Water Access in the United States: A Case Study of Anthropogenic Impacts

For her human rights capstone project, Sarah Klass wrote a paper on the connection between environmental racism and the anthropologic impacts of water pollution in the United States. She analyses this relationship against the backdrop of the United Nations General Assembly Human Right to Water and Sanitation Declaration, signed on July 28, 2010, that acknowledges drinking water and sanitation are essential to every person’s life and a human right. Looking at the United States specifically, water access is also impacted by racial politics of water access, with communities of color more likely than others to not have access to water. Klass further demonstrates how racism has anthropogenic impacts on the environment and has increased pollutions levels to an extreme extent, shown specifically in water pollution. As further stress is placed on water access and anthropogenic harm to the planet increases priority to water access becomes dependent on factors such as on residential districting and racial lines. While international bodies have recognized the importance of water rights, Klass notes that the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age are still shaped by the distribution of wealth, power, and resources at global, national, and local levels. Student project deposited by department for archival purposes. Original work unavailable for public download due to permission restriction preferences of the author.