Discussion – Environmental Risk to Public Health
Pollution of water sources by chemicals and pollutants is one of the biggest environmental challenges to the lives and health of people in society today. It emerges when water is contaminated with chemicals and bacteria drawn from industries, agriculture, or sewage and causes ailments like cholera and dysentery. Populations in vulnerable households or populations that do not have access to clean water are the most affected, and this shows how health disparities have emerged. Environmental justice, as an important implementation domain of public health, is aimed at achieving equitable distribution of safe water for all. Mitigating this risk involves a multi-faceted approach to policy implementation, education, and placing more emphasis on infrastructure development.
The government has the role of taking care of the citizens and providing for their needs including the provision of security or enact necessary policies and supply clean water. The government needs to be constantly responding to water pollution issues, punishing those responsible for polluting water sources and funding a range of infrastructure projects, mainly where people have limited access to clean water sources. Another essential facet of the work of the government is public awareness and dissemination of information about the quality of water (Saikia et al., 2021). This implies that increased funding for research and integration of workers with local agencies can be very useful in pinpointing sources of contamination and their eradication. Ultimately, it becomes imperative for the government to address issues of environmental justice to protect people’s lives and their rights.
Citizens can regulate environmental health risks through various means based on the Bill of Rights. First, they have the right of free speech to campaign for the government to protect the environment and inform people of the harm polluting does. Second, the right to petition guarantees citizens the right to launch petitions and compel the government to enact even stricter legislation regarding environmental conservation (Greenberg & Page, 2018). Lastly, citizens are free to mobilize and publicly demonstrate or march for improved policies and enforcement of environmental issues.
References
Greenberg, E. S., & Page, B. I. (2018). The struggle for democracy: 2018 elections and updates edition. Pearson.
Saikia, P., Beane, G., Garriga, R. G., Avello, P., Ellis, L., Fisher, S., Leten, J., Ruiz-Apilánez, I., Shouler, M., Ward, R., & Jiménez, A. (2021). City water resilience framework: A governance based planning tool to enhance urban water resilience. Sustainable Cities and Society, 77, 103497. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2021.103497
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Question 
Discussion – Environmental Risk to Public Health
Initial Post Instructions
For the initial post, respond to one of the following options, and label the beginning of your post indicating either Option 1 or Option 2:
Discussion – Environmental Risk to Public Health
Option 1: This week, you have reflected on liberties and freedom. Describe one environmental risk to public health. What role should the government play within this context? Based on the Bill of Rights, how can citizens regulate environmental health risks?
Option 2: The Bill of Rights is not only included with the United States Constitution but also state constitutions. All states have provisions in their constitutions that protect individual rights. Go online and look up your state constitution concerning amendments that are included in the Bill of Rights. How does your state constitution protect your individual rights?