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Playing It Safe: Assessing Cumulative Impact and Social Vulnerability through an Environmental Justice Screening Method in the South Coast Air Basin, California

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Listed:
  • James L. Sadd

    (Department of Environmental Science, Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA 94001, USA)

  • Manuel Pastor

    (Program on Environmental and Regional Equity, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA)

  • Rachel Morello-Frosch

    (Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
    School of Public Health, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94702, USA)

  • Justin Scoggins

    (Program on Environmental and Regional Equity, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA)

  • Bill Jesdale

    (Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA)

Abstract

Regulatory agencies, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) and state authorities like the California Air Resources Board (CARB), have sought to address the concerns of environmental justice (EJ) advocates who argue that chemical-by-chemical and source-specific assessments of potential health risks of environmental hazards do not reflect the multiple environmental and social stressors faced by vulnerable communities. We propose an Environmental Justice Screening Method (EJSM) as a relatively simple, flexible and transparent way to examine the relative rank of cumulative impacts and social vulnerability within metropolitan regions and determine environmental justice areas based on more than simply the demographics of income and race. We specifically organize 23 indicator metrics into three categories: (1) hazard proximity and land use; (2) air pollution exposure and estimated health risk; and (3) social and health vulnerability. For hazard proximity, the EJSM uses GIS analysis to create a base map by intersecting land use data with census block polygons, and calculates hazard proximity measures based on locations within various buffer distances. These proximity metrics are then summarized to the census tract level where they are combined with tract centroid-based estimates of pollution exposure and health risk and socio-economic status (SES) measures. The result is a cumulative impacts (CI) score for ranking neighborhoods within regions that can inform diverse stakeholders seeking to identify local areas that might need targeted regulatory strategies to address environmental justice concerns.

Suggested Citation

  • James L. Sadd & Manuel Pastor & Rachel Morello-Frosch & Justin Scoggins & Bill Jesdale, 2011. "Playing It Safe: Assessing Cumulative Impact and Social Vulnerability through an Environmental Justice Screening Method in the South Coast Air Basin, California," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 8(5), pages 1-19, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:8:y:2011:i:5:p:1441-1459:d:12303
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Brody, J.G. & Morello-Frosch, R. & Zota, A. & Brown, P. & Pérez, C. & Rudel, R.A., 2009. "Linking exposure assessment science with policy objectives for environmental justice and breast cancer advocacy: the northern California household exposure study," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 99(S3), pages 600-609.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Bakkensen, Laura A. & Ma, Lala & Muehlenbachs, Lucija & Benitez, Lina, 2024. "Cumulative impacts in environmental justice: Insights from economics and policy," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 107(C).
    2. Sarah Alves & Joan Tilghman & Arlene Rosenbaum & Devon C. Payne-Sturges, 2012. "U.S. EPA Authority to Use Cumulative Risk Assessments in Environmental Decision-Making," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 9(6), pages 1-23, May.
    3. Timothy M. Barzyk & Sacoby Wilson & Anthony Wilson, 2015. "Community, State, and Federal Approaches to Cumulative Risk Assessment: Challenges and Opportunities for Integration," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-26, April.
    4. Amy J. Schulz & Graciela B. Mentz & Natalie Sampson & Melanie Ward & J. Timothy Dvonch & Ricardo De Majo & Barbara A. Israel & Angela G. Reyes & Donele Wilkins, 2018. "Independent and Joint Contributions of Fine Particulate Matter Exposure and Population Vulnerability to Mortality in the Detroit Metropolitan Area," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-15, June.
    5. Laura Meehan August & John B. Faust & Lara Cushing & Lauren Zeise & George V. Alexeeff, 2012. "Methodological Considerations in Screening for Cumulative Environmental Health Impacts: Lessons Learned from a Pilot Study in California," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 9(9), pages 1-16, August.
    6. Aubree Driver & Crystal Mehdizadeh & Samuel Bara-Garcia & Coline Bodenreider & Jessica Lewis & Sacoby Wilson, 2019. "Utilization of the Maryland Environmental Justice Screening Tool: A Bladensburg, Maryland Case Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-21, January.
    7. Ganlin Huang & Jonathan K. London, 2012. "Cumulative Environmental Vulnerability and Environmental Justice in California’s San Joaquin Valley," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 9(5), pages 1-16, May.
    8. J Mijin Cha & Caroline Farrell & Dimitris Stevis, 2022. "Climate and Environmental Justice Policies in the First Year of the Biden Administration," Publius: The Journal of Federalism, CSF Associates Inc., vol. 52(3), pages 408-427.
    9. Philine Gaffron & Deb Niemeier, 2015. "School Locations and Traffic Emissions — Environmental (In)Justice Findings Using a New Screening Method," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-17, February.

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