Taking Action, Saving Lives (Part 1)

This book is written in such a way that it is easier for one to digest the information compared to SF previous book that we read for the class. The book started off by talking about ethical responsibility and democratic responsibility. Democratic responsibility requires citizens to acknowledge that they cause indirect harm to others and they have the responsibility to stop or change the current system. Ethical responsibility requires citizens to acknowledge that they benefit from such harm and as a consequence, they have a responsibility to stop such practices.

She highlights the different risks caused by pollution, the most common being cancer with minorities, poor communities and children being the most susceptible to such risks. Although there seems to be overall progress in the health and safety in developed countries such as the United States, environmental conditions have not improved but have gotten worse. Health care has gotten more expensive but does not seem as effective in increasing the longevity of people in the US. Relatively speaking, other countries seem to have better environmental standards, cheaper health care and longer lifespans compared to the US.

One f the main reasons for lax environmental regulation in the US is the fact that research can no longer be trusted as many corporations fund research done by institutions of higher learning. As a result of having vested interests, university research have been suppressed and modified to suit the requirements of the funding corporations which is not only illegal but unfair. It is our right to ask about such things and to do what is right but it may mean risking one's life such as Karen Silkwood did. Corporations understand how the system works and are willing to spend large amounts of money to gain an even bigger return on their investments. They have so much at stake and will go all out to ensure that it will not be taken away from them.

That's why PR companies, lawyers and lobbyists are making so much money because corporations have almost seemingly unlimited resources to fund their own interests. Although the US may have many state and federal departments such as the EPA to deal with environmental and EJ issues, they still lack the funds and manpower needed in order to have effective regulation. Such corporations also have large influences in the media industry which in turn affects public opinion because of what we see and hear. What is shown in the media is usually subtle enough that it does not raise questions which is a scary thought because we are not able to trust what we see, hear or read anymore.

I will draw more conclusions when I read more of the book.