1.
Air
Pollution
in
France
Social
and
Political
Conditions,
Effectiveness
of
Policies,
and
the
Correlation
to
Environmental
Racism
Victoria
Sardelli
ABSTRACT
Air
pollution
is
France’s
greatest
environmental
issue.
Automobiles
and
industrial
compounds
are
the
largest
contributors
to
pollution
as
both
emit
high
quantities
of
harmful
gasses.
The
greatest
automobile
usage
is
confined
to
the
banlieue
district,
the
lower
income
neighborhoods
surrounding
metropolitan
areas.
This
area
also
houses
the
highest
concentration
of
industrial
complexes,
which
are
known
to
release
harmful
byproducts
into
the
air.
The
inhabitants
of
the
banlieue
are
categorized
by
disadvantaged
socioeconomic
status
and
by
definition
are
victims
of
environmental
racism.
Although
France
has
taken
steps
towards
controlling
emissions,
no
data
has
been
collected
to
study
the
correlation
between
socioeconomic
status
and
air
quality.
It
is
the
duty
of
France
to
analyze
this
injustice
and
correct
the
underlying
issues
accordingly.

2. Sardelli
2
Table
of
Contents
AIR
POLLUTION
IN
FRANCE:
AN
INTRODUCTION
.....................................................................................
3
THE
FRENCH
HISTORY
OF
ENVIRONMENTAL
AWARENESS
..................................................................
4
THE
RECENT
BEGINNING
..........................................................................................................................................
4
MODERN
HISTORY
....................................................................................................................................................
5
PRESENT
DAY
............................................................................................................................................................
5
CASE
STUDY
...........................................................................................................................................................
7
AIR
POLLUTION:
SOURCES
OF
THE
ISSUE
................................................................................................................
7
ENVIRONMENTAL
JUSTICE
........................................................................................................................................
8
ENVIRONMENTAL
RACISM
........................................................................................................................................
9
INJUSTICE
BY
STAGNANCY:
DESCRIPTIVE
CLAIMS
................................................................................................
10
CONCLUSION
........................................................................................................................................................
11
FIFTH
GRADE
ABSTRACT
................................................................................................................................
13
WORKS
CITED
.....................................................................................................................................................
14

3. Sardelli
3
Air
Pollution
in
France:
An
Introduction
For
the
past
20
years,
environmentalist
movements
in
France
have
been
focused
primarily
on
air
pollution.
Air
pollution
issues
stem
from
a
number
of
sources,
and
are
influenced
by
the
unique
geographic
layout
of
the
nation.
Outside
metropolitan
city
walls,
there
are
rolling
hills
of
farmland.
There
is
no
middle
ground
between
city
and
country.
The
idea
of
the
suburb
as
it
exists
in
America,
is
non-­‐existent
in
French
culture
or
society.
The
antithesis
to
the
American
suburb
is
the
French
banlieue:
quarters
around
the
perimeters
of
cities
comprised
of
dilapidated,
run-­‐down
government
subsidized
housing
that
was
contracted
to
be
built
post
World
War
II
(Sardelli).
These
housing
projects
are
home
to
immigrant
and
minority
populations
from
disadvantaged
socioeconomic
backgrounds.
Although
air
pollution
affects
all
urban
residents,
the
inhabitants
of
the
banlieue
face
the
brunt
of
the
issue.
Emissions
from
automobiles,
factories,
and
other
air
polluting
systems
are
confined
to
urban
areas,
and
more
specifically
concentrated
in
the
banlieue.
Those
who
commute
from
neighboring
villages
into
the
centre
ville,
the
inner
city
and
business
sector,
travel
through
the
banlieue
by
automobile,
and
then
continue
to
the
inner
city
by
public
transportation.
The
centre
ville
occupants,
those
with
a
higher
clout
and
socioeconomic
background,
own
vehicles
but
rarely
use
them,
which
decreases
emissions
and
overall
air
pollution
in
the
center
of
town.
Conversely,
particular
regions
of
France
house
many
more
industrial
compounds
than
others,
and
regions
with
prevalent
history
of
industrialization
are
more
likely
to
suffer
from
complications
of
pollution.
In
addition,
most
large
factories
and
industrial
complexes
are
located
in
or
along
the
banlieue.
This
implies
that
the
banlieue
not
only
deals
with
emissions
from
industrial
compounds
but
also
from
automobile
emissions,
creating
the
highest
concentration
of
pollutants
in
the
air
than
in
any
other

4. Sardelli
4
geographical
area
within
France.
In
the
preceding
20
years,
France
began
to
address
environmental
issues
by
borrowing
the
American
standards
of
clean
living
rights.
This
paper
illuminates
the
issue
of
air
pollution
by
analyzing
the
social
and
political
conditions
in
France,
the
implementation
and
effectiveness
of
government
policy,
and
the
inevitable
correlation
to
environmental
racism.
The
French
History
of
Environmental
Awareness
The
Recent
Beginning
France,
a
country
most
commonly
associated
with
romantic
daydreams
of
Paris
and
the
lackadaisical
European
lifestyle,
is
not
as
perfect
and
idealistic
as
most
would
perceive.
The
country
has
a
history
of
revolt,
revolution,
and
citizen
discontent.
September
28,
1958,
France
adopted
the
Fifth
Republic,
the
current
form
of
government,
and
it
has
been
the
longest
lasting
and
most
effective
attempt
at
a
republic
in
France
to
date
(France).
Since
its
foundation,
the
French
have
remained
faithful
to
their
roots,
by
preserving
the
ideals
of
universalism
and
equality.
The
implementation
of
the
Fifth
Republic
stabilized
the
country,
promoting
forward
progress
and
facilitating
the
action
to
tackle
social
issues.
“Although
the
environmental
movement
first
emerged
in
France
at
the
end
of
the
1960s”,
nothing
was
accomplished
until
the
1990s
(Ollitrault).
In
1968,
the
same
year
as
the
Apollo
8
photo
of
the
Earth,
UNESCO
hosted
the
Paris
Biosphere
Conference,
which
influenced
the
creation
of
the
Man
and
the
Biosphere
Programme
in
1971,
which
was
designed
to
research
and
preserve
the
ecosystem
and
sustainable
usage
of
resources
(France).
However,
“France
has
a
long-­‐standing
reputation
as
a
relative
laggard
in
environmental
affairs.
In
1988,
French
public
opinion
scored
the
lowest
in
the
European
Community
on
the
question
of
whether

5. Sardelli
5
environmental
protection
was
an
‘urgent
and
immediate
problem’”
(Bourg
1).
France
took
no
action
concerning
the
Environmental
Movement
again
until
the
1990s.
Modern
History
In
1990,
the
European
Environment
Agency
was
established
(France).
Pressure
from
the
European
Union
forced
France
to
reevaluate
priorities.
In
1995,
Jacques
Chirac,
the
first
president
to
address
environmental
awareness
as
a
defining
campaign
tactic,
was
elected
to
office
(France).
“For
the
first
time,
a
French
president
has
attempted
to
lay
claim
to
environmental
protection
as
a
defining
theme
of
his
presidency”
(Bourg
2).
Until
this
point,
“Les
Verts
(the
political
party
concerned
with
environmental
ideology)…
[had]
been
too
divided
and
electorally
weak
to
force
through
any
reform
on
the
scale
of
a
constitutional
amendment”
(Bourg
2).
Through
Chirac’s
dedication
to
the
cause
and
pressure
from
the
EEA,
France
began
to
compose
and
enforce
environmental
policy.
“Nations
that
constitutionalize
environmental
rights
raise
the
stature
of
environmental
protection
in
their
boundaries
and
signal
to
other
nations”
(Bourg
2).
In
other
words,
peer
pressure
persuaded
France
to
cooperate
with
her
European
counterparts
by
changing
priorities
within
social
issues
to
include
environmental
awareness.
Present
Day
Subsequently,
“France
amended
its
constitution
in
2005
to
include
a
Charter
for
the
Environment.
The
charter
lays
out
France’s
commitment
to
supporting
the
right
to
a
‘balanced
environment’”
(Bourg
1).
The
form
of
government
unique
to
the
French,
a
Republic
with
a
large
welfare
state
and
socialist
undertones,
contributed
to
this
particular
document
by
utilizing
long-­‐standing
French
ideals
and
habits.
““In
this
document,
French

6. Sardelli
6
traditions
of
universalism
come
together
with
an
international
movement
for
anticipatory
environmental
protection.
This
is
reflected
in
the
constitutionalisation
of
the
precautionary
principle”
(Bourg
1).
Chirac
was
quoted
saying,
“In
the
name
of
this
ideal,
ecology,
the
right
to
a
protected
and
preserved
environment,
should
be
considered
on
par
with
public
liberties.
It
is
the
state’s
duty
to
affirm
this
principle
and
ensure
that
it
is
upheld.
And
I
intend
for
this
public
and
solemn
commitment
to
be
enshrined
in
a
charter
for
the
environment
which
is
appended
to
the
constitution
and
which
consecrates
its
fundamental
principles”
(Bourg
3).
This
resulted
in
a
“newfound
resolve
to
give
environmental
protection
a
more
prospective
than
remedial
orientation”
(Bourg
2).
The
entire
document
is
characterized
by
its
preventative
standpoint
on
ecological
justice.
Unfortunately,
the
preventative
and
remedial
approach
is
far
too
idealistic
to
be
effective.
“Now,
precautionary
measures
[could]
be
delayed
until
studies
[are]
undertaken”
(Bourg
12),
and
there
was
no
forward
movement
to
gather
information,
produce
studies,
and
take
action.
“The
norm
governs
situations
of
environmental
and
health
risk
where
scientific
evidence
is
incomplete
or
controversial”
(Bourg
2).
This
led
to
ineffectiveness
and
inactivity.
“On
the
first
anniversary
of
the
Charter’s
passage,
the
environmental
association
‘France
Nature
Environment’
concluded
that
‘everything
still
remains
to
be
done’”
(Bourg
13).
In
2006,
it
was
speculated
by
the
Institut
Francais
de
l’Environnement
that
“environmental
pressures
[were]
increasing
more
slowly
than
[economic]
activity”
(Bourg
14).
This
caused
discontent
within
the
population
during
the
subsequent
years,
as
the

7. Sardelli
7
citizens
were
expecting
immediate
reaction
to
the
impending
implosion
that
was
environmental
awareness.
“For
those
hoping
to
see
‘greener’
attitudes
in
French
government
decisions,
the
story…
is
encouraging
and
discouraging
in
almost
equal
measure”
(Bourg
14).
Case
Study
Air
Pollution:
Sources
of
the
Issue
Over
the
past
few
years,
the
French
have
identified
air
pollution
as
the
most
prevalent
environmental
issue;
its
leading
causes
being
automobile
and
industrial
complex
emissions
(Frumkin
142).
“Air
pollutants
are
emitted
from
a
range
of
both
man-­‐made
and
natural
sources
including:
Burning
of
fossil
fuels
in
electricity
generation,
transport,
industry,
and
households;
industrial
processes
and
solvent
use…
agriculture;
waste
treatment;
[and]
natural
sources”
(Publications).
The
EEA
published
an
Air
pollution
fact
sheet
in
2014
that
analyzed
emissions
by
country,
and
then
again
by
urban,
rural,
and
high
traffic
areas.
In
France,
the
highest
concentrations
of
ozone,
one
of
the
largest
compounds
comprising
air
pollution,
are
not,
as
one
would
expect,
in
the
urban
districts
or
rural
districts,
but
in
high
traffic
zones
bordering
cities
(Publications).
“The
health
hazards
of
air
pollution
are
well
known.
Ozone
is
an
airways
irritant.
Higher
ozone
levels
are
associated
with
higher
incidence
and
severity
or
respiratory
symptoms,
worse
lung
function,
more
emergency
room
visits
and
hospitalizations,
more
medication
use,
and
more
absenteeism
from
school
and
work“(Frumkin
143).
After
comparing
these
findings
with
the
two
other
largest
air
pollutants,
nitrogen
dioxide
and
particulate
matter,
the
conclusion
is
obvious:
the
highest
concentrations
of
all
three
pollutants
are
found
on
the
outskirts
of
cities,
the

8. Sardelli
8
banlieue.
This
is
coupled
with
the
fact
that
air
pollution
does
not
only
affect
those
who
suffer
from
asthma
and
other
respiratory
diseases,
but
otherwise
healthy
individuals
as
well
(Frumkin
143).
“Particulate
matter
is
associated
with
many
of
the
same
respiratory
effects
and,
in
addition,
with
elevated
mortality”
(Frumkin
143).
In
short,
“environmental
factors
affecting
health,
such
as
exposure
to
pollution
and
toxic
substances…
are
major
factors
in
the
prevalence
of
certain
diseases”
(Laurian
2).
Although
the
banlieue
is
home
to
minorities
and
immigrants,
pollution
does
not
discriminate.
All
citizens
and
their
actions
are
interconnected
(Morton).
If
action
is
not
taken,
soon
the
entire
urban
community
will
feel
the
negative
repercussions
of
inaction.
Environmental
Justice
Environmental
Justice
is
defined
by
the
Environmental
Protection
Agency
as
“the
fair
treatment
and
meaningful
involvement
of
all
people
regardless
of
race,
color,
national
origin,
or
income
with
respect
to
the
development,
implementation,
and
enforcement
of
environmental
laws,
regulations,
and
policies”
(US
Environmental
Protection
Agency).
In
a
perfect
world,
there
would
not
need
to
be
a
definition
to
protect
the
rights
of
those
who
are
being
negatively
affected
by
environmental
issues.
“The
concept
of
environmental
‘justice’
or
‘equity’
emerged
in
the
United
States
throughout
the
1980s”
(Jerrett
1),
however
it
was
not
until
the
release
of
the
Environmental
Charter
to
the
public
that
the
French
adopted
a
similar
way
of
thought.
The
Socialist
Party
has
been
in
power
since
the
2012
election
of
Francois
Hollande,
and
the
Socialist
Party
also
composes
the
majority
in
the
National
Assembly.
Ideally,
socialist
models
are
conducive
to
action
being
implemented
and
enforced,
however
unfortunately
that
has
not
been
the
case.

9. Sardelli
9
Environmental
Racism
Today,
“France
currently
counts
24
nuclear
sites,
130
incinerators,
close
to
1,250
landfills,
3,700
polluted
sites,
1,100
industrial
sites
that
pose
major
risks
in
the
event
of
an
accident
and
300,000
to
400,000
‘potentially
polluted’
sites,
at
least
8%
of
which
are
probably
contaminated”
(Laurian
2).
These
sites
most
commonly
belong
to
the
industries
of
chemicals,
oil
refining,
livestock
breeding
and
slaughtering,
quarrying
and
incineration
sectors
(Laurian
11),
which
are
located
in
the
outer
rim
of
cities,
inside
the
banlieue.
“Sites
posing
a
threat
(pollution,
explosion
hazard,
toxic
waste)
are
registered
as
classified
facilities
and
must
comply
with
specific
regulations”
(Laurian
11).
Most
of
these
facilities
are
located
in
geographic
regions
with
specific
industrial
backgrounds.
“The
Rhone-­‐Alpes
region
has
five
nuclear
sites,
the
Centre
has
four,
and
the
Champagne-­‐Ardenne
has
three”
(Laurian
13).
The
Rhone-­‐Alps
region,
and
more
specifically
the
city
of
Lyon,
is
known
for
its
history
in
the
textile
industry,
a
history
that
influences
pollution
in
the
area
to
this
day.
In
France,
wealth
and
status
are
easily
discernable
by
location
of
residence.
The
lower
income
populations
and
minority
groups
normally
reside
on
the
outskirts
of
cities,
in
poorly
maintained
living
accommodations.
“Research
over
the
past
15
years
has
suggested
that
poor
people
and
members
of
minority
groups
are
disproportionately
exposed
to
environmental
hazards”
(Frumkin
152).
This
particular
model
is
applicable
to
any
city
within
France.
“Poor
people
and
people
of
color
are
disproportionately
impacted
by
air
pollution
for
at
least
two
reasons:
disproportionate
exposure,
and
higher
prevalence
of
underlying
diseases
that
increase
susceptibility”
(Frumkin
153).
Not
only
does
one’s
area
of
residence
contribute
to
this
inequality,
increased
proneness
to
health
complications
of
air

10. Sardelli
10
pollution
is
unfair
as
well.
“Many
of
these
health
effects
are
individually
recognized
as
environmental
health
issues,
and
certain
aspects
of
[urban]
sprawl,
such
as
reliance
on
automobiles,
have
been
analyzed
as
public
health
issues”
(Frumkin
142),
a
gesture
to
commuters
who
drive
who
through
the
decrepit
banlieue,
then
continue
on
public
transportation
into
the
city.
This
concentrates
air
pollution
caused
by
automobiles
to
the
banlieue.
Injustice
by
Stagnancy:
Descriptive
Claims
The
reality
is,
“even
in
economically
advanced
countries
with
many
income
and
social
equalization
programs,
air
pollution
and
other
environmental
risks
remain
unequally
distributed”
(Jerrett
1),
and
unfortunately,
“research
into
social
inequalities
in
exposure
to
environmental
risks
is
still
new
in
Europe
and
has
hardly
begun
in
France”
(Ollitrault
15).
In
order
to
address
these
prevailing
issues,
it
is
necessary
to
accumulate
data
and
implement
policy
accordingly.
“New
research
is
needed
to
explore
potential
social
inequalities,
to
identify
the
causes
of
observed
inequalities,
to
analyze
exposure
of
populations
to
pollution
and
evaluate
its
health
impacts”
(Laurian
15).
Currently,
“the
norm
governs
situations
of
environmental
and
health
risk
where
scientific
evidence
is
incomplete
or
controversial”
(Bourg
2),
leaving
many
of
underprivileged
citizens
without
justice.
“In
practice,
the
concept
translates
into
qualitative
and
quantitative
empirical
analyses
investigating
whether
socioeconomic
position
or
racial/ethnic
status
is
linked
to
exposure
to
environmental
contaminants
and
other
potential
sources
of
health
effects
such
as
psycho-­‐social
stress”
(Jerrett
1).
After
the
gathering
and
assessment
of
environmental
issues,
policies
can
be
implemented
and
enforced.

11. Sardelli
11
Although
“the
National
Emission
Ceilings
Directive
sets
emissions
ceilings
(or
limits)…
for
man-­‐made
emissions…”
(Publications),
there
is
no
punitive
action
being
taken
against
those
who
surpass
said
ceilings.
The
ideology
implemented
is
‘pollution
pays’,
or
those
who
emit
air
pollutants
will
be
fined
in
direct
proportion
to
emission.
However
more
often
than
not,
the
government
raises
individual
taxes
in
lieu
of
fining
industrial
compounds.
“All
these
contributing
factors
mean
that
European
emission
reductions
of
pollutants
contributing
to
the
formation
of
ozone
may
not
result
in
equivalent
reductions
of
ozone
concentrations”
(Publications).
All
of
the
efforts
being
made
are
steps
in
the
right
direction,
however
it
is
necessary
to
garner
support
from
the
citizens
as
well.
If
the
citizens
remain
apathetic
to
environmental
justice
and
refuse
to
be
concerned
for
their
own
health
and
the
health
of
others,
no
change
will
be
seen.
Conclusion
Air
pollution
in
France
is
not
only
an
environmental
issue,
but
a
social
and
political
issue
as
well.
“Looking
to
the
future,
environmental
justice
research
needs
to
go
beyond
the
single
pollutant
or
facility-­‐type
assessments
of
exposure”
(Jerrett
2),
and
needs
to
include
discrimination
and
prejudice
towards
immigrant
and
minority
populations,
their
confinement
to
the
banlieue,
and
therefore
address
the
root
of
the
problem.
“Policy
research
needs
to
identify
approaches
to
land
use
and
transportation
that
would
reduce
the
need
for
motor
vehicle
travel”
(Frumkin
144).
There
are
fairly
simple
solutions
to
the
pollution
concerns
that
plague
cities
in
France.
“Behavioral
research
needs
to
identify
factors
that
motivate
people
to
choose
less
polluting
travel
behaviors,
such
as
walking,

12. Sardelli
12
carpooling,
or
use
of
more
efficient
vehicles”
(Frumkin
144).
Also,
“Further
research
is
needed
to
clarify
the
complex
relationships
among
land
use,
transportation,
and
health”
(Frumkin
155),
as
well
as
social
predispositions
and
prejudices.
“Approaches
to
urban
planning,
design,
and
construction
are…
likely
to
reduce
air
pollution”
(Frumkin
155),
and
in
doing
so
can
rectify
the
prevalent
discrimination
and
racism
occurring
in
the
French
banlieue.

13. Sardelli
13
Fifth
Grade
Abstract
Today,
France
has
a
problem
with
air
pollution.
The
problem
is
especially
big
in
areas
around
the
city
called
the
banlieue.
People
who
are
poor
live
in
the
banlieue,
and
their
houses
and
neighborhoods
are
not
very
nice.
This
is
made
worse
by
air
pollution.
When
people
travel
into
the
city
for
work,
they
use
their
cars
and
park
in
the
banlieue,
and
then
take
a
train
into
the
city.
All
of
the
exhaust
from
their
cars
causes
the
air
to
be
more
polluted.
Also,
there
are
more
factories
in
the
banlieue
than
in
the
middle
of
the
city,
and
those
factories
also
make
exhaust
that
pollutes
the
air.
So
these
people
who
live
in
the
banlieue
are
unfairly
treated
because
they
end
up
breathing
in
all
the
polluted
air
and
getting
very
sick.
France
needs
to
help
these
people
by
studying
their
problem
and
writing
laws
to
stop
it.

14. Sardelli
14
Works
Cited
Bourg,
Dominique,
and
Kerry
H.
Whiteside.
"France's
Charter
for
the
Environment:
Of
Presidents,
Principles
and
Environmental
Protection."
Modern
&
Contemporary
France
15.2
(2007):
117-­‐33.
Web.
Doyle,
Timothy,
and
Sherilyn
MacGregor.
Environmental
Movements
around
the
World:
Shades
of
Green
in
Politics
and
Culture.
Santa
Barbara,
CA:
Praeger,
2014.
Print.
"France."
:
Geography,
History,
Politics,
and
More.
N.p.,
n.d.
Web.
05
May
2015.
Frumkin,
Howard,
Lawrence
D.
Frank,
and
Richard
Jackson.
Urban
Sprawl
and
Public
Health:
Designing,
Planning,
and
Building
for
Healthy
Communities.
Washington,
DC:
Island,
2004.
Print.
Hynes,
H.
Patricia.,
and
Russ
Lopez.
Urban
Health:
Readings
in
the
Social,
Built,
and
Physical
Environments
of
U.S.
Cities.
Sudbury,
MA:
Jones
and
Bartlett,
2009.
Print.
Jerrett,
Michael.
"Global
Geographies
of
Injustice
in
Traffic-­‐Related
Air
Pollution
Exposure."Epidemiology
20.2
(2009):
231-­‐33.
Web.
Jerrett,
Michael.
Global
Geographies
of
Injustice
in
Traffic-­‐Related
Pollution
Exposure.
N.p.:
n.p.,
n.d.
Print.
Laurian,
Lucie.
"The
Distribution
of
Environmental
Risks:
Analytical
Methods
and
French
Data."Population
(english
Edition)
63.4
(2008):
617.
Web.
Morton,
Timothy.
The
Ecological
Thought.
Cambridge,
MA:
Harvard
UP,
2010.
Print.
"Publications."
—
European
Environment
Agency
(Publications).
N.p.,
n.d.
Web.
05
May
2015.
Sardelli,
Victoria
B.
"Facilitating
Social
Mobility
for
Immigrants
Residing
in
France:
Utilization
of
Policy
Initiatives
Encompassing
Multicultural
Awareness,
Infrastructure
Improvement,
and
Affirmative
Action."
Thesis.
Salve
Regina
University,
2014.
Print.
"US
Environmental
Protection
Agency."
EPA.
Environmental
Protection
Agency,
n.d.
Web.
05
May
2015.