Global Trade Impacts: Addressing the Health, Social and Environmental Consequences of Moving International Freight Through Our Communities

Examines freight transportation industry trends; the impact of global trade on workers, the environment, and health in both exporting and importing countries; and organizing strategies and policy innovations for minimizing the damage and ensuring health

Global Trade Impacts: Addressing the Health, Social and Environmental Consequences of Moving International Freight through Our Communities

As ports and goods movement activity expands throughout the United States, a major challenge is how to make the adverse impacts of freight transportation a more central part of economic development, policy and planning discussions and transportation decision making. In 2009, faculty and staff from the Urban & Environmental Policy Institute of Occidental College and from the environmental health sciences and regional equity programs of the University of Southern California (USC) began a study of this evolving global trade and freight transportation system, focusing on areas in the United States where the system is expanding and where community, labor and social justice groups have begun to challenge the system. Funded by The Kresge Foundation, the purpose of the study – which resulted in this report – was to provide an overview of the growth and scale of the goods movement industries and the shift from a production to a distribution economy. At the same time, the study documents examples of organizing and policy approaches that have injected important considerations of health, labor, and community impacts into decisionmaking and identified new directions so that local and regional communities can better address what is happening in their backyards due to these shifts

Guest Editorial: Ships, Trucks, and Trains: Effects of Goods Movement on Environmental Health-0

<p><b>Copyright information:</b></p><p>Taken from "Guest Editorial: Ships, Trucks, and Trains: Effects of Goods Movement on Environmental Health"</p><p>Environmental Health Perspectives 2006;114(4):A204-A205.</p><p>Published online Jan 2006</p><p>PMCID:PMC1440794.</p><p>This is an Open Access article: verbatim copying and redistribution of this article are permitted in all media for any purpose.</p

Global Trade, Local Impacts: Lessons from California on Health Impacts and Environmental Justice Concerns for Residents Living near Freight Rail Yards

Global trade has increased nearly 100-fold since 1950, according to the World Trade Organization. Today, major changes in trade are occurring with the advent of mega-ships that can transport thousands more containers than cargo ships now in use. Because global trade is expected to increase dramatically, the railroad industry—in the U.S. alone—has invested more than $5 billion a year over the past decade to expand rail yards and enhance rail routes to transport goods from ports to retail destinations. This article describes cancer risks for residents living in close proximity to rail yards with emissions of diesel particulate matter pollution from locomotives, trucks and yard equipment. The article examines the demographics (income, race/ethnicity) of populations living in the highest estimated cancer risk zones near 18 major rail yards in California, concluding that the majority are over-represented by either lower-income or minority residents (or both). The authors also describe a review of the news media and environmental impact reports to determine if rail yards are still being constructed or expanded in close proximity to homes and schools or in working class/working poor communities of color. The paper suggests policy efforts that might provide more public health protection and result in more “environmentally just” siting of rail yards. The authors conclude that diesel pollution from rail yards, which creates significant diesel cancer risks for those living near the facilities, is an often overlooked public health, health disparities and environmental justice issue in the U.S. The conclusions are relevant to other countries where international trade is increasing and large new intermodal rail facilities are being considered