Is there a future for the environmental justice movement?

In this day and age, living in segregated areas is a textbook experience of being an American citizen, and Connecticut is one of the most racially and economically segregated states in the country.

This segregation has serious environmental implications.

In Bridgeport, residents of the PT Barnum public housing apartments have resided in between two aging wastewater treatment facilities since the 1940s—on top of now being near I-95 and multiple plastic production companies.

These communities of color are being disproportionately exposed to respiratory issues and lead poisoning—with outcomes just like Hartford’s significantly high hospitalization rate for asthma in the 1990s. 

However, movements against these problems are as prevalent as their history. Bridgeport’s PT Partners is an excellent example of this; this grassroots tenants’ organization collaborates with the Water Pollution Control Authority (WPCA) to ensure PT Barnum residents’ values are realized through nearby water treatment facility renovations.

Environmental injustice is something I study in college on a global scale, but I’ve also seen it up close as a Chicago South Side resident. 

Considering my hometown’s redlining history, this doesn’t come as much of a surprise. What shocked me most, however, was discovering the environmental justice movement happening just a few neighborhoods away from my home and right under my nose.

In 2019, scrap metal company General Iron announced moving one of its recycling facilities from a more affluent, predominantly White, North side neighborhood to a Southeast Chicago neighborhood with mostly Black and Latine residents. Southeast residents defiantly fought against this project, especially with surrounding plants and the company’s history of poor compliance in mind—and after three years, the city denied General Iron’s operating permit with the help of a city-wide public health study.

This Southeast Chicago movement was successful because of its connections to segregation, public health, and environmental concerns. Although Connecticut is a 15-hour drive away, its own history with segregation and ongoing work like PT Partners’ is proof that environmental justice can be an effective way of pushing for climate action here too.

Environmental justice movements must prevail in spite of, and especially considering, the U.S.’s incoming conservative presidency. President Trump is known for calling the climate crisis a hoax and acting on that belief in office, along with his promises of expanding oil and gas industries even further during a second administration. A huge portion of this work is done by rolling back key environmental laws and defunding the EPA—both of which Trump has already done and seems set to continue in his new term. If the nation invests more in nonrenewable energy and deregulatory agendas, inequities will greatly increase in frequency, dispersion, and severity.  

As challenging as it seems to maintain environmental movements in the future, Bridgeport has already initiated many promising projects. A coal-fired plant was recently bought for demolition and repurposing by Bridgeport Station Development LLC, its new owners committing to fulfilling community members’ needs and developing a mixed-use strategy for the property. East End residents are following up on decades-old pollution, disease, and violence concerns by turning previous waste dump Mount Trashmore into Mount Growmore, a hydroponic farm, wellness campus, and learning center. The EPA is even working with the city to calculate indoor air pollution vulnerabilities as part of Bridgeport’s BGreen initiative.

A better climate is achieved through more than decarbonization, electrifying transportation, and clean energy strategies. Historically vulnerable populations from Bridgeport to Hartford need proper investments in public health, safety, and property remediation projects if we truly want to achieve an improved future for everyone. 

Staying committed to environmental justice means staying committed to maintenance measures that benefit all of us. With global temperatures at an all-time high, we can’t afford to drop the ball on problems we’ve already started to fix—let alone problems that would be addressed almost immediately in more privileged areas.

If federal climate action will be significantly obstructed in the next four years, there is no better time to invest in local and state-level institutions. 

For instance, Bridgeport’s new coal plant remediation project received $22.5 million of support from the Community Investment Program, a state grant initiative for underserved groups with 2030 applications open. Testimonies can still be presented to legislators, including the Connecticut General Assembly and the state’s Council on Environmental Quality. Use these resources to speak for unseen and untreated environmental justice cases. Ask for transparent progress reports that hold ongoing projects accountable, such as the WPCA’s work with PT Partners.

With the 2025 legislative session in motion, contacting representatives and expressing what bills you’re for and against is essential during this period. 

At the same time, however, we may also call for laws and projects that have yet to be seen—especially in the fight for environmental justice. As Katharine Morris writes, we must embrace new opportunities for community and economic development, as uncomfortable as they may seem next to traditional paradigms. I ask for Connecticut citizens to stay both imaginative and resilient for communities who have historically been left behind.

Only then can we truly attain the better futures we believe in for Bridgeport, New Haven, Hartford, and beyond.

Kelley Wilson is a graduating Posse Scholar at Connecticut College, majoring in Environmental Studies with minors in Botany and Italian Studies.