Knowledge and Concern for Sea‐Level Rise in an Urban Environmental Justice Community

Abstract

Perceptions of sea-level rise in urban, environmental justice (EJ) communities are poorly understood. These communities' long-term vulnerability may increase as a result of the interaction of sea-level rise and legacy pollution. This article presents research on experience and perceptions of sea-level rise, flooding, legacy pollution/contamination, and health in an EJ community in northern Delaware. The community is in close proximity to documented brownfields and other hazardous sites, and is located where there are long-term projections of water inundation due to sea-level rise. Researchers administered quantitative surveys at local events that measured knowledge and concern for these issues; conducted focus groups that enabled a deeper understanding of survey results; and examined community perceptions relative to existing policy tools, including sea-level rise inundation maps and documentation of contaminated sites. The mixed-method approach created a baseline of perceptions on pollution, flooding, a health-environment connection, and sealevel rise. Key findings include the value of experiential knowledge of local flooding to improve efficacy of future policy prescriptions, and how a lack of knowledge of sea-level rise, coupled with great concern for it, might be explained by longtime familiarity with flooding issues in the community.

The Discourse of the Ecological Precariat: Making Sense of Social Disruption in the Lower Ninth Ward in the Long‐Term Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina

“…Work in a discourse of suffering, could, however, be useful for understanding how the chronically homeless make sense of their plight, how immigrants come to terms with expectations of their migration versus their treatment in contemporary American society, how the terminally ill reconcile the marvels of modern medicine with their chronic conditions, or even how recent college graduates make sense of their declining prospects. For sure, it should prove useful to highlighting sense‐making activities in other environmental justice communities where the precariat exist (Gotham ; Perez and Egan ).…”

“…Their habitus has become intertwined with the social disruption inherent to environmental peril. Likewise, as it is the purpose of this article to build on Auyero and Swistun's () environmental suffering by highlighting a common discourse among seemingly disparate groups (see also Gotham ; Perez and Egan ), it seems apropos to situate residents of the Lower Ninth Ward into a larger framework.…”

Achieving Energy Justice in Malawi: From key Challenges to Policy Recommendations

“…Access to the national grid in cities is better than in rural areas. This is well established in existing research ( Perez & Egan, 2016). For Malawi, one of the key issues identi ed was a lack of nancial capacity to afford electricity connection and services (#3).…”

Eco-habitus or Eco-powerlessness? Examining Environmental Concern across Social Class

“…The eco-habitus serves as a foundation for our argument that being ecologically concerned and committed to environmental protection is a class performance that awards distinction to those who can easily engage in green consumption. Although there is evidence of an eco-habitus among HCC consumers as this relates to preferences and behaviors, there is less focus on the beliefs and attitudes of high-status actors and even less examination of these themes among lower status actors (see Colocousis 2012; Perez and Egan 2016 for exceptions). Indeed, J.…”