Air, water and land
About
Air, water and land are the fundamental natural resources that provide what we need to survive and thrive. Many Indigenous peoples understand that air, water and land are sacred, living entities in a reciprocal relationship with us.
Relationship to health and equity
Clean air, water and land are necessary for healthy living and safe food production. Air pollution is associated with increased heart and lung disease. Contaminated water can lead to illness, infection and increased risks of cancer. Polluted or depleted land cannot produce safe, high-quality food. Living, working or playing on or near polluted land can also lead to illness, developmental delays in children, and cancer.
Humans interact with air, water and land in ways that may nurture or harm our environment and fellow beings living alongside us. Nurturing activities include using our resources sustainably, building parks, designating nature preserves and planting trees. Harmful activities pollute our natural resources, for example resource extraction, waste processing and disposal and driving gas powered cars.
Everyone, regardless of their income, race, color, national origin, Tribal affiliation or disability should have access to clean and safe air, water and land. All beings deserve to be protected from disproportionate exposure to environmental hazards and negative health impacts and all people should have a say in decisions that impact their health.
Relationship to systems and structures
How we design and enforce laws, policies and regulations can protect or harm air, water and land. Laws like the Clean Air Act and the National Environmental Policy act protect air, water and land. Current worldviews that devalue science undermine agencies’ ability to uphold these laws.
Decision making at local, state and national levels that prioritizes some groups over others has exposed people of color and low-income communities to air, water and land pollution. The environmental justice movement began when low-income communities of color organized to resist hazardous sites being located in their communities. Environmental justice advocates led studies that uncovered environmental racism; the 1987 Toxic Wastes and Race in the United States report found that race was the most important factor that determined where toxic waste facilities were located and that local, state and federal policies intentionally led to this. We must continue the work of this movement and ensure that clean air, water and land are accessible to all people.
Together, we can prioritize our collective well-being by remediating and preventing air, water and soil pollution, divesting from fossil fuels and oil-based plastics, and transitioning to renewable energy.
Additional Reading
- Urban Native Collective. (n.d.) Turtle Island. https://urbannativecollective.org/turtle-island
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (n.d.). Contaminated land. https://www.epa.gov/report-environment/contaminated-land
- Natural Resources Defense Council. (2023). The environmental justice movement. https://www.nrdc.org/stories/environmental-justice-movement
- Munzel, T., Hahad, O., Daiber, A., & Landrigan, P.J. (2022). Soil and water pollution and human health: What should cardiologists worry about? Cardiovascular Research, 119(2),440-449. https://doi.org/10.1093/cvr/cvac082
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. (2022). Racial, ethnic minorities and low-income groups in U.S. exposed to higher levels of air pollution. https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/racial-ethnic-minorities-low-income-groups-u-s-air-pollution/