Assessing Environmental Justice in Minnesota: Do Native Americans Face Disproportionate Risks?

Author

Mya Schmeling

Date of Award

4-2023

Document Type

Thesis

Department

Political Science

First Advisor

Patrick Donnay

Abstract

Environmental justice is an area that has gained traction worldwide in recent years. Today, researchers are analyzing what factors play into this issue and what policymakers and environmental regulation can do to better these issues. Environmental justice focuses on any group that experiences an imbalance of environmental harms. These groups are commonly distinguished by factors such as race and income. I analyze primarily if Native Americans in the state of Minnesota may face disproportionate environmental harms, I also look at Black identifying individuals and population size as a means of comparison. I compared the number of environmental harms and the number of people that identify as Native American or Black in each zip code of Minnesota. My results showed that, on average, as the number of Black identifying individuals increase in each zip code, so do the number of environmental harms. I found the opposite for Native American identifying individuals. This may be because as environmental harms increase in more populous areas so does the percentage of African Americans. Native Americans may tend to live in more rural areas. This study emphasizes the need to further study which factors of environmental justice are affecting Minnesotans, and what changes can be made to create a more equal and just Minnesota.

Recommended Citation

Schmeling, Mya, "Assessing Environmental Justice in Minnesota: Do Native Americans Face Disproportionate Risks?" (2023). Political Science Theses and Capstones. 12.
https://pines.bemidjistate.edu/capstone-polisci/12