Comment on British countryside is a 'racist and colonial' white space, wildlife charities claim

• PizzaMane@lemm.ee ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  That’s not what the Wildlife and Countryside Link is saying. What they are actually saying:

  wcl.org.uk/…/WCL_Response_Race_and_the_Environmen…

  The UK’s role in the European colonial project has also driven the current climate and nature crises, through the unchecked extraction, exploitation and consumption of nature. The 2022 Sixth Assessment IPCC report acknowledges colonialism as both a driver of the climate crisis, and an ongoing driver of communities’ vulnerability to it. Colonialism has driven the exploitation and erasure of the rights and knowledge of indigenous people, and the assertion of white, Western values and knowledge at the expense of other values and knowledges. Racist colonial legacies continue to frame nature in the UK as a ‘white space’, and people of colour as ‘out of place’ in these spaces and the environmental sector. The enduring influence of these legacies can also be seen in how ethnically diverse people are disproportionately impacted by the nature and climate crises, and in how these intersect with broader health and socioeconomic inequalities, as discussed in previous questions.

  Experiential barriers relate to ethnically diverse people being made to feel as though they do not belong in green spaces, whether overtly or covertly. The experience of racism in these spaces can prevent people from ethnic minority backgrounds from using green spaces. Cultural barriers reflect that in the UK, it is White British cultural values that have been embedded into the design and management of green spaces, and into society’s expectations of how people should be engaging with them. Racist colonial legacies that frame nature as a ‘white space’ create further barriers, suggesting that people of colour are not legitimate users of green spaces. The perception that green spaces are dominated by white people can prevent people from ethnic minority backgrounds from using green spaces. For example, people of colour led access organisations such as ‘Black Girls Hike’ and ‘Muslim Hikers’ are routinely subjected to racist comments and abuse both online and outdoors.

  These barriers mean that people of colour in the UK are less likely to spend time in nature, and are deprived of the mental and physical benefits that green spaces can deliver. In 2021, it was reported that those from ethnic minority communities have, on average, 11 times less access to green space than White British communities, and that only 20% of children from ethnically diverse backgrounds who visit natural environments go to the countryside, compared with 40% of white children. This can also feed a ‘generational disconnect’ for people of colour, further perpetuating stereotypes of not belonging and a sense of being ‘out of place’.

  How does the climate crisis disproportionately affect black and minority ethnic communities within the UK and internationally? Environmental degradation occurs disproportionately in or around low-income areas and where a higher percentage of ethnically diverse people live, both globally and within the UK. Research from NPC’s ‘Everyone’s Environment’ programme and from the Runnymede Trust and Greenpeace shows that on average, people from ethnic minority communities within the UK are more affected by the climate and nature crises than White British people. This is a result of both historical and systemic racism and societal inequity. This has negative implications for both physical and mental health, and relating to income, skills, and jobs. Ethnic minority communities are particularly vulnerable to the nature and climate crises due to how this intersects with health inequalities and with socioeconomic inequalities. People from ethnic minority communities are disproportionately represented in lower-income households and economically deprived urban areas in the UK. These communities are more likely to live in poorly adapted or overcrowded housing, and in neighbourhoods with greater air pollution and a lack of access to green spaces, and are therefore more likely to have greater vulnerability and have less access to the resources needed to address the impacts of nature and climate crisis

  Air pollution is a significant contributor to health inequalities in the UK, and poorer health outcomes for lower income groups living in economically and environmentally deprived (urban) areas. Black and minority ethnic populations disproportionately make up these lower income groups, and are therefore disproportionately impacted by air pollution. In the UK, air pollution is the largest environmental risk to public health. Overall, from 2010 to 2020, health inequalities actually increased in England. There are health inequalities between ethnic minority and white groups, and between different ethnic minority groups.

  And here is their statement on how shitty sources like the LBC have been reporting on their report:

  wcl.org.uk/statement-on-recent-media-reporting.as…

  Wildlife and Countryside Link does not believe the countryside is a racist, colonial, white space - as has been falsely reported by some media outlets - and neither do our members. However, we do recognise the immense challenges in making sure everyone feels welcome at nature sites, the historical issues contributing to this, and the fact that racism is still worryingly being experienced by some people of colour when accessing nature.

  They are very clearly not saying “white people bad”, “white people = colonizers”. They are saying there is cultural, regulatory, and environmental issues that are hurting ethnic minorities. Any honest interpretation of their report will recognize that they are trying to reduce prejudice and make a fairer world.

  source