes the politics behind the environmental racism in Cancer Alley, including the obstacles to progress for residents and the harmful governmental policies that allow this situation to continue. Chapter 5 outlines proposed federal and state regulatory policies to limit harmful industrial practices and provide protections for the people in Louisiana. It is imperative, in order to eradicate environmental sacrifice in the United States, to push for public policy that is created with social and environmental justice at grounding principles.

Keywords: environmental sacrifice, environmental injustice, public policy, environmental racism, social justice, environmental economics, environmental law

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