The article "Rethinking Environmental Racism: White Privilege and Urban Development in Southern California" by Laura Pulido explores the concept of environmental racism, which emerged from the United Church of Christ's study "Toxic Waste and Race in the United States" (1987). Pulido argues that while environmental racism has been a significant focus for geographers, it often fails to address the broader social and structural dimensions of racism. She critiques the tendency to reduce racism to individual acts of malicious intent, ignoring the role of structural and hegemonic racism in creating and maintaining inequalities. Pulido introduces the concept of white privilege as a complementary framework to understand environmental racism, emphasizing that white privilege is a systemic advantage that reproduces racial inequalities without necessarily involving malicious intent. She uses Los Angeles as a case study to illustrate how industrialization, decentralization, and residential segregation have contributed to the disproportionate exposure of non-white communities to pollution. Pulido's analysis highlights the need to understand the historical and spatial processes that shape environmental racism, rather than focusing solely on discrete acts of discrimination. She concludes by discussing the implications of her findings for creating a more just society.The article "Rethinking Environmental Racism: White Privilege and Urban Development in Southern California" by Laura Pulido explores the concept of environmental racism, which emerged from the United Church of Christ's study "Toxic Waste and Race in the United States" (1987). Pulido argues that while environmental racism has been a significant focus for geographers, it often fails to address the broader social and structural dimensions of racism. She critiques the tendency to reduce racism to individual acts of malicious intent, ignoring the role of structural and hegemonic racism in creating and maintaining inequalities. Pulido introduces the concept of white privilege as a complementary framework to understand environmental racism, emphasizing that white privilege is a systemic advantage that reproduces racial inequalities without necessarily involving malicious intent. She uses Los Angeles as a case study to illustrate how industrialization, decentralization, and residential segregation have contributed to the disproportionate exposure of non-white communities to pollution. Pulido's analysis highlights the need to understand the historical and spatial processes that shape environmental racism, rather than focusing solely on discrete acts of discrimination. She concludes by discussing the implications of her findings for creating a more just society.