Environmental Injustice: Not just over there

First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out – because I was not a communist;

Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out – because I was not a socialist;

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out – because I was not a trade unionist;

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out – because I was not a Jew;

Then they came for me – and there was no one left to speak out for me.

-Martin Neimöller (1892 – 1984)

You are probably wondering why I am bringing a Holocaust poem into my blog about environmental activism. And in no way am I trying to draw a parallel between environmental injustice and the Holocaust. And to avoid any misunderstanding, I believe that it would be inappropriate and senseless to try and connect the two.

Though, after having read this poem what seems like thousands of times, it is not the Holocaust context that sticks out to me as much as the general tone and frame of mind. One in which people feel helpless in a world, where people constantly looks out for themselves believing that the problem is not theirs and could only happen to someone else.

When it comes to climate injustice, I believe we have a similar approach. We justify that because someone is from a third world country or of a low income or minority background that their experience is unlike our own. However, climate change is an issue that hits home to us all.

Nnedi Okorafor’s short story, Spider The Artist sheds light on historic colonization in Africa but also today’s current methods of exploitation when searching for crude oil. Foreign oil companies have interest in finding fossil fuel reserves wherever possible to drill for oil extraction. Okorafor details how these companies have targeted Nigeria and built oil pipelines around villages. The government has fully supported them and ignored the plea of citizens. While the oil pipelines caused water pollution, infections, and even infertility, the government has done nothing to protect its citizens due to economic interest. This is an example of highly powerful and exploitive foreign industries coming into third world countries, taking advantage of impoverished, vulnerable, and helpless people, and capitalizing on their resources.

I was suddenly reminded of Neimöller’s poem when I read about the people complaining to their government, trying to revolt through stealing the oil, and being killed. They were the victims and the only people who cared because everyone else benefited or was not suffering. However, once they die all who is left are the zombie robots that manage the pipeline, the oil companies, corrupted government, and us on the other side of the world. These are all the people that have yet to be directly targeted and who did “not speak out.” The people that did care are gone and those that are left are inhumane. The idea that the guards of the pipeline are robots reinforces the lack of humanity, as they are machines that behave in an unemotional manner.

In the closing lines of the story Okorafor writes, “You should also pray that these Zombies don’t build themselves some fins and travel across the ocean.” This ominous line puts forward the idea that we, living across the world in an industrialized country, are just as vulnerable. She reminds us that no one is truly removed and safe. She reminds us that we are all victims to climate change and big oil companies’ economic interest. She reminds us that we just as easily can be next and we should “pray” that we are not because no one will be there to speak out. She helps me recognize that while right now it seems that environmental injustice is somewhere else, a hazardous environment is not just a threat to some but a threat to everyone.