Environmental issues are unique because they are not confined to the geography location of their origin, and this lack of containment means that we all pay the price for environmental damage around the world. By using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) we can visualize how the burden of environmental degradation is dispersed in different locations. This doesn’t always happen in an equitable way, however. Enter: environmental justice, which describes the way we address the disproportionate burden of environmental issues among marginalized groups.
This has been identified fairly recently compared to other environmental issues, so most environmental policy was not created with environmental justice in mind. This is certainly true in the case of Georgia’s Hazardous Waste and Solid Waste Trust Funds. These were created to provide funding to help clean up abandoned hazardous waste sites and landfills, but the current prioritization of these sites does not take environmental justice concerns into account. The Georgia Water Coalition and Science for Georgia are seeking to bring awareness to this issue by using GIS, in hopes that the funding will be given to the communities that are most in need.
Details
- This Atlanta Science Tavern event is a production of Science for Georgia.
- It is free and open to the public.
- Seating is on a first-come basis.
- RSVPs are not required to attend nor do they reserve seats.
- Donations are appreciated.
- VIP Seats purchased here are reserved.
- Doors open at 6:30 pm for early arrival.
- Gather for dinner by 7:00.
- The evening’s presentation gets under way around 7:15.
- Parking at Manuel’s has changed – please be aware.
