Talk:Environmental injustice in Europe/Archive 1

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Split

The article's starting to get quite large. Perhaps a split (by specific country, ethnic group, etc.) in the future would help with readability issues? Me, Myself & I (☮) (talk) 03:32, 10 July 2016 (UTC)

/* Exposure of Romani communities to toxic waste in Campania */ Added additional references and access links to the film Terrapromessa (RE: Giugliano Romani Camp, Campania, Italy). Original source is temporarily unavailable (until December 16, 2016, although there is a possibility the archive from which the film was retrieved may not be accessible; further notice pending). Link provided to a website where the film can be purchased, as well as to a Youtube trailer that provides significant context for the article. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Sturgeontransformer (talk • Sturgeontransformer (talk) 03:00, 17 July 2016 (UTC)contribs) 02:59, 17 July 2016 (UTC)

contribs) 03:58, 17 July 2016 (UTC)

  • Removed an additional comment regarding access for the film "Terrapromessa," which is under a non-commercial Creative Commons copyright license. Previously, I had mistakenly stated that it was free-use. Please disregard, and refer to the original comment above. Thanks,

Sturgeontransformer (talk) 02:13, 18 July 2016 (UTC)

Images

Several images were added with accidentally incorrect copyright information. The images in question have been removed by myself (I uploaded them), and I have tagged them for speedy deletion to prevent any further confusion. The cause of my error has now been clarified, and it won't happen again (by me, at least). Thanks,Sturgeontransformer (talk) 00:15, 23 July 2016 (UTC)

Recent activity

Recently, there were some changes in the Finland section. The changes were minor, and involved rearranging the order of two paragraphs without any major content changes. In the process, however, some issues with ref tags arose. For a brief period of time, the citation links in this section were non-functional.

These issues have been fixed. Also, upon further consideration, I have, for the time being, decided that the present order of these paragraphs in question is adequate, as the narrative is still quite clear and concise, although future rearranging is a potential consideration. This stated, I will soon make a few very minor changes to improve neutrality, which will also help clarify the flow of the narrative in this section. Sturgeontransformer (talk) 16:21, 8 August 2016 (UTC)

Edit by Rui Gabriel Correia

Hi Rui,

Just wanted to chat about a recent change to the article Environmental racism in Europe. While I see your point, I disagree with the edit. The subject of the article is environmental racism in Europe, so it needs to define what that context is right away (aka who, what, when, where, why). The definition of environmental racism follows. For example, an article on racism in Canada would not begin with a definition of racism. It would begin with a description of who, what, when, where, why affected by racism in Canada, perhaps followed by various legal and / or other definitions of racism to help clarify the context.

Thanks,Sturgeontransformer (talk) 20:08, 24 September 2016 (UTC)

(Re-posted from Sturgeontransformer's talk page)

Actually, you are entirely correct. My error. I see now that there is a page called Environmental racism. I would undo my edit, but I see you have since done quite a few edits. I will have a look at it tomorrow (here it is now 00:31). Regards, Rui ''Gabriel'' Correia (talk) 22:31, 24 September 2016 (UTC)

Thank you. And no worries - I can easily change things back to the original format. I keep a separate master copy of the original article as a backup, so that whatever edits happen on Wikipedia, I still have the original source material in my own words to use as a reference. Best,Sturgeontransformer (talk) 01:08, 25 September 2016 (UTC)

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Socially marginalized communities and minority groups

The definition of environmental racism on this page previously referred to "socially marginalized minority groups." This has been modified to "socially marginalized communities and minority groups."

The reasoning behind this decision is twofold. Firstly, environmental racism has been documented within an international context, in which specific majority-population communities in the Global South may be impacted. "Socially marginalized communities" can thus refer as such.

The second reason for this change is the fact that the definition of "minority" itself may be subject to discussion. For example, within a multicultural context, use of the term minority may not accurately reflect the specificity of a marginalized community. Further to this, in certain regions or districts of Europe, a "minority" group may represent a majority of a localized population, even if this does not apply at a national level. This stated, the minoritization of specific communities such as the Romani is important to acknowledge.

In using the terms "socially marginalized communities" and "minority groups" as distinct references, environmental racism can be viewed as a practice that affects specific racialized communities in a variety of contexts. Sturgeontransformer (talk) 07:12, 12 February 2017 (UTC)

Edit by Asilah1981 -- Spanish ethnicity

Hi Asilah1981,

Your edit has been reverted due to issues surrounding your changes. The term “Gypsy” is a) not in line with the terminology used throughout the article, or throughout Wikipedia (the term used is “Romani”); b) “Gypsy” can be viewed as a derogatory or outdated term; and c) defining Spanish citizens and residents (whether registered or not) as either “Gypsy” or “non-Gypsy” is potentially racist and exclusionary, especially if one is arguing that there is “no such thing” as a Spanish ethnicity. You’ve used an exclusion of certain ethnic groups (Moroccans, “Gypsies” etc) to define “Spanish” as a nationality. This does not appear to be a consistent rationale, especially when other nations with certain ethnic majorities—such as Sweden, Germany, France, etc. are referred to throughout Wikipedia as having “ethnic” Swedish, German, and French majority populations.

Ethnicity is a debated subject. I recognize that Spain has a long and complex history, and that notions of ethnic identity can be controversial. However, within the context of this article, ethnicity and race are very real social constructs. As documented in the article, certain groups of people are treated quite differently within Spanish society due to their skin tones, cultural practices, social status, language, and heritage. If one is to make distinctions about Moroccans and “Gypsies” from the majority culture, while claiming that Spanish ethnicity does not exist, then that would appear to be a double standard. Erasing recognition of these realities would be contradictory to the documentation found within the 148 sources of this article.

If you disagree with my rationale, I would advise you to seek second opinions with other editors prior to making further changes. Sturgeontransformer (talk) 14:11, 25 March 2017 (UTC)

I don´t fully follow your logic but overall it seems that, yes, I disagree your rationale as a Moroccan who has spent much of his life in Spain and knows the country well. Your (American?) Politics of Color do not really apply to Spain, nor are they supported by any source. The country has blonde blue eyed gypsies and dark skinned non-gypsies. The term "white" is not used in Spain, nor is the term "ethnic Spaniard" used in contraposition to Gypsies/Romani. It is a completely unknown and literally bewildering concept. "Non-gypsy Spaniards" (or alternatively "payos" if we use the caló word) is the correct term, otherwise you are excluding Gypsies from Spanish ethnicity which is actually racist and unacceptable, as well as offensive to Gitanos themselves who feel deeply Spanish - indeed much more so than other ethnicities in Spain such as the Basques, Galicians, Catalans etc...Asilah1981 (talk) 14:36, 25 March 2017 (UTC)

You might notice in my post that I mention more than just skin color--heritage, language, social status. You've also made a judgment about where I'm from, without any knowledge about me. Keep this neutral. "Completely bewildering concept" is subjective. Referring to an individual as "Romani" instead of "Gypsy" does not exclude them from Spanish nationality. "Romani" is also a standardized term used throughout the article for clarity and consistency; if you were to click the links, the page on Romani people acknowledges the distinct culture of Spanish Romani. Lastly, denial of social divisions is often used as a way of denying inequality.

No one is denying Gitano ethnicity. I am saying that Gitano ethnicity cannot be defined as outside the scope of Spanish identity. Spaniards are not an "ethnic group" which excludes them. The term "ethnic Spaniards" is simply factually wrong. There is no such thing. Regarding the Romani/Gypsy controversy: 1) The article consistently uses the term gypsy throughout including in the use of "Gypsy Council" 2) Gypsies in Spain refer to themselves as Gitanos (Gypsies - same meaning derived from Egyptians) or calé. 3) The term Romani is largely unknown to Spanish Gypsies. Its fine to use it but generally its preferable to use "Gitanos" since that is how they self-identify. Romani may be understood in Spain to refer to Gypsies from the Balkans (to point out their foreignness). It is never used to refer to Spanish Gitanos. Asilah1981 (talk) 14:58, 25 March 2017 (UTC)
SturgeontransformerJust to give you a "New World" Example. Imagine referring to non-AfroColombians as "Ethnic Colombians". Or non-white Mexicans as "ethnic Mexicans". This is what didn´t make sense. In any case I have change Gypsy for Romani, which I have no issue with. Hope you are fine with this.Asilah1981 (talk) 15:35, 25 March 2017 (UTC)
I will add the term (Gitano) in brackets to the article; not including it was an oversight on my part. I acknowledge that Gitano is a widely accepted and valued term for Romani people in Spain. However, in the specific context of this article, using the term "Gypsy" will likely be viewed as derogatory.
Secondly, I have let your edit "(white) ethnic Spanish" stay up; that definition is fine with me. "Majority culture" is also fine, too. I never did intend to refer to Gitano ethnicity as "outside the scope of Spanish ethnicity."
In any case, in Spain--as in much of Europe, as well as North America--there have been serious concerns about how Gitano / Romani communities are treated, at an institutional level, by the majority culture, and this article is trying to acknowledge those discrepancies. Some people (and I'm not referring to you personally here) will try to say that there is no such thing as ethnicity, race, etc. and that therefore there is no such thing as discrimination. As documented in the article, there have been persistent concerns regarding access to clean water, poverty, exposure to contaminated sites, and other forms of social exclusion. The article also refers to different Romani groups living within Spain, not just the Gitano.
With regards to the term "Gypsy," my own wording does not use it; it is only used to name certain organizations or in quotations. Yes, the term "Gypsy" can have multiple meanings, depending on the context of its use. "Gypsy" is not always derogatory, especially in cases of self-identification or "reclaiming" the term; however, it is all too frequently used as a racist term, and is not a preferred term for many Romani people and organizations. This article does acknowledge the term in the introduction, but uses it in brackets.
Romani is considered more neutral, and is an umbrella term that, while problematic, is used by Wikipedia as the clearest way to recognize the diverse Romani groups.
If my response seemed a little guarded or reactionary, please acknowledge that this is why neutral language is so important on Wikipedia. It can sometimes be hard to differentiate (at first) between honest attempts at improving the article, versus vandalism or personal attacks. The tone of your earlier messages seemed rather strongly worded, so it was hard to tell what you were trying to communicate. In future, please do yourself and other editors a favor by keeping things as neutral as possible.
For example, if you had written "Hi Sturgeontransformer, I have concerns about the use of the term ethnic Spanish, and I also have issues with your use of the term Romani instead of Gitano, could we please discuss? Thanks" then I would have replied in a much more open way. Apologies if I wasn't friendly. And yes, placing a contended term such as "Gypsy" on an article without prior consultation will receive a knee-jerk response with not just myself, but a lot of editors.
Lastly, you are still more than welcome to discuss this issue with other editors (especially with someone whose specialty is Spanish culture) if you have any ongoing questions or concerns.
Sturgeontransformer Understood, sorry for being brash. I see you have put a lot of effort into this article. I should have approached you differently.Asilah1981 (talk) 16:05, 25 March 2017 (UTC)

Thank you for your understanding. All is forgiven, and I welcome your continued presence here at Wikipedia. Best,Sturgeontransformer (talk) 16:13, 25 March 2017 (UTC)

On shanty towns in Spain

Sturgeon, I only speak by personal experience since I know and have known many of these shanty towns for a period which extends decades. Around 2002, it would be fair to say that a small majority of the population of shanty towns was Gitano, but exclusively or almost exclusively I think is definitely wrong. In the 1970s and 80s there were many shanty towns all over the country with a bulk of non-gitano population (in fact Madrid was totally surrounded by them for the second half of the 20th century) and the bulk of their population was poor (non-Gypsy) immigration from rural areas, primarily from Extremadura, La Mancha and Andalusia. These were progressively demolished with the building of adequate high-rise housing. I don't think Canada Real Galiana has ever been exclusively Gitano and both the non-Gypsy Spanish and immigrant population have a strong presence there. It would be fair to say that El Vacie in Seville might be close to 100% Gitano, though - its as bad as shanty towns get in Europe. Same for Lo Campano in Cartagena. I don't know if El Puche in Almeria qualifies as a shanty town, (sadly many of these areas also become degrade by virtue of their inhabitants' behavior, not just poverty or lack of infrastructure): its about a third Gitano, a third Moroccan and a third non-gitano or mixed. The question is also how do you define shanty towns? Is it irregular housing made of prefab materials or do you give a wider use? Asilah1981 (talk) 18:55, 20 April 2017 (UTC)

[Please see update below] Thank you for the additional information. If you are able to find any additional published resources concerning this subject, please feel free to share and let me know. It is entirely possible that the Open Society Institute report may have been incorrect; however, in order to discuss this further in the article, it would require more published sources. With regards to Canada Real Galiana, you are very much correct that it is a mixed-ethnic community--majority non-Romani / gitano, in fact--and is predominantly inhabited by persons of the Spanish majority culture / "white" / preferred descriptor. If you haven't already read that section, please note that this is all highlighted (especially in the last paragraph). For this reason, the first paragraph of the section does highlight the fact that non-Romani Spanish persons also experience environmental injustices in many cases. Sturgeontransformer (talk) 00:52, 21 April 2017 (UTC)
UPDATE - Hi Asilah1981, once again, thank you for pointing out the above-mentioned issue regarding demographics of chabolas. Following the previous post, I spent some time thinking about this a little more. In absence of comprehensive, up-to-date information, I have decided to re-word the sentence in question for improved neutrality, similar to the edit you made. I found a 2009 EUFRA report from which we can quote a more neutral finding. "(...)Roma continue to be overrepresented among the socially disadvantaged and live disproportionately in segregated and substandard slum settlements."[1]: 4  This validates your initial edit, which can now be attributed to a reliable, published source. Once again, thank you for raising this issue to my attention.Sturgeontransformer (talk) 05:26, 21 April 2017 (UTC)

References

  1. ^ "Case study: improving Roma housing and eliminating slums, Spain (Conference edition)" (PDF). European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights. October 2009. pp. 1–30. Retrieved July 10, 2016. {{cite web}}: Cite uses deprecated parameter |authors= (help)

Hi Sturgeon, thanks for this. I just had another point I thought you might find useful. I don't think the presence of "shanty towns" in Spain can be categorized as environmental racism as such, because forced eviction from sub-standard housing (normally meeting resistance) to better quality areas could also be interpreted the same way. However, an instance of what could be interpreted as "environmental racism" was the relocation of a large number of the inhabitants of Triana (the side of Seville west of the Guadalquivir river). This historically harmonious area was for centuries home to Seville's Muslim Morisco descendants (primarily clay workers) and Gypsies and, as an ethnic and cultural melting pot, has a strong iconic and religious importance in Southern Spain - home of one of Andalusia's most important catholic devotions (the Esperanza and the Cachorro of Triana - the latter, surprisingly an image of Jesus modeled after an agonizing Gypsy who was killed by the brother of a noble women he was courting and who still bears this lover's name - El Cachorro or "the Puppy". In the 1950s, Gitanos were close to the majority of the population of Triana and 3000 families (a majority Gitano) were forcibly evicted to peripheral suburbs of the city, such as what is now known as "las tres mil viviendas". These areas have become now highly degraded, poor and centers of delinquency and drug trafficking. It led to the ghettoization and the destruction of the social fabric of a community which was until then highly integrated in the center of the city. Triana was not fully gentrified but the heart of it closest to the river was. Other such events may have happened in other cities of Spain but this one is the most well known and your article would be incomplete without mentioning it. I suggest you maybe do some research on the matter and consider incorporating a paragraph on it. Asilah1981 (talk) 12:58, 21 April 2017 (UTC)

Thank you for this interesting history. I will most certainly look into the history of Triana. I can also recognize your perspective here regarding environmental racism in Spain, although if I understand you correctly, I see things differently. Here's my perspective.
The presence of shantytowns isn't environmental racism in and of itself. It is the lack or denial of environmental means of sustenance that happens. Shantytowns are a symptom, but not necessarily the cause, or even the problem itself. Shantytowns are highlighted in the article because many of the specific issues of environmental racism correlate to the locations of the shantytowns; the two may not be the same, but they are related. Likewise, I agree with you that the so-called "urban renewal" you describe in Triana is very much a case of environmental racism, as it relates to a way in which a group of persons are excluded from a specific environment (the old town centre) and relegated to a marginalized place. (You may also be interested in the article's section on Sulukkule, Instanbul).
My research on environmental racism has led me to conclude that it is a highly complex issue that can take shape in many different ways that aren't always clearly visible. If it involves potentially racialized* communities that are in some form denied collective participation in land use decisions, and are in some way negatively affected by environmental issues as a result, that's environmental racism. (*This can definitely include some "white" social groups, as long as they are made to be racialized or "different." For example, hypothetically speaking, if a group of ethnic English / white persons from Britain became refugees in the USA, and were housed next to a toxic waste dump, I think that would still meet the definition of environmental racism.)
In many cases, environmental racism can still take place where the living conditions might be perfect. I think the best example of this is the case of the Sami people in Norway, Sweden, and Finland. One could argue that their living conditions are excellent--as established citizens of Nordic countries, they have excellent access to clean water, housing, health care, education, employment, freedom of movement, etc. The problem, though, at least in a lot of people's opinions, certainly my own, is that the Sami have lost vast amounts of collective agency over the traditional management of their territories. Their culture has been subjected to an often very traumatic assimilation process, and this process was directly related to colonization and the ongoing extraction of resources from their lands. Suicide, identity issues (such as loss of language, family ties, etc), and trauma are huge challenges for many Sami communities and individuals. Sometimes, losing access to a specific place that one has a close attachment to can be a different but no less traumatic form of loss. While the Sami may have access to good living conditions, they've been subjected to colonization, and to a system where they, and their connection to the land, isn't necessarily respected. It's still a form, albeit a less visible form, of environmental racism.
Hope this clarifies my rationale, and thank you for asking.
Best, Sturgeontransformer (talk) 20:50, 21 April 2017 (UTC)

(Sápmi) Geographical Definition

(Originally posted on Atvica's talk page) - Atvica raised a good point with regards to the use of the term Arctic and Subarctic Europe in describing Sami territories(Sápmi). I am open to further discussion on this topic. Thanks! Sturgeontransformer (talk) 04:53, 20 July 2017 (UTC)

Hi Atvica,
Thank you for your recent edit, which was constructive in nature. I am writing to inform you that I am reverting it and I wanted to provide a constructive explanation why.
Northern Europe is a very broad and vaguely defined territory that includes parts of Europe which are extremely distant from traditional Sami territories (aka Germany, England, Poland, Denmark, etc.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Europe
Arctic and Subarctic Europe is much more specific (and well-defined). With the exception of Iceland and the Faroe Islands, this term refers exclusively to continental European countries that encompass Sami territories. The traditional / historic range of Sami settlement is largely defined by geography and climate zone. By stating Arctic and Subarctic Europe(Sápmi), the title is referring to the geoclimatic zone that said Indigenous cultures have their territories within.
Further to this, due to the overlap between Western Europe and Northern Europe, using the term Arctic and Subarctic Europe helps clarify which regions are being discussed. There is much more overlap between the terms Western Europe and Northern Europe than there is between Eastern Europe and Western Europe, so it's best not to use both terms within the same article, as it can cause confusion. It is also helpful in differentiating between environmental racism on Sami territories and environmental racism on non-Sami territories within the rest of Northern Europe (for example, environmental racism and Romani people living in southern Sweden).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A1pmi
I should add, this term obviously isn't perfect, and could be subject to further change in future. One possibility would be to simply refer to the areas as "Sápmi," which I would actually love, but for political geographic reasons, I'm somewhat hesitant to exclusively use the Indigenous name. For the time being, I feel that my use of the term Arctic and Subarctic Europe is the simplest and clearest.
Hopefully this message helps clarify my rationale for using this term, and once again, I appreciate your interest in the article.
Sincerely, Sturgeontransformer (talk) 04:26, 20 July 2017 (UTC)

Title

While I am familiar with the existence of the phenomenon described in the article, I am surprised to see it called "Environmental racism" in Wikipedia's voice. I do see that some of the references include racist or racial in their title (I didn't assess the reliability of those sources yet) and it is common that social inequality affect minorities or oppressed people that can be of a different ethnicity. It is also true that some groups are being marginalized in unhealthy polluted areas. Basically, I'm wondering if this is not a fringe name to describe it or if reliable sources have significant coverage under this title. We of course also have social inequality. —PaleoNeonate – 07:52, 16 August 2017 (UTC)

I see that Environmental racism exists since 2004, maybe I'm simply ignorant on the 2k+ popular use of this terminology... —PaleoNeonate – 08:05, 16 August 2017 (UTC)
Thank you for your feedback. The term environmental racism has been widely used in mainstream academic discourse for decades, and is legally recognized in the United States by the Environmental Protection Agency. Many of the published resources used in this article have specifically used the term environmental racism or analogous / comparable descriptions / terminology of the issue, such as racial segregation in relation to "environmental injustice"; racism in relation to "environmental inequality"; minority rights and "environmental justice," etc. While terminologies may vary, the definition of environmental racism is consistent in its implications. The term environmental racism is used because it clearly and concisely describes the issue it refers to: the existence of racism and racialization within a context of environmental discrimination. To word this article otherwise (aka Environmental justice in Europe) might arguably fail to accurately identify the issues described within the article. For example, Wikipedia's article "Racism in the United States" isn't titled "Racial justice in the United States."
I have made every effort to write this article from as neutral a perspective as possible with reliable sources. Environmental racism is a distinct and well-defined form of social inequality, and the role of racialization is what makes it unique in relation to the broader notion of environmental justice. Please review the numerous references of this article for further information.
Thanks, Sturgeontransformer (talk) 23:07, 1 September 2017 (UTC)

Rationale for length of article: organization by region and national jurisdiction

This article is organized by nationality and grouped into five regional sections, divided by 38 headings and subheadings for clarity.

As it stands, I feel that the subject matter is the most cohesive when compiled in a single article with clear divisions between jurisdictions. While some jurisdictions in this article have been written about at length, moving these longer sections of the article could result in many separate articles. Dividing the article into 34 separate articles, one for each country, would result in a great deal of fragmentation.

While the article could theoretically be divided into two to five sub-articles, the geographic definition of regions makes separating the article into multiple independent sub-articles challenging. When addressing issues in Arctic regions of Nordic countries (specifically with regards to the Sami), the division between Eastern and Western Europe becomes blurred, as the Sami face issues of environmental racism in Russia. Having Russia, Finland, Norway, and Sweden within the same article allows for a clearer regional understanding, especially with regards to border issues (see the sections on how the Cold War affected Sami movements and ecologically dependent livelihoods between Russia and Western Europe).

With regards to the Romani minority, the East-West issue is hard to divide into separate articles, because the root issues and policy responses to environmental racism in Western Europe are strongly influenced by issues of Romani marginalization in Eastern Europe. These are inter-regional, cross border issues. Likewise, dividing the article into sub-articles by ethnic group of those affected by environmental racism is also problematic. In many cases, Romani communities affected by environmental racism are found in the same or adjacent locations as racialized migrant agricultural workers from India, Africa, or South America (see the section on Spain). In countries where multiple ethnic groups experience similar or related issues, dividing the article in such a way only raises further questions.

Lastly, in dividing the article into sub-articles, many of the references used for the lead section, which provides the definition and overview of the subject, would no longer be within the article, thus rendering the lead section with unsupported material.

Please feel free to consult with other editors on these questions. However, from my perspective, I feel that keeping the article in its current length with clear divisions based on jurisdiction separated by region and nationality, broken into clear headings and sub-headings, is the clearest and most accessible way to convey the subject matter.

Thanks,Sturgeontransformer (talk) 00:02, 2 September 2017 (UTC)

@Sturgeontransformer: Fine then. I tagged it because it showed up at Special:LongPages and this article did indeed seem too long to read comfortably. — Mr. Guye (talk) (contribs)  00:21, 2 September 2017 (UTC)
Thank you for your consideration, and please feel free to consult with other editors should you have any ongoing concerns regarding this or any other issue. Best, Sturgeontransformer (talk) 00:25, 2 September 2017 (UTC)

Welcome!

Welcome to the Environmental racism in Europe talk page! Please ensure that all edits follow Wikipedia's policies and guidelines.

Prior to making edits, please ensure that you have read the article and are of sound understanding regarding its content. Edits that appear unconstructive will be questioned, so please take the time to familiarize oneself with the focus of the article, and to read the following resource:

Edits that do not appear to follow guidelines will be referred to this post, and may be reverted. Please do not hesitate to contact other editors for a second opinion, or to present questions or comments prior to making changes. Wikipedia is a collaborative space; neutral and constructive communication is always appreciated.

Thanks! Sturgeontransformer (talk) 00:28, 26 March 2017 (UTC)

Issue with the UK section

The UK section references 'Gander' in West London - but there's no such place. The pdf link in the reference appears to use 'Gander and Painham' Borough as a code for an unspecified location (?) Whatever the actual facts here, this section needs to be revised - we cant refer to non-existent places.

Gilgamesh4 (talk) 14:56, 21 November 2017 (UTC)

Given that only one very specific study has been provided, it's a hefty section. When adding to it that it's a part of West London obviously colloquially identified by some portion of the population (Irish travellers; West Londoners?), more sources are needed to identify where/what it is, as well as any other opinions on the situation. For the moment, I'm going to tag the section for further references. --Iryna Harpy (talk) 22:19, 24 November 2017 (UTC)
Thank you for bringing up this issue! I appreciate your efforts to help improve this article, and I fully support your decision to add a banner requesting additional references. This is good - I fully agree with all of your concerns. At this point in time, I have not yet found additional sources, but I will keep looking. I welcome other editors' efforts, especially those who live in the UK who may have better access to local research resources. This is one of many sites mentioned throughout the article that I plan to do more in-depth research on in the foreseeable future. Sturgeontransformer (talk) 18:50, 26 November 2017 (UTC)

UPDATE: I am in the process of contacting the Irish Traveller Movement to inquire about the specific location of this site, and one of the organizations that funded the report. Sturgeontransformer (talk) 01:40, 27 November 2017 (UTC)

Excellent! I've found that to be one of the great pleasures of Wikipedia: discovering areas I was barely familiar with (not just literal geographic areas), and having my interest piqued into researching. Wikipedia is like the gift of intellectual and emotional stimulation that just keeps on giving, so long as one can learn to put up with POV pushers and battleground mentality users. In the end, the highs outweigh the lows. We're not going to stop incivility, but we can enjoy the sojourns and making this a resource meaningful to anyone who reads it. It's always a pleasure to discover other editors who are here to make it a great project. If I can be of any assistance on this, or any article, please let me know. --Iryna Harpy (talk) 03:37, 27 November 2017 (UTC)
So true! Wikipedia really is "the gift that keeps on giving". In addition to all the new subjects I've learned about, writing here has taught me skills in writing neutrality and critical thinking that I likely never would have learned anywhere else. With regards to the UK section, I will send you an email very shortly with the specifics of my latest findings. For issues related to research ethics, I would prefer to first discuss the matter off the main talk page first. Talk soon! Sturgeontransformer (talk) 04:28, 4 December 2017 (UTC)
The names used in the report are obviously made up, in order to maintain the anonymity of the people who live there. I don't think we should be using them on Wikipedia, but rather refer to them more generically. Cordless Larry (talk) 00:01, 16 December 2017 (UTC)

Complaint.

@Sturgeontransformer:, @Me, Myself, and I are Here: I have rarely seen such a utter and complete mess of tendentious statements and WP:SYNTH and WP:COATRACK as this particular article. It is sourced by a few publications, none of which are mainstream, most of which are activist and all of which are severely overused. The arbitrary designation of some populations as " Indigenous groups" (Saami, for one) is idiotic, since actually Europeans are indigenous to Europe.

Case in point, the section "The Netherlands" in which (non-citizen) Roma getting less than the best spots for their camps is now called "racism", since, presumably, the Dutch have an obligation to offer prime real estate to any citizen of another country coming in and demanding land. This may be news to the authors, but The Netherlands is a very densely populated country. I just removed a link to the Bikini Atoll atomic test programs as a) the U.S. is not in Europe and b) it's got fuck-all to do with any minority in Europe.

I intend to go over this article with a fine toothed comb and weed out the idiotic assumptions, overused sources and, frankly ludicrous claims. Kleuske (talk) 12:55, 14 December 2017 (UTC)

I just removed a section from the lede about perceived "environmental injustice" in "Arctic and Subarctic regions of Europe" based on studies on Canada and Indigenous Peoples of North America. Whisky Tango Foxtrot? Since when Are North America and Canada in Europe? Agin Sturgeontransformer, please explain. Kleuske (talk) 14:34, 14 December 2017 (UTC)
@Sturgeontransformer: Please read Wikipedia:Don't template the regulars and remember that a template does not equal an actual argument. So far my criticism includes WP:COATRACK, WP:EDITORIALIZING, WP:SYNTH, sources that are completely inadequate (unless you think North America and Canada are in Europe), poor sources (a single quote cover entire paragraphs, repeatedly) and If I go through it once more, I'm sure I will see a few more. Kleuske (talk) 19:25, 14 December 2017 (UTC)

Removing large quantities of cited material without adequate rationale and posting strong language (including personal attacks) on edit histories and talk pages is not appropriate editing behavior, regardless of one's history as an editor. Disruptive editing does not require additional discussion, and continued disruptive editing may be reported.Sturgeontransformer (talk) 19:38, 14 December 2017 (UTC)

@Sturgeontransformer: Please peruse WP:ASPERSIONS and clarify which "personal attacks" and what "possible vandalism" you perceive. Also vapid accusations are not appropriate substitutes for actual arguments. Kleuske (talk) 19:41, 14 December 2017 (UTC)
@Sturgeontransformer: Let me make myself exceedingly clear. Any source that does not explicitly call some behavior "environmental racism" gives rise to WP:OR if it's used in an article on "environmental racism". So far, I have yet to encounter that source. The best I found was "environmental injustice", which is not the same as "environmental racism". Kleuske (talk) 20:59, 14 December 2017 (UTC)

Many of your questions have been addressed in previous discussions in the talk archives, which I would advise you to refer to. Secondly, there are possible alternative titles for the article such as "Race and environmental issues in Europe" or "Environmental justice / injustice in Europe"; this issue was partially brought up in a discussion in Archive 2, and is something I would have been happy to discuss if asked. There are much more constructive ways to address these questions than deleting large sections of text and immediately attacking editors in the talk page right off the bat. It is reasonable for an editor to be reluctant to go into detailed talk page discussions when the first comment posted implies that the editors are "idiotic"--that does not indicate a willingness to partake in constructive dialogue. Further, removing significant portions of text does not address neutrality concerns.

Simply because an article addresses a topic that is arguably associated with a perceived political viewpoint does not automatically render the article non-neutral, as you appear to have suggested in your first post on the talk page. For example, if a liberal claimed that an article on Jordan Peterson was right-wing bias simply by its existence and inclusion of opinions of those in favor of his positions, that would not be a valid argument. Likewise, if a relevant published source that denied the existence of environmental racism in Europe was found, it could be included as a legitimate perspective in context. It's perfectly within Wikipedia's mandate to include articles on controversial subjects, as long as the neutrality is adhered to (and again, removing entire sub-sections of articles does not necessarily address neutrality concerns). If you continue to disagree, I will to refer this matter to the dispute resolution system for a third-party opinion.

See also:

Sturgeontransformer (talk) 02:09, 15 December 2017 (UTC)

Ok....
I called it tendentious and that's a point you haven't addressed.
  1. None of the sources i've inspected use the term "environmental racism". The worst I found was "environmental injustice". If you call something "environmental racism", w/o any source claling it that, it's unsourced and, since the term 'racism' is a quite loaded one, it can justifiably be called 'tendentious'.
  2. Adding a series of projects (mining, hydro-electric power and more) under that banner without anyone or any source cited calling it 'environmental racism' or even an accusation being levelled is a prime example of WP:COATRACK and WP:OR. This problem pervades the article and it's the main problem I have.
  3. The article is extremely poorly sourced, one reference covering multiple paragraphs. This point has been raised by others and has not been addressed in any way, shape or form.
  4. Image captions contained claims that weren't sourced to anythi, but were clearly intended to convey a message. Case in point the "deforestation" images, the image of a (illegal) encampment near St. Denis with the caption "Proximity to highway infrastructure is a frequently cited form of environmental burden that affects many Romani settlements in France." If it's "frequently cited", please cite the sources that cite it. The source of the image which you uploaded) does not say anything of the sort. Moreover, you have no permission to upload that file, which makes it a copyright violation. This will be addressed on Commons shortly (no fair use on Commons).
  5. The article uses excessive quotes from sources who have not been established to be authorative on the subject.
  6. The article only represents a single POV, disregarding others (case in point, the Calais Jungle and various illegal (not 'informal', illegal) Roma settlements.
  7. The attitude you are displaying here seems to be one of ownership of the article. You have not adressed a single concern I have raised, but have tried to intimidate me (templating, casting aspersions, etc). This is a serious issue.
  8. Talk-pages of other pages are not sources, though the 'indigenous'-bit is only a minute part of the problems I have with this article.
  9. Tone policing and referring to other discussions are not substitutes for actual arguments. In the above I find no arguments, no sources, and no rationale whatsoever. You are, of course, free to call in whatever 'second opinion' you want, but make sure that 'second opinion' addresses WP:COATRACK, WP:OR, WP:V and WP:OWN.
Kleuske (talk) 12:18, 15 December 2017 (UTC)

Dispute resolution will soon be underway. Other editors will be involved. Sturgeontransformer (talk) 14:59, 15 December 2017 (UTC)

No arguments? Not addressing a single point, above? I'm disappointed. Kleuske (talk) 15:18, 15 December 2017 (UTC)
Third Opinion dispute resolution submitted. This will allow for an independent party to provide input in a neutral way. The following is a copy of the notification on Third Opinion, which can be found under "Active disagreements":
Kleuske and Sturgeontransformer disagree on whether the Arctic and Subarctic Europe (Sápmi) section of Environmental racism in Europe should be removed, and they disagree on claims of inherent bias regarding the entire article. 15:32, 15 December 2017 (UTC)
There's a list of points above, which is much wider than the constrained representation offered by User:Sturgeontransformer, here. Specifically I contend the article is a WP:COATRACK, contains WP:OR/WP:SYNTH, is written tendentiously (i.e. far from having a WP:NPOV), that none of the sources mentioned say anything about environmental racism (WP:V/WP:RS), that excessive and selective quotes are used and that image captions made claims which are not supported by the sources of those images, i.e. that it is mainly the opinion of the author(s) of those captions. So far, no actual response has been forthcoming. For some reason Jordan Peterson was brought up, though. Kleuske (talk) 16:03, 15 December 2017 (UTC)
For clarity's sake, I will go through my edits and explain
  1. removing 'see also' Nuclear testing at Bikini Atoll. The Bimini Atoll isn't in Europe, tests were conducted by the USA, so it's completely unrelated to the subject at hand
  2. Pointing out Pointing out that (despite UN definitions) Frisians, Bavarians and Catalans are indigenous to Europe. (this is actually a very minor point)
  3. removed a section from the lede which is sourced to studies on "Indigenous Peoples of North America" and "Indigenous Mobilization and Environmental Justice in Canada’s Chemical Valley". This is actually quite serious, since neither of the articles even mention Europe.
  4. The Calais Jungle was illegal and occupants had offers for alternative housing, which were refused. Mentioning that in an article on environmental racism is ludicrous at best and dishonest at worst. Even if it was built on a "former toxic waste dump" as was alleged.
  5. Image captions making claims
  6. removing an image because the caption is flatly contradicted by the image description on Commons.
  7. Calais jungle, once more.
  8. Romani camp near St. Denis, which was erected illegally. Giving this as an example of environmental racism is, again, ludicrous at best and flat-out dishonest at worst.
  9. Ditto
  10. Editorializing, claims of racism made, but not substantiated.
  11. Coatrack removed, since after a lengthy introduction on the Saami many conflicts and disagreements were mentioned but no actual environmental racism was claimed anywhere. Hence WP:SYNTH/WP:COATRACK.
Kleuske (talk) 16:40, 15 December 2017 (UTC)
Let me add that my problems with this article by no means end there. This is just the batch I addressed first. Kleuske (talk) 16:52, 15 December 2017 (UTC)
Hey there,
Let's avoid long words like "tendentious" (I have no idea what that means!) and excessive [[WP:]] links and stay focused on the points, shall we? Also, just to keep it orderly, let's stop editing the article for a day or two until we sort all of this out. Can we do that? Thanks!
I'll continue with the enumeration Kleuske used above, but first a somewhat obvious note: The issues of legality and justice are separate, and the a lack in the first should not preclude us from writing about the second.
  1. I don't think it's improper to use "environmental racism" if the sources use "environmental injustice", but it can be inaccurate if the sources don't mention race or ethnicity at all; however it doesn't necessarily preclude it from being used here. I think this should be discussed on a case-by-case basis.
  2. I'm not sure what mentions of mining etc. are being referred to here. Please use {{tq}}.
  3. 157 sources for an article of this length isn't bad, and their spread (from just a few glances) seems about average. Nevertheless, sourcing is easy to improve - just add qualified sources.
  4. Captions don't have to be sourced if they recur in the article body and are sourced there, which seems the case here. As for the photo - photos can be illustrative and their caption needn't match the original as long as it is correct.
  5. Again, please be specific, and better yet: Open a new thread.
  6. You're free to modify the article as you see fit, pending sources.
  7. -
  8. I agree that discussions shouldn't be repeated. It's tedious for experienced editors to repeat the same argument over and over, so they tend to avoid it when they can. If you're directed to an archived page where consensus has already been reached, please read the discussion first; if you have something to add on top of that argument, or if you feel the situation changed enough that it merits a renewed discussion, then reopen it. Otherwise try to keep it DRY.
  9. -
  10. -
second batch, break inserted to keep numbering in sync. Kleuske (talk) 18:54, 16 December 2017 (UTC)
  1. Sturgeontransformer What's the relevance of the Bikini Atoll tests to this?
  2. I believe this was mentioned to discern them from the migratory and immigrant communities mentioned earlier in the sentence.
  3. The sources' names aren't a problem. What do the sources' texts say?
  4. I don't see any problem there. You can add mentions of alternative housing and legality where proper, keeping in mind this is a review article, so they must be concise.
  5. See above on image captions.
  6. Commons only mention a location. Where's the contradiction?
  7. -
  8. See above on legality.
  9. "Informal" can be dropped altogether, hence making any POV concerns redundant.
  10. Some of these can be made shorter and more concise.
  11. Glancing over the removed material, it indeed does not seem to constitute racism. Inequality, class warfare, civil rights abuse - yes; but not overt racism. If this is to be included in this article, the article must be renamed and its focus clarified here, as well as in the body. François Robere (talk) 18:08, 16 December 2017 (UTC)
The main problem I have, and that's a very big problem I have, is that lumping together a large amount of social, cultural and legal issues, problems, concerns and whatever with disputes over mines, dams and hunting rights, etc/ under the very loaded term 'environmental racism' and not citing a single source that actually alleges 'environmental racism' is a problem. It's a problem because it's a coatrack and the only reason we have to assume it's 'environmental racism' is the article's sayso. That contravenes the principle of verifiability and using loaded language without backing that up with sources,
"Let's avoid long words like "tendentious" (I have no idea what that means!) and excessive [[WP:]] links and stay focused on the points, shall we?"
Ok. Lemme explain the big words here:
WP:COATRACK: The article is a huge variety of unrelated disputes, issues, plans, pollution, protests, and what not, laced with problems Romani have all over Europe, collected under the title environmental racism, which is supported by not a single source claiming this, that or the other is an example of environmental racism.
WP:NPOV: The article uses loaded language and fails to back it up with reliable sources.
WP:V: If you cite an issue as an example of environmental racism, policy requires a source stating "this is an example of environmental racism".
WP:RS: It's not the number of sources that matters, it's the quality of those sources and of course, they should actually support the claims made.
WP:OR: The article cites all these different issues as examples of environmental racism without citing an actual source that calls it that, expecting the reader to accept what the article says, because the author(s) thought so. Saying "environmental injustice" is the same as "environmental racism" without providing a source that says it is, is also an example of original research.
WP:RIGHTGREATWRONGS: I haven't yet brought it up, but it may be worth reading, since the article positively reeks of WP:RIGHTGREATWRONGS.
If you want, we can dissect this thing on a per country basis, one a day. since pretty much none of it, as far as I can ascertain, is adequately sourced. If you think sourcing it isn't a problem, by any means, knock yourself out. Kleuske (talk) 20:21, 16 December 2017 (UTC)
I agree with Kleuske that all of these are problems with the current article. There is a massive amount of content currently in the article that should be removed. power~enwiki (π, ν) 07:03, 18 December 2017 (UTC)

Hi François Robere,

Thank you for the Third Opinion. I appreciate your taking the time to help clarify these questions. In turn, I will attempt to provide a detailed articulation of my perspectives regarding this article.

The article needs a substantial amount of work, and I welcome more editors to help improve it. Kleuske’s edits were not vandalism; this stated, civil editing and communication is extremely important.

As mentioned previously, I am very open to a potential name change for the article. “Environmental issues and race in Europe” could be a more neutral and accurate title, if community consensus supported the change. “Environmental justice / inequality issues in Europe” is another option, which would further widen the scope of the article to include class-based issues that do not necessarily involve race or ethnicity. If it came to a vote, I would probably be in favor of a name change, barring a convincing argument from other editors.

“Environmental racism” and “environmental justice / injustice” are problematic terms. What is just, unjust, or racist will often be contested. The above terms do have an established presence in both academic and popular discourse. The article performs two functions. First, it summarizes theory regarding environmental racism / injustice, with a focus on Europe and issues that are unique to the continent. Second, the article compiles cases where race or ethnicity is identified in the same context as environmental issues and social exclusion together. When possible, the article includes context surrounding the history of each respective documented case. The possibility of establishing a list-type article to house this information is also a consideration.

Nearly all of the sources used in this article (182 in total, if counting the sections removed) specifically reference race or ethnicity, and likewise, the vast majority reference specific environmental issues. Several of the sources do explicitly refer to the term “environmental racism.”

These sources are listed below. Some of these sources (and additional sources listed for other related terminology) may have been lost in the recent content removals. I have listed sources by name and publishing information to ensure that they can be researched as easily as possible without having to search them down in the article. Several of these sources also use the terms “environmental injustice / environmental justice” as well.

  • See page 9, 51: Steger, Tamara et al. eds. Making the Case for Environmental Justice in Central & Eastern Europe. Archived October 6, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Budapest: CEU Center for Environmental Policy and Law, The Central European University; The Health and Environment Alliance; and The Coalition for Environmental Justice, March 2007. pp. 1–57. Web. April 10, 2016.
  • See page 253: Harper, Krista; Steger, Tamara; Filčák, Richard (2009). “Environmental Justice and Roma Communities in Central and Eastern Europe”. Environmental Policy and Governance Env. Pol. Gov. Wiley InterScience. 19: 251–268. doi:10.1002/eet.511.
  • Vincze, Enikő (2013). “Urban Landfill, Economic Restructuring and Environmental Racism”. Philobiblon: Transylvanian Journal of Multidisciplinary Research in Humanities. Cluj, Romania: Babes-Bolyai University. XVIII (2): 389–405.
  • See page 74-75: Orta, Lucy; et al., eds. (2010). Mapping the Invisible: EURoma Gypsies. London, UK: Black Dog Publishing.
  • See page 238-9: Pellow, David Naguib (2007). Resisting Global Toxics: Transnational Movements for Environmental Justice. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press.
  • Rodrigues, Peter and Matelski, Maaike. Monitor racism and the extreme right: Roma and Sinti. Archived July 29, 2017, at the Wayback Machine. Anne Frank House / Leiden University: Amsterdam, 2004. Print. p. 40

The term “environmental discrimination” is mentioned in one source:

  • See page 5: Filčák, Richard. Living Beyond the Pale: Environmental Justice and the Roma Minority. Budapest: Central European University Press, 2012. Project MUSE. p. 5-163. Web. April 8, 2016.

Other sources reference “environmental justice / injustice.” These sources include:

  • Babourkova, Rosalina (6 October 2010). “The environmental justice implications of utility privatization: the case of the electricity supply in Bulgaria’s Roma settlements”. International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development. Taylor & Francis. 2 (1): 24–44. doi:10.1080/19463138.2010.511029.
  • Wiebe, Sarah Marie. Everyday Exposure: Indigenous Mobilization and Environmental Justice in Canada’s Chemical Valley. UBC Press: Vancouver, 2016. Print. ISBN:9780774832649 (https://www.ubc press.ca/everyday-exposure)
  • Laurian, Lucie. "Environmental Injustice in France.” Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Archived June 25, 2017, at the Wayback Machine. 51:1, 55–79. 2008. Routledge, Taylor & Francis. Web. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  • Filčák, Richard. Living Beyond the Pale: Environmental Justice and the Roma Minority. Budapest: Central European University Press, 2012. Project MUSE. p. 5-163. Web. April 8, 2016.
  • Hoover, Plain, Sanchez, et al. "Indigenous Peoples of North America: Environmental Exposures and Environmental Justice.” Environmental Health Perspectives, December 2012, vol. 120, issue 12. Web. n. pag. DOI: 10.1289/ehp.1205422 Archived June 29, 2017, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 3, 2017.
  • Spiric, Jovanka (May 5, 2015). “Pollution from the Topilnica smelter, Veles, Macedonia”. Environmental Justice Atlas. Retrieved June 15, 2016. Archived June 17, 2017, at the Wayback Machine.
  • Donhahoe, Brian. “The Law as a Source of Environmental Injustice in the Russian Federation.” Agyeman, Julian and Ogneva Himmelberger, Yelena et al, eds. Environmental Justice and Sustainability in the Former Soviet Union. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, 2009. Print. ISBN 9780262260305

The other sources that do not explicitly mention “racism,” “environmental racism,” “environmental justice,” or “environmental injustice” do refer directly to either race or ethnicity. In these articles, the cases referenced are generally described as “X” minority ethnicity is in a context of experiencing “X” environmental issue.

One source does not address specific case studies of environmental inequality. It examines land rights issues involving Indigenous and Romani communities, which is relevant to understanding the legal implications of environmental inequality / racism:

  • Klímová-Alexander, Ilona (September 25, 2007). “Transnational Romani and Indigenous Non-territorial Self-determination Claims”. Ethnopolitics. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. 6 (3): 395–416. doi:10.1080/17449050701487413.

Another source does not refer to the above terms explicitly, however, the primary focus of the report is to examine the correlation between ethnicity and air pollution in the UK; the report is described as a “Racial Equality Impact Assessment”:

  • UK Government. "UK notification to the European Commission to extend the compliance deadline for meeting PM₁₀ limit values in ambient air to 2011—Racial Equality Impact Assessment (England). Archived July 10, 2011, at the Wayback Machine..” The ENDS Report. UK Government, August 2009. p. 1-15. Web. April 10, 2016.

With regards to assessing each scenario on a case-by-case basis, the effort should be aided by detailed referencing and archiving of sources. The vast majority of the sources have been archived using the Wayback Machine. Of the few articles that are not archived due to robots txt. issues, most are located in relatively stable locations (such as government agencies) with detailed source information included in the article.

With regards to the sections removed concerning the Arctic regions of Sweden, Finland, and Norway, the main sources almost exclusively concern the effects of industrial developments on Sami people as a distinct ethnic group, and how certain developments arguably impact them disproportionately. I would therefore disagree that this is not a racial issue, or a primarily civil rights issue.

Several of these sources delve particularly in-depth documenting the history of racism towards Sami, drawing direct links between anti-Sami government policies, current environmental degradation of their historical territories, and how the latter issue affects their collective health and cultural identity. The following sources argue explicit links between anti-Sami discrimination and environmental issues:

  • Sametinget (Swedish Sami Parliament) (2014). “Minerals and Mines in Sápmi: The Viewpoint of the Swedish Sami Parliament”. Appendix 2, Preparatory Report from the Sami Parliament in Sweden/Sámediggi/Sámedigge/Saemiedigkie/Sametinget for the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Ms. Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, prior to her 2015 August visit to Sápmi and Sweden. Sami Parliament in Sweden/Sámediggi/Sámedigge/Saemiedigkie/Sametinget. pp. 2–14. Retrieved July 10, 2016. Archived October 6, 2016, at the Wayback Machine.
  • Bowers, India Reed (August 2015). “Preparatory Report from the Sami Parliament in Sweden/Sámediggi/Sámedigge/Saemiedigkie/Sametinget for the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Ms. Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, prior to her 2015 August visit to Sápmi and Sweden” (Report). Sami Parliament in Sweden/Sámediggi/Sámedigge/Saemiedigkie/Sametinget. pp. 1–36. Retrieved July 10, 2016. Archived October 6, 2016, at the Wayback Machine.
  • Briggs, Chad M. ["Science, local knowledge, and exclusionary practices: Lessons from the Alta Dam case."] Norsk Geografisk Tidsskrift – Norwegian Journal of Geography, 2006. 60:2, 149–160. Published online February 18, 2007. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. Web. April 10, 2016. doi:10.1080/00291950600723146
  • Kuokkanen, Rauna & Bulmer, Marja K (2006). “Suttesája: From a Sacred Sami Site and Natural Spring to a Water Bottling Plant? The Effects of Colonization in Northern Europe”. In Washington, Sylvia Hood; Rosier, Paul C. & Goodall, Heather. Echoes from the Poisoned Well: Global Memories of Environmental Injustice. Oxford, UK: Lexington Books.
  • Civil Rights Defenders, Sweden (June 13, 2014). “Joint submission to the UN Universal Periodic Review of SWEDEN: 21st Session of the UPR Working Group of the Human Rights Council, January/February 2015” (PDF). Civil Rights Defenders. pp. 1–17. Retrieved July 10, 2016. Archived October 6, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. [133] Madslien, Jorn.

Two paragraphs from the lead section were also removed. These paragraphs helped provide context, especially with regards to introducing, comparing, and contrasting the relation between racism and environmental inequalities in the European Arctic with similar inequalities found in the rest of Europe. Without these paragraphs, the cohesiveness of the rest of the article is weakened, as they helped explain why the issue of environmental racism / injustice / inequality is relevant to a European legal, political, and social context.

Two of the images in the article were sourced from CC-BY 3.0 YouTube content that was removed before Wikipedia verified the licensing. I have added a dead link tag to the source, and deletion is likely. Other images are still awaiting verification.

The rationale for keeping the Nuclear testing at Bikini Atoll link is the same for other links such as the Aamjiwnaang First Nation, Ontario Minamata disease, and Uranium mining and the Navajo people. The rationale is that since these cases concern subject matter involving racialized groups who are disproportionately affected by environmental issues, they help give additional context to the article subject matter on a global scale.

With regards to overall neutrality, this article would benefit from more input involving editors from diverse aspects of the political spectrum. I have specifically made an effort to highlight the social and economic benefits of certain controversial industrial projects, and to openly address the role of racialized individuals in worsening or perpetuating existing social tensions (for example, garbage, violence, internal corruption, failure to obey laws, and other antisocial behavior). Nonetheless, neutrality requires more voices.

Acknowledging the predominantly liberal views of many of the sources used for this article (and my own personal views, which I try to be self-aware of) I would strongly support inviting Wikipedia editors who self-identify as politically conservative or right-leaning to provide assessment and suggestions regarding neutrality of this article. Their input could potentially be extremely valuable in helping this article achieve greater neutrality. Further, this fits into the broader argument of addressing neutrality issues through adding new perspectives, rather than removing them.

I will not edit the article for an extended period of time. This is to give other editors more space to have a voice if they would like to take on an active role in the improvement of this article. I will also not be posting further on the talk page during this time unless specifically requested to do so from third party editors. I will not reinstate any of the removed content; at this point, having presented my rationale, I think that decision should rest entirely within the consensus of other editors.

Sincerely, Sturgeontransformer (talk) 11:30, 17 December 2017 (UTC)

Kleuske lumping together a large amount of social, cultural and legal issues The article is meant to do that - it's a list-type article, so one can expect it to be broad and varied, rather than in-depth. And that shouldn't be a problem as long as all of the listings are indeed cases of environmental racism. And that can be checked (and here is a good place as any to recall, as Sturgeontransformer notes, that "environmental justice" and its derivatives are recurring terms in the literature, so the article on its own has merit). Two things here can be corrected fairly easily: First, what do you think about changing the article's name to something along the lines Sturgeontransformer suggest? That would solve several of the terminology issues you raised. Second, Sturgeontransformer what do you think about moving the Roma to their own "cross-European" or "trans-European" section? Their problems insofar as this article is concerned tend to recur across Europe, and it could make both the article as well as the discussion somewhat clearer.
By the way, I should note I don't think it's necessary for a source to use the exact terminology we use in an article (eg. "environmental injustice"), as long as the content justifies it (eg. "members of the... group have been discriminated against in allocation of land since the 1950's").
I don't like coatracks. Silly pieces of furniture, just taking up space. But I don't think this is it. Otherwise thank you elaborating.
I suggest waiting on this just a bit. It may be better to agree on the sources first.
Sturgeontransformer This is a list-type article, given that it dissects the subject along geographic lines (not a "List of..."-kind article, but still a list). I think some sections could be made shorter, with less context, relying on the relevant articles to provide it.
In [articles that do not explicitly reference "environmental injustice" and its derivative], the cases referenced are generally described as “X” minority ethnicity is in a context of experiencing “X” environmental issue. The definition of "discrimination" would be "that other groups aren't or wouldn't have been subjected to the same treatment", so these sources have to show that: a) Majority groups (or parts thereof) are not experiencing “X”; and b) Were they to experience it or a similar phenomenon they would've been treated differently by society/authorities etc. If source establish these two, there shouldn't be any problem including it.
Overall this article seems carefully sourced, but we'll have to see some of the specific examples Kleuske brings.
You may want to have a separate introductory section and concentrate all the background material there, making the lead more concise.
I would elaborate on some of the "see also" links to clarify the connections to this article.
With regards to overall neutrality, this article would benefit from more input involving editors from diverse aspects of the political spectrum... neutrality requires more voices. Kudos.
François Robere (talk) 23:52, 17 December 2017 (UTC)
Grahams hierarchy of Disagreement
@François Robere: First off, I consider the "list-type article" a red herring, since "list-type articles" have a proper definition and delineation, that is, a clear reason to include X but not Y. This is lacking completely. They also carry titles such as "List of This, That and the Other" instead of "Environmental racism in Europe" (note the loaded language) with inclusion criteria that are anybodies guess. Also the MOS does have a section on lists, but not on "list style articles", so your "list style article" boils down to a WP:COATRACK, which is a bad thing(tm). If the sources cited do not specify "environmental racism", they cannot be cited to support examples of "environmental racism" without failing WP:OR, which is a core policy.
Secondly, the article is anything but "carefully sourced", since earlier (below) I poked holes in a source used to support 40 claims (i.e. it's less than a reliable source) and I did not even have to dig that deep to do it. By "poking holes" i mean, provided evidence the claims made are unsupported by reality. The Wuppertal cellphone transmission towers (see below) took the biscuit as being flat-out ludicrous and nevertheless it's uncritically reproduced in the article. Your stating it's "carefully sourced" does not make it so. In Grahams hierarchy of disagreement, your at the "contradiction" level.
Also:
  1. I have made this a project, so I will be looking at this article regularly, since it takes quite a bit of time going through sources.
  2. To provide some structure to the discussion, I will discuss my actions (and provide reasons) below on a per country basis. If you object, please add to the appropriate section.
  3. Please refrain from cute remarks about coatrack being nasty pieces of furniture, since it does not anything to the discussion and I do not find it amusing.
Kleuske (talk) 01:19, 18 December 2017 (UTC)
Kleuske You're a very serious person, aren't you? Well, some lightheartedness will do you no harm. Here's some for everyone.
Re: Lists: The intention wasn't to conform to a particular category of articles on Wikipedia (see my note to Sturgeontransformer on that), but it's certainly not a decoy article (what you call a "coatrack") in any way; it tries to stay on topic, from what I can see, even if it's sometimes too and definitely in need of further editing.
What I stated, to be precise, is that overall it seems carefully sourced. Do not aim your ire at that; soon enough we'll get to your specific notes and see.
Try not to tear into it too much too soon. Someone has made a significant effort putting it all together, and I don't believe it was done with any ill intention. François Robere (talk) 02:34, 18 December 2017 (UTC)
PS Do not assume ignorance on the part of others; Graham's hierarchy is nothing new, and neither are Wiki policies. One can be a better or a worse editor, but the truly ignorant ones are still a minority. François Robere (talk) 02:39, 18 December 2017 (UTC)
@François Robere: Again, contradiction is not an argument and neither is nitpicking semantics. You have not addressed a single point and right now, you're only wasting time and energy. I look forward to an actual point if and when you choose to make one. If you do, do so below and you can address specific points. Kleuske (talk) 13:07, 18 December 2017 (UTC)
This isn't a battle, Kleuske, don't be so bellicose. Re-read what I wrote above, you'll see both a question directed at you, as well as myself suggesting on several occasions going through the motions one by one, with time. In the meanwhile try and be patient, and assume good faith. François Robere (talk) 14:21, 18 December 2017 (UTC)
Oh, wow... Complaining about the tone. You actually went down a notch in the hierarchy you're so familiar with. State the question (I'm not going to hunt for it) or stop wasting my time. Thank you. Kleuske (talk) 14:26, 18 December 2017 (UTC)
I was just now in the middle going through some of your claim below, but this attitude of yours gives me no pleasure or motivation to continue doing so. Best of luck to you, and for the record: I object any and all of your changes, and will support a reversion of them to the previous version. François Robere (talk) 15:19, 18 December 2017 (UTC)
@François Robere: Translation: you have no actual arguments and resent anybody pointing that out. Kleuske (talk) 15:39, 18 December 2017 (UTC)

Sources

Ok. Lets start with number one... Making the Case for Environmental Justice in Central & Eastern Europe. The paper does mention the term, does not, however, use it to describe the actual situation. The article is heavily used (40 claims are sourced to this article alone, which is a red flag in and of itself)

  • The study limits itself to Central and Eastern Europe, but is used to support statements like "The United Kingdom Department of Health supported a 2004 study that identified Romani and Travellers as being subject to disproportionate health needs compared to other ethnic minority groups in the UK, yet receiving substantially less health services." (references am and an) The only mention of the UK, however, is a (unsourced) claim that "A high percentage of Gypsy and Traveller communities in the United Kingdom (UK) are located in areas that are fully unsuitable for living and raising families."
  • Sourced by the same article: "In the Romani settlement of Prilep in Macedonia, there is no working sewage system." (reference ad) which is based on a (unreferenced) blurb in the source. Nevertheless, when checking this out I find a different story in the "Roma Times", which does not include any such graphic detail and instead mentions improvements. It does not mention lack of sewage, nor does it use the (loaded) term "ghetto". Another source ("Romaso Prilep") talks about a number of problems, but strangely does not mention any issues with sewage, which, if the graphic description in the source would be accurate, would have been a major problem. Yet another publication (/08/legalising-roma-homes-prilep-macedonia/ Legalising Roma Homes in Prilep, Macedonia) Also fails to mention any feces dripping from the walls or indeed, any sewage at all. It does mention, though, that the settlement is an illegal one, something the Wikipedia-article, strangely, fails to note.
  • Another claim sourced by this document "Another example of environmental discrimination can be found in Wuppertal, where a series of cellphone transmission towers are situated on the roofs of schools where the majority of students are immigrants." The (source) article however, fails to cite any sources to support this claim, and we're left with Dr. Stegers sayso. It is reproduced almost verbatim in the Wikipedia article despite much evidence pointing out that Cell-phone towers doe not actually pose any risk.(cancer.org, etc. A look at the bundesnetzagentur map shows an even distribution of cellphone towers.
  • Ostrava. The Wikipedia article states: "In Ostrava, Romani communities have been residing in living accommodations situated on top of an abandoned mine where methane gas exposure and subsidence are serious concerns.[1]:21 Ostrava has one of the largest Romani communities in the Czech Republic." The actual article, however, fails to mention mines or methane gas. The fact that middle class people move to better neighbourhoods is a) hardly surprizing and b) hardly evidence for "environmental racism".

Etc. Since it's Sunday and I have other obligations, I will leave it at this for now. This is only *one* source which has been a) severely overused and b) not shown to be authoritative (hardly ever cited). It also makes claims which are contradicted by other sources. The Wikipedia article makes claims its source does not, which is worse. This is a serious problem if 40 claims are based on that single document. Kleuske (talk) 14:02, 17 December 2017 (UTC)

Another source used in the article is titled: "Germany's Policies toward Sinti and Roma: Living Apartheid?". The title alone should be a clue that it's less that unbiased, but the claims made are presented as fact in the article and sometimes (Duesseldorf) even flat-out misrepresented in our article. This is not acceptable. Kleuske (talk) 15:01, 18 December 2017 (UTC)

Countries

After reading the above wall of citations (copied from the article) it seems more appropriate to proceed on a country by country basis. Of course, comments are welcome.

Latvia

The article states: "A large part of [the group of Romani persons interviewed] live in run-down apartments without amenities or running water inside; many of these apartments do not have central heating and are heated with wood, while in some instances the nearest water source is two kilometres away.[8]:32" It fails to mention the following line:

"All interviewees unanimously stressed the poor Roma housing conditions which are mostly due to the fact that Roma are unemployed." (p. 32) Also "A respondent of the Roma NGO Nevo Drom pointed out in the interview: ‘As far as I can see, the housing conditions in Latvia in comparison to other EU countries are the best. In Latvia, Roma people live in their own houses or private apartments, but also together with other ethnic groups. They are not excluded in this sense. There are so-called Roma districts, but they are not segregated, but are created out of their own choice.’" (p 32)
That's called "quotemining", i.e. not accurately summarizing the source, but cherrypicking it to make a point. The document identifies none of the issues adressed as "environmental racism" or "environmental injustice". Kleuske (talk) 14:48, 17 December 2017 (UTC)

The Netherlands

A single source. The publication flat-out states that there are little to no complaints by Roma or Sinti and the "research" is done by interviewing other researchers and advocates (methodology).

"In one case, a Romani camp was identified as being located within the blasting zone of an explosives factory, a situation that Rodrigues and Matelski have explicitly identified as "environmental racism".

The glaring problem here is that there are no explosives factories in the Netherlands. There used to be one, (Muiden Chemie), but that went out of business and was closed down when the report (2004) and its alleged source (2003) were published. The citation in the source is dismal: "Noordhollands Dagblad 20 November 2003" (sic). The claim is impossible to check and without a secondary source, no more than a claim c.q. an opinion. Again: WP:RS? Also, other sources state the blast zone was also inhabited by locals.

Most remarkable is the sources mention of an expulsion in Houten (near Utrecht) in 2002 and the subsequent "revolving door". Some research indicates that the family involved was expelled because they caused lots of problems, such as fraud, public drunkenness, domestic violence, intimidation and were payed compensation of270.000 euro and got housed in a fucking villa.([1], [2],[3]). Again, WP:RS or a bit WP:BIASED? In my estimation it's presenting an opinion as fact.

The simple problem, of course is that a nomadic lifestyle is impossible in a densely populated, small country in which every square inch is spoken for. Do Romani have problems? Yes. Is the conclusion "environmental racism" warrented? Hell, no. Kleuske (talk) 21:35, 17 December 2017 (UTC)

Belgium

The only complaints for which the Belgian equality body (CEOOR) was contacted were related to cases of imminent evictions from illegal halting sites or, in the case of Roma, from insalubrious houses. No complaints led to court cases as they were all resolved through mediation or political debate. Nor were there cases of blatant racism or discrimination towards Roma or Travellers.

— RAXEN, Housing Conditions of Roma and Travellers March 2009

".

The article states: "In the Brussels Capital-Region of Belgium, municipal governments have placed disproportionate numbers of encampment sites for nomadic Romani in locations which are isolated, poorly serviced by amenities, and environmentally problematic in nature." (p. 1-69, i.e. the entire document), but, strangely, the source mentions no such thing. It does mention that encampments are not usually in prime locations, but that does not equate to the claims made in the article, let alone "environmental racism". WP:OR, anyone? The esteemed author(s) of the Wikipedia article seem to have drawn their own conclusions, which is unacceptable. Kleuske (talk) 21:57, 17 December 2017 (UTC)

Again... Tiny, densely populated countries are not suitable to a nomadic lifestyle. That's not "racism", that's a fact of life. Other people live there, too. Kleuske (talk) 21:59, 17 December 2017 (UTC)

Germany

The intro for this section is poisoning the well right from the start.

Cologne

A refugee camp on the site of a former chemical factory (i.e. not just Roma). The terrain located in the city center (OpenStreetMap) and is inhabited by (mostly) Germans. At least a few sources can confirm some basic facts, the existence of a camp and problems resulting from it. However, the picture that arises is not one of "environmental racism". Needless to say, the term "environmental racism" isn't used in any of the sources.

Ah, lest I forget. We actually have an article on the chemical factory in question. Kleuske (talk) 14:29, 18 December 2017 (UTC)

Nuremberg, Fuerth

Not a prime location and according to the source ("Housing Conditions of Sinti and Roma", RAXEN) a social worker expressed concerns. Notable quotes follow:

  • "She commented on the unfortunate location of the settlement in Nuremburg-Fürth, which is – although the buildings are attractive and adequately equipped – located within the industrial area of the city, near the train tracks."
  • "Two Sinti and Roma representatives (Interviews No. 1 and 4) expressed their concerns about privileging certain population groups through such specific projects, as this may not contribute to positive attitudes towards the groups: ‘It does not generate sympathy when you privilege particular groups’" Mind you, Roma and Sinti representatives are worried that privilege may endanger acceptance. Again... Whiskey Tango Foxtrot? Kleuske (talk) 14:50, 18 December 2017 (UTC)
Düsseldorf Sinti settlement

Not prime real estate and Sinti are expected to comply with building regulations, which of course is utterly racist. The bus only goes twice an hour (which beats the twice a day bus in most rural regions). The WP:BIASED source ("Germany's Policies toward Sinti and Roma: Living Apartheid?") makes no mention of "environmental racism and is contrasted with the quote above (Raxen Report).

Kleuske (talk) 15:13, 18 December 2017 (UTC)

Kistnersgrund

Sinti settlement near waste-dump, big (national) stink arises, Sinti moved to a better location. which even the source acknowledges (" In the past decades the heating system on the settlement has been improved, and now residents have central heating")

United Kingdom

Scrap Metal Dealers Act, 2013

It's not "environmental racism" if a law, intended to address a common problem, fails to exempt specific minorities. In essence the source demanded that the law be applicable to all, except Romani. Also wordpress.com is not generally seen as a reliable source. Did nobody see any problems with that? Kleuske (talk) 16:46, 18 December 2017 (UTC)

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