ISS 215 2 page essay
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Apr 3, 2024
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Jones 1
Meredith Jones Dr. Baylis
ISS 215 11/16/23
Section A: Key Terms
Throughout the course of this class, we have discussed a variety of themes pertaining to justice and ethics and how these concepts can be applied to disasters. I have taken certain key terms under the justice and ethics umbrella to see how they can be applied to the environmental disaster that took place in Flint Michigan.
Justice
is something that everyone has a right to. It means that everyone is treated equally and ethically, and if these standards aren’t met, then it is expected of the opposing party to receive appropriate punishment. This also works in tandem with the concept of ethics, which is a moral principle that guides people through deci-
sions.
Ethics
help determine a person’s conduct and go hand in hand with a person’s morals.
Rhetoric
is a way of speaking that is persuasive and leaves an impression on the in-
tended audience. Rhetoric can be used to reach people, albeit not always for ethical or morally correct reasons.
Distributive Justice
is the idea that all members of a society are to receive proper compensation for their contributions. These contributions include receiving money for their work and having ample opportunity. Finally,
injustice
is the opposite of justice; meaning that there is a lack of fairness and compensation/punishment has not been delivered to the of-
fending party. The affected party will typically face negative consequences, while the offending party will gain something from the injustice.
Jones 2
Section B: Flint Michigan’s Water Crisis
On April 25, 2014, the city of Flint Michigan decided to change its water source from Lake Huron to the local Flint River which corroded the pipes causing chemical contaminants to leak into Flint’s water supply (CDC 2020). This created a water crisis, which restricted clean wa-
ter from the citizens of Flint causing an onslaught of issues within the community. Some of these
issues include a lack of clean water for drinking, a slew of illnesses, and negatively impacting the
ongoing poverty issue. The Flint Water Crisis serves as a local example where the concepts of justice, ethics, and distributive justice come into play. The residents of Flint faced
injustice
as they were exposed to lead-contaminated water due to the negligence of the government and their unethical cost-cutting move to switch the water sources (Lee 2023). The violation of their right to clean water represents a failure in the justice system to protect its citizens. The unethical deci-
sion-making in the Flint Water Crisis, where cost-cutting measures took precedence over public health, highlights an infringement of
ethical
standards. Finally, the unequal distribution of re-
sources, in this case - clean water - showcases a lack of
distributive justice.
The residents of Flint, a predominantly low-income community (Denchak 2018), were disproportionately af-
fected, facing health issues and economic hardships due to inadequate access to clean water.
By examining the Flint Water Crisis through the lens of these concepts, it is shown that justice was denied, ethical standards were compromised, and distributive justice was absent, ex-
acerbating the suffering of a vulnerable population. While the water crisis has been resolved, the residents of Flint are still facing the impact to this day. Flint is an example among many of just how important clean water is to us, and that governments shouldn’t take the shortcut when it comes to the safety of their citizens.
Jones 3
Works Cited
“Flint Water Crisis.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 28 May 2020, www.cdc.gov/nceh/casper/pdf-html/
flint_water_crisis_pdf.html#:~:text=What%20was%20the%20need%3F,contaminants
%20into%20municipal%20drinking%20water. Denchak, Melissa. “Flint Water Crisis: Everything You Need to Know.” Be a Force for the Fu-
ture
, 8 Nov. 2018, www.nrdc.org/stories/flint-water-crisis-everything-you-need-
know#summary. Lee, Jaclyn, et al. “Flint Residents Grapple with Water Crisis 9 Years Later: ‘No Justice.’” ABC News
, ABC News Network, 21 Apr. 2023, abcnews.go.com/US/water-crisis-plagues-flint-
residents-decade/story?id=98724950#:~:text=The%20Flint%20water%20crisis%2C
%20which,depressed%20city%2C%20according%20to%20Orr.
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