In the early 90's, the town of Holly Springs was predominantly African American, and was chosen for a site for a landfill to be built. Over time, the area shifted demographics until it was predominantly white, at which time the permit for the site was issued, denied, and re-issued. This is in spite of the fact that there appeared to be no such concerns when the area was predominantly African American.
In recent years, D.C. has added extensive bike paths to increase cycling safety and cycling options to allow children to bike to school to increase physical activity. Lack of physical activity is a concern in the D.C. school area that serves underrepresented communities whose students may not be able to participate in extracurricular sports. The addition of bike paths can help decrease air pollution and offer a chance to decrease child health inequities in the community.
Urban Integrated Field Laboratories are to be constructed in three U.S. cities through funding by the Department of Energy. These Urban IFL projects will aim to better understand the climate challenges affecting the designated areas and how to address climate adaptations while taking into account groups that have historically been underrepresented.
The Taiwanese government attempted to construct a water diversion in the early 2000s in order to help mitigate potential effects of future droughts. While both environmental scientists and local indigenous groups argued against the building of it due to the potential for it to destabilize the area it was being built geologically, the project continued until Typhoon Morakot in 2009 suspended its construction indefinitely.
For more economic gas transportation and storage, a pipeline was to be built from North Dakota to Pakota, Illinois. However, this pipeline induced great concern and many people were protesting about it. If it leaks, it will have a huge environmental impact on soil and water sources. Also, the pipeline crosses the local tribe's sacred land, which is not accepted by the tribal people. The pipeline is a vivid example of how the building of infrastructure struggles with social/environmental factors.
Sasol announced a project of building gas-to-liquid facility and ethane cracker in Lake Charles Louisiana after long-term negotiation with the Louisiana government officials. However, its pollution level seems not to be as satisfying as it claims. What's more, the relocation of local residents in Mossville is insufficient and racially discriminative.
A 1.3 GW coal-fired power plant is constructed along the Bay of Iskenderun in the northeastern corner of the Mediterranean Sea and already starts operating in 2022. It's the biggest direct investment of China in Turkey, as part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). While it has economic benefits to Turkey, it may not pay back in the 30 year operating period and it faces protests about biodiversity loss, excessive air pollution and health impact.
Lead-contamination in drinking water in Washington, D.C., became a crisis in 2004, with lead concentrations exceeding those in Flint, MI. In the decades since, very few pipes were replaced. Property owners were required to share the replacement cost, resulting in replacements being concentrated in affluent areas. Lead exposure continued in under-resourced neighborhoods, disproportionately affecting D.C.'s Black residents. In 2019, a new plan was instituted in which D.C. Water will be provided with funds to cover the full pipe replacement cost and construction will proceed on a block-by-block basis. Two predominantly Black wards will be first up for replacements.
Researchers found that although PM2.5-related health problems have decreased in Washington, D.C., over the past 20 years, these problems are uneven and inequitable across neighborhoods and subgroups. Of the 51 neighborhoods studied, the 10 with the highest PM2.5-related health risks had 10% lower education and employment rates, 10% more people living in poverty, and $61,000 lower median household income compared with their less at-risk counterparts. The 10 neighborhoods with the highest PM2.5-attributed mortality had 54% more Black residents.
The Kinzua Dam, built in 1965, serves the purpose of protecting the people of the greater Pittsburgh area from the flooding and pollution of the Allegany River. The construction of the dam sparked public controversy due to it flooding 10,000 acres of the Seneca Nation of Indian's Allegany Territory that is protected under a federal treaty. Legal battles ensued, pleas were made from the Seneca people, and even an alternative option to the Kinzua Dam was proposed but ultimately it's construction has resulted in the loss of indigenous homes and arising issues of upstream flooding from climate change.