Sacrifice Zones
Provided by: The Climate Reality Project|Published on: November 7, 2022|Last updated: September 26, 2026
Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12, AP
Type: Articles/Websites
Subjects: Social Studies, Earth and Space Sciences, Health
Authors: The Climate Reality Project
Location: North America, North America > United States, North America > United States > Louisiana
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This article introduces the concept of sacrifice zones and how it relates to climate change, health, and environmental justice, citing the example of Louisiana's Cancer Alley.
- The article highlights the links between pollution, environmental racism, and the impacts of COVID-19.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- The article provides clear examples of how people of color have been disproportionately impacted by industrialization.
- The language of the article is clear, straightforward, and concise.
Additional Prerequisites
- Students should have a general understanding of environmental justice before using this resource.
- The resource can be printed out for those who do not have access to the Internet.
Differentiation
- As a follow-up activity, have students brainstorm community-based initiatives and grassroots solutions to environmental racism and the problems highlighted in the text.
- In more advanced classes, have students consider the role a profit-driven economic system with few environmental regulations plays in creating sacrifice zones.
- This article can also be used in health classes during lessons about the impacts of air and water pollution and in history classes during lessons about the impacts of racism and its history in the United States.
- Related resources include this video on the ties between racial and environmental justice, this article on environmental racism, and this lesson on redlining.
This is an article discussing environmental injustice and the communities that face the challenges of climate change. The website also relates historical environmental injustice to larger health issues, due to preexisting conditions during COVID-19. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
