The first case study that I chose is that of the justice struggle against toxic-industries in part of the largest city of South Africa, South Durban.

I got this information from the website about Environmental Justice at the University of Michigan. The environmental justice struggles present in South Africa today stem from their long history of social and racial injustice that Apartheid politics put in place back in the mid to late 1990s and they are closely tied to one another. The Apartheid movement left socio-political injustices that have had an impact on the environment and the public health of the nation. South Durban is home to most of the waste and toxins that the country carries, it has the biggest oil refineries in South Africa, it has the greatest concentration of petrochemical industries in the country waste water treatment works take place there, there are many toxic waste landfill sites there etc. Communities in the city and in the country have made a huge effort to stress and enforce the idea of environmental responsibility. The Merebank Ratepayers Association presented a memorandum in 1990 to the refinery management going against industrial pollution after several incidents of respiratory problems, cancerous diseases and other health issues. Engen refinery initiated consultation arrangements with local communities on how to improve the environment, public health etc. This relates to the part of the lesson about development’s downsides and how racial discrimination and environmental justice relate to one another. The reading stated that there is a close link between political, social, economic systems structure and the environment, poor health etc… In South Africa, the populations most affected by pollution, toxins, waste etc. are mostly minorities and the poor because they are the ones that live closest to these environments with negative health impacts.

 

The second case study that I chose is about a rainwater system that was implemented in Fulmer Infant School in Buckinghamshire in 2008.

http://www.sd-commission.org.uk/show_case_study.php/00266.html

This case study on sustainability relates to the part in the reading that talks about the importance of making efforts in order to achieve a more sustainable lifestyle in our contemporary civilization. The school in Buckinghamshire has made it there duty to spread knowledge on the importance of recycling and reusing water and sustainability in general. They did this by implementing a rainwater harvesting system that essentially collects rain water from the roof in a tank and is reused for daily life essentials like flushing water, washing clothes, watering the garden etc… This system has helped save money as well as improve the environment. Water consumption has reduced by up to 50% in this area since this system was put in place.

I am from Cameroon, which is a country in West Africa and in terms of sustainability and environmental issues, it’s somewhat similar to what is happening in South Africa. There’s a huge gap between the rich and the poor and of course, the less wealthy populations find themselves living in environments that are most affected by the detrimental effects of pollution. Cameroon is ranked 93rd on the Environmental Sustainability Index. Similar to South Africa as well as the Fulmer Infant School, Cameroon has objectives to achieve sustainability. Some of these include the development of the economic infrastructure and natural resources (the country is very rich in natural resources), implementing health strategies, education and reducing urban poverty. In April of 2012, a grant of 3.5 million dollars was given to Cameroon in order to support conservation and sustainable management in the Ngoyla-Mintom forest and to make sure that the population living there is treated equally and can access income-generating activities. The most sustainable tactic is to respect the environment and work with nature, not against it. Ways to do that is by organizing water and sanitation education at school and health centers, promoting new approaches to increasing food production without losing on farm bio-diversity. Something that Cameroon could definitely is implement this rainwater system in certain regions because just like in Buckinghampshire, it rains a lot there too and it would be a great way to save and conserve water.