Discours sur les discriminations

Hello ! Hila here. The unequal access to trees and nature in cities of the twenty-first century is something I want to bring to your attention today as a student at Louis Pasteur High School who is now concentrating all of her efforts on her favorite subject, English contemporary world. Everyone prefers to live in a decent atmosphere with fresh air rather than one that is hot and polluted, isn't that right? The problem right now is that not everyone has access to what is considered a privilege for many reasons one of them being the limitation of greenspaces. Not enough for everyone to live there.

First things first, the term « Redlining » describes the discriminatory practice of denying the right to live in certain areas to people based on their race or ethnicity. Quick story, the federal government would literally draw a red line on a map around the neighborhoods where they would not invest based on demographics alone, and vice versa, people of colors weren't allowed to live outside the place given the red line. Black inner-city neighborhoods were most likely to be redlined. As a result, the problem of unequal access to certain areas already existed long ago, in the 1930s.

Now taking a more recent example, we can notice the same system applying here, with access to trees and nature. In London, a "green belt" has been designated to prevent urban expansion. The decision to allow portions of the greenbelt to be developed for new housing is a matter of debate because, as good as it sounds for the environment, the worst it is for racial and social equality because the law doesn't apply to white and wealthy people who can afford access to green spaces. This is terrible for social and racial equality.

Another example is the urban heat island effect. People who live in homes without air conditioning are more vulnerable to the effects of rising temperatures. In furthermore, small communities in cities tend to be significantly hotter than neighborhoods with higher earnings because they have fewer parks and trees and more asphalt, which traps heat. Buildings are uncomfortably near to one another in some neighborhoods due to intense real estate pressure. Urban planning is crucial because it must take this challenge into consideration. Once more, those who are poor and people of color will be the most vulnerable.

Therefore, why are trees and nature significant?

Researchers from New York city reports that 256 million pounds of air pollution has been absorbed and 9,9 milllion tons of CO² equivalent has been removed. = Better Oxygen

Research suggests that being around trees is good for our mental and social well being : Trees helps us feel less stressed and more restored. Decrease our anxiety and is good for our health.

Crime rates are consistently lower in neighborhoods with a larger amount of trees, even after controlling for factors that might skew the results (the richer the neighborhood, the less criminality) but the results remain visible even  for equal socio-economic status or employement level

Why we should add trees ?

They aren’t shared equally.

Parks and trees feels like we are in a better place. Adding them to poor neighborhoods and for black neighborhoods would make them feel like we care about them.

To deal with heat waves in a warming climate. Cleaner air etc..

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