Analyzing Direct and Indirect Effects of Social Inequality on Landfills across the U.S.

• In Event: 2251 - Section on Environmental Sociology Roundtables (1 hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: 9. Environmental inequality 1

Abstract

This research investigates direct and indirect effects of race, class, and gender on landfills (municipal, industrial, construction and demolition, and hazardous) at the county level of analysis across the continental United States. Logistic binary regression shows key relationships between race, class, gender and landfill presence. Landfills are a form of environmental inequality as a major form of environmental contamination and driver of climate change. Structural equation modeling was performed on a unique data set of landfills—construction & demolition, industrial, and municipal—taken from state records and hazardous facilities—taken from federal records—along with social demographics obtained from the Census at the county level, to examine unique direct and indirect effects of race, class, gender, and intersecting axes on landfills. Results support theories of intersectionality hypotheses that intersecting axes of social location play a role in environmental inequality. Results further indicate the importance of analyzing race, class, gender, and environmental outcomes. Findings suggest the importance of testing intersectionality theories in addition to environmental inequality approaches and the necessity of examining populations at the intersection of social locations—the intersecting axes of power and social inequality due to race, class, and gender—and environmental harms.

Author

• Clare Cannon, UC Davis