With your eyes on the road and foot on the gas, the world is yours… until the gas symbol glows amber. Your first thoughts may be, “How far can I possibly make it before my tank is empty?” or, “Oh great, another chunk of my paycheck going to the pump.” Drivers are oil and gas consumers, and our first concern is often related to our pocketbook. Environmental do-gooders may go further by thinking about reducing their contribution to carbon emissions when they fill up. However, an invisible evil persists in the fossil fuel industry that few think about: air pollution in poor communities. Local human health effects are largely influenced by the production of fossil fuels, yet most people and environmentalists ignore such local concerns, instead focusing on global climate change.

Nosebleeds, asthma attacks, and cases of childhood leukemia are pervasive in Galena Park and Manchester—two primarily Hispanic neighborhoods near the Houston Ship Channel, a seaport area dominated by the petrochemical industrial complex. Toxic chemicals float in the air surrounding homes and playgrounds. Benzene, a carcinogenic chemical also responsible for birth defects, leaks from oil pipelines transporting oil and gas for processing. Residents here cannot ignore oil refinery air pollution; it is part of their everyday life. Many homeowners work in the petrochemical industry and rely on that income.

Air pollution from the oil refinery is a part of everyday life for this family at Hartman Park in Manchester. Daniel Kramer

Galena Park and Manchester are just two neighborhoods among many that face the consequences of air pollution from fossil fuel production. These are examples of environmental injustice, which the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) defines as occurrences in which “people who live, work, and play in America’s most polluted environments are commonly people of color and the poor.” Issues of environmental justice are particularly important to cover, as many of those affected do not have adequate resources to combat these issues alone, especially against powerful industries, such as the oil and gas industry in the United States.

I will explore the political, economic, and scientific aspects of toxic air pollution from fossil fuel production using the interdisciplinary background that I have developed in environmental studies. My goal is to amplify the voices of various communities in the United States affected by air pollution from fossil fuel production in order to spread awareness beyond affected communities. After studying environmental issues as a student at Wellesley for three years, I strongly believe that issues of environmental justice must be brought to the forefront of discussions within the mainstream environmental movement, which can serve as a powerful ally to improve environmental conditions for communities that are often overlooked.