Environmental Justice Now

Brian Hamilton
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Student-produced podcasts exploring contemporary problems of environmental justice

  1. May 21

    Permafrost in Rural Alaska

    Elan and Justin cover the disruption caused by permafrost in rural Alaska within their podcast. Throughout the discussion, Elan and Justin view permafrost from the lenses of three different families. The conversation gets in depth as Justin and Elan speak upon how permafrost has collapsed communities as a whole throughout Alaska, more specifically discussing the damaged infrastructure, limited healthcare, and scarce amounts of food supply. Fortunately at the end, Justin and Elan talk about potential solutions for this devastating issue that harms Alaskan families. Ranaweera, Aruni, and Tessa Varvares. “Permafrost Thaw in Alaska: An Overlooked Climate-Health Crisis.” The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, 10 Apr. 2025, www.belfercenter.org/research-analysis/permafrost-thaw-alaska-overlooked-climate-health-crisisLinks to an external site.. Kravinsky, Nina. “Thawing Permafrost Threatens Alaska’s Rural Villages. And Time Is Running Out.” NPR, NPR, 3 Apr. 2024, www.npr.org/2024/04/03/1242451927/permafrost-underlying-many-remote-villages-in-alaska-is-thawing-and-thats-a-probLinks to an external site.. Christensen, Kelley. “Thawing Permafrost Releases Industrial Contaminants into Arctic Communities.” Environmental Health Perspectives, vol. 132, no. 3, 1 Mar. 2024, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10971047/, https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp13998Links to an external site.. Howard, Jessica. “Adaptation Workshop Brought Together Alaska Native Communities and Federal Agencies - Permafrost Pathways.” Permafrost Pathways, 19 Oct. 2023, permafrost.woodwellclimate.org/adaptation-workshop-brought-together-alaska-native-communities-and-federal-agencies/Links to an external site.. Cadotte, Joe. “Tribal Leaders, Federal Agencies Meet on Impacts of Climate Change.” Https://Www.alaskasnewssource.com, 20 Sept. 2023, www.alaskasnewssource.com/2023/09/20/tribal-leaders-federal-agencies-meet-impacts-climate-change/Links to an external site.. PBS NewsHour. “Permafrost Thawed by Climate Change Threatens Remote Villages in Alaska.” YouTube, 20 Oct. 2025,www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hQsqVahbnwLinks to an external site.. National Congress of American Indians. “Voices from Indian County: Permafrost and Environmental Sustainability in Alaska.” YouTube, 23 Feb. 2022,www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCUoWWGI6hcLinks to an external site.

  2. May 21

    Data Centers in Memphis

    Winston and Hazel talk about environmental and societal impacts of data centers, xAI and Southwest Memphis and Grok. TIME - Memphis and Colossus, community reactions Axios - Protest and legal action against data centers BBC - Data centers in rural Georgia The Guardian - Data centers and electricity in Georgia Politico - Local opinions on data centers across communities in Georgia Capital B News - Data centers and black communities Pews research - Data center locations EESI - Data centers and water consumption Politico - Grok and Hitler Vox - Grok programming and censorship Memphis and colossus TIME - Elon Musk & xAI

  3. May 21

    Uranium Mining in the Black Hills

    Today, Josh and Jaydon will discuss the environmental and social impact of uranium mining in the Black Hills, South Dakota. Situated just south of the Black Hills, Pine Ridge Reservation provides a home to almost 20,000 people, most of whom are of native descent and have received years of neglect from the United States colonial government. The almost 200 uranium mines in the Black Hills leak uranium into the air and drinking water of people on Pine Reservation, making them more susceptible to diagnoses such as cancer. Coupled with the poor support from the United States, which has caused a housing crisis, the quality of life of Pine ridge reservation seems to be decreasing as the United States sacrifices it to mine uranium. Earlier this year, Azarga Metals Corp., a Canadian mining company, requested to reopen a plot of land right next to Pine Ridge Reservation–the Dewey-Burdock site. Even though many native advocacy groups have fought against this new mine, the battle continues. Listen more to hear the history of this conflict, and learn about what it currently stands.

  4. May 21

    Mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

    On this episode of the Environmental Movement podcast, we took a deep dive into some of the mining regions in the DCR. Through our conversation, the listener can expect to hear about armed rebel groups affect our environment. These rebel groups are notorious for sex violence and illegal mining operations. Lastly, the podcast ends with a question of morality and if we are encouraging these Militia groups? Sources: https://panzifoundation.org/rape-as-a-weapon-of-war/https://www.geopoliticalmonitor.com/m23-minerals-and-geopolitics-in-eastern-drc/https://panzifoundation.org/conflict-minerals-and-sexual-violence-in-the-drc/https://cla.umn.edu/chgs/holocaust-genocide-education/resource-guides/rwandahttps://www.ushmm.org/genocide-prevention/countries/rwanda/massacre-of-the-tutsi-minorityhttps://www.forbes.com/sites/ewelinaochab/2020/01/13/are-these-tech-companies-complicit-in-human-rights-abuses-of-child-cobalt-miners-in-congo/https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/violence-democratic-republic-congohttps://ejatlas.org/conflict/illegal-logging-and-other-types-of-resource-extraction-in-virunga-national-parkhttps://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/poverty-prosperity-and-planethttps://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-26875506https://www.britannica.com/topic/March-23-Movementhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IffpoUQpDchttps://www.unhcr.org/sites/default/files/2024-04/March%202024%20Factsheet%20DRC.pdf

  5. May 21

    Shingle Mountain

    Rich and Zara discuss the cause and effect of a toxic waste dump, Shingle Mountain, in southern Dallas. They explore how historic redlining and current environmental racism played into the deteriorating health of over 100 people living in the area. With lack of city involvement, Shingle Mountain grew up to 60 feet tall. Zhou and Ali dissect the underlying reasons for the rise of Shingle Mountain, and how the build-up of asphalt shingles represented something much greater. If you want to learn more about the residents’ experiences: https://www.texastribune.org/2020/12/09/southeast-dallas-shingle-mountain-environmental-racism/Links to an external site. https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2020/11/16/environmental-racism-dallas-shingle-mountain/Links to an external site. https://www.dmagazine.com/frontburner/2021/05/it-only-took-three-months-for-industry-to-return-to-the-shingle-mountain-site/Links to an external site. https://www.dmagazine.com/frontburner/2023/08/another-year-another-cleanup-of-the-land-that-once-held-shingle-mountain/?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=dmagazine&utm_source=facebookLinks to an external site. Sources: https://www.nbcdfw.com/video/local/dallas-rezones-shingle-mountain-site/3769349/Links to an external site. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xEWKkdYnXcLinks to an external site. https://www.the-ies.org/resources/shingle-mountain-one-community%E2%80%99s-fight-against-giant#:~:text=The%20removal%20of%20Shingle%20Mountain%20was%20a%20monumental%20victory%2C%20but,to%20be%20polluted%20with%20leadLinks to an external site.. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Choate+Rd,+Dallas,+TX+75241/@32.6823416,-96.7341385,3a,15y,215.87h,88.45t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1slI9GqF5oEM2wlc4lTs-9vg!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fcb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26pitch%3D1.547305452487592%26panoid%3DlI9GqF5oEM2wlc4lTs-9vg%26yaw%3D215.86732935515508!7i16384!8i8192!4m6!3m5!1s0x864ebd71a47615b5:0x64b4da14373a2949!8m2!3d32.6819004!4d-96.7350905!16s%2Fg%2F1v_ncy1_?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDUxMy4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3DLinks to an external site. https://www.texastribune.org/2020/12/09/southeast-dallas-shingle-mountain-environmental-racism/Links to an external site. https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2020/11/16/environmental-racism-dallas-shingle-mountain/Links to an external site. https://www.dmagazine.com/frontburner/2021/05/it-only-took-three-months-for-industry-to-return-to-the-shingle-mountain-site/Links to an external site. https://www.dmagazine.com/frontburner/2023/08/another-year-another-cleanup-of-the-land-that-once-held-shingle-mountain/?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=dmagazine&utm_source=facebookLinks to an external site.

  6. 05/22/2025

    Hong Kong's Housing Crisis

    In this week’s episode, Vivian and Juan discuss the housing and economic crisis of Hong Kong, one of the most densely populated cities on the planet. The city grapples with strict construction laws, inequality, some of the worst air pollution anywhere, and the displacement of one of the area’s last rural villages. What can Hong Kong expect for their future, and how can we relate their struggles to Environmental Justice?To learn more about Hong Kong’s plans of Carbon neutrality, visit: Government Climate PlanTo learn more about land usage and distribution, visit: Land Usage Distribution Info sheetTo learn more about Choi Yuen Tsuen village, visit: South China Morning Post VillageTo learn more about the relationship between EJ and the village, visit: EJ AtlasTo learn more about the trouble with wilderness, visit: WilliamCronon.netTo learn more about air pollution in Hong Kong, visit: Government ReportsTo learn more about the impact of growing infrastructure in Hong Kong, visit: Hong Kong FPTo learn more about LegCo Building Protests, visit: South China Morning Post ProtestTo learn more about Hong Kong’s Housing Crisis, visit: Housing Crisis ReportMusic:Jazz Music (Pixabay)Effects:(Hong Kong Voice Clips)Hong Kong Voice ClipHong Kong Voice ClipHong Kong Voice ClipHong Kong Voice ClipHong Kong Voice ClipHong Kong Voice ClipHong Kong Voice ClipLegCo Storm Protesters in Hong Kong Storm LegCo BuildingCorrection: This clip is from 2020, but captures the gist of a protest outside of the LegCo building in Hong Kong. Disregard the sentence prior to the introduction of it in the episode saying that it was the protest that occurred in November of 2009, as this clip is much more recent.

  7. 05/22/2025

    The Brooklyn-Queens Expressway

    Show notes: https://bklyner.com/opinion-the-bqe-is-in-a-state-of-total-crisis-and-so-are-the-local-residents-who-literally-need-a-breath-of-fresh-air/ https://www.brooklynpaper.com/highway-to-health-problems-locals-will-breathe-in-toxic-air-for-years-if-city-sends-traffic-along-promenade-to-fix-bqe-experts-warn/ https://pix11.com/news/local-news/nyc-group-demands-action-on-issues-stemming-from-brooklyn-queens-expressway/ https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/08/health/highways-children-cognition-study/index.html#:~:text=Research%20has%20shown%20that%20children,their%20peers%20living%20farther%20away. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9126644/ https://www.brownstoner.com/brooklyn-life/bqe-repair-redesign-environmental-justice-coalition-rally/#:~:text=Quincy%20Phillips%2C%20with%20the%20Red,%2C%E2%80%9D%20Garden%2DLucerna%20said.

  8. 05/21/2025

    Dolphins and Disparity

    This podcast covers the environmental justice issue of tourism and ecotourism. We talk about a case study that involves a dolphin tourist attraction in St. Lucia and the harms it would cause to St. Lucia locals. The protests against it eventually led to it not being put in, but the problems of slow violence, environmental privilege, and environmentalism of the poor still apply to this topic. We also talked about another case study of a major resort in St. Lucia and how tourism as a whole can become an environmental justice problem. We used a news source directly from St. Lucia that offered commentary on the island’s continued issue with a dolphin tourist site: St. Lucia StarLinks to an external site.. This source, along with EJ AtlasLinks to an external site., Seaside SustainabilityLinks to an external site., and several other sources, allowed us to understand the depth and nuance behind why this case was an environmental justice issue and how this thinking can be applied across other tourist attractions in major tourist locations.  Bibliography Author, No. “A Commentary on the Proposed Pigeon Island Dolphin Park: Is Saint Lucia in the Shackles of Fool’s Gold? - the STAR - St Lucia.” THE STAR - St Lucia, March 4, 2017. https://stluciastar.com/commentary-proposed-pigeon-island-dolphin-park-saint-lucia-shackles-fools-gold/. EJOLT. “Christopher Columbus Landing Resort in Playuela, Puerto Rico | EJAtlas.” Environmental Justice Atlas, n.d. https://ejatlas.org/conflict/playuela-christopher-colombus-landing-resort. Elevenlabs.io. “Text to Speech & AI Voice Generator - ElevenLabs.” Accessed May 20, 2025. https://elevenlabs.io/text-to-speech. Lincoln O’Barry. “St. Lucia Proposes New Captive Dolphin Facility | Dolphin Project.” Dolphin Project, March 9, 2017. https://www.dolphinproject.com/blog/st-lucia-proposes-new-captive-dolphin-facility/. Seaside Sustainability. “Rethinking Tourism as an Environmental Justice Issue.” Seaside, April 15, 2024. https://www.seasidesustainability.org/post/rethinking-tourism-as-an-environmental-justice-issue Travel Foundation. “- Travel Foundation,” 2022. https://www.thetravelfoundation.org.uk/climatejustice/. “Slow Digest: Violence.” Center for 21st Century Studies, February 9, 2025. https://uwm.edu/c21/slow-digest-violence/.

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About

Student-produced podcasts exploring contemporary problems of environmental justice

Information

  • Creator
    Brian Hamilton
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    33
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2021 Brian Hamilton
  • Show Website
    Environmental Justice Now