Our Struggle for Freedom, Civil Liberties, and Political Equality
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This week, you have reflected on liberties and freedom.
Describe one environmental risk to public health.
Pollution, particularly dumping, is an environmental risk to public health. By definition, a dumping site is a location in which toxic waste is disposed of. It creates an environmental health disparity as people living close to dumping sites are exposed to a combination of social inequities and poor environmental quality that result in greater incidences of disease and sickness compared to those living in less polluted environments. The polluted environment in dumping exposes the community to environmental pollutants that cause health problems like heart disease, respiratory diseases, and cancer (Kury, 2021).
What role should the government play within this context?
The government plays a role in regulating dumping sites. It develops and enforces waste management regulations, oversees waste collection and disposal, promotes initiatives to recycle and reduce waste, educates the public about waste management, and raises awareness about waste management issues (Stoett & Lamalle, 2023).
Based on the Bill of Rights, how can citizens regulate environmental health risks?
A sustainable, healthy, clean, and interdependent environment is necessary for citizens to fully enjoy, as indicated in the Bill of Rights. In this case, citizens can regulate the environmental health risks through environmental citizenship that may involve undertaking responsible pro-environmental behavior. For that matter, citizens would participate in society as agents of change in the public and private sphere on a global, national, and local scale through collective and individual actions, in the direction of developing a healthy relationship with the environment, achieving sustainability, preventing the creation of new environmental problems, and solving contemporary environmental problems. Some of the specific actions citizens may undertake include encouraging wise management of natural resources, protecting and conserving natural resources and diversity, and preventing, reducing, and eliminating the use, generation, and release of pollutants (Stoett & Lamalle, 2023).
References
Kury, F. L. (2021). The Constitutional Question to Save the Planet: The Peoples’ Right to a Healthy Environment . Environmental Law Institute.
Stoett, P., & Lamalle, S. (2023). Representations and Rights of the Environment . Cambridge University Press. Our Struggle for Freedom, Civil Liberties and Political Equality Essay