One event that is currently taking place right now is the protesting of the construction of the ten meter telescope (TMT) at Mauna Kea in Hawaii.
Respond to these students post the responses to others should be at least 75 words each. Please be sure to cite all of your sources in APA format in accordance with the Discussion Board Grading Rubric.
Darrell post
One event that is currently taking place right now is the protesting of the construction of the ten meter telescope (TMT) at Mauna Kea in Hawaii. The State is in a precarious battle with the University of Hawaii, its international partners, against the Native Hawaiian community. TMT construction has been halted by Native Hawaiians due to the belief that it is a sacred place in which the people can come in contact with the gods. Though this is being portrayed by the media as an environmental injustice to the Hawaiians, there are many factors to consider. The TMT Internal Organization project began in 2003 as a joint collaboration between United States, Japan, Canada and now China and India (TMT, 2019). Most importantly, in 2010 an Environmental Impact Statement and Cultural Impact Statement was finalized after 14 meetings (Native Hawaiian leaders were included as well) and signed by the Governor — no objections or protest were made at the time of signing (TMT, 2019). At the time, Native Hawaiian support for the TMT in 2018 was polled at 72% and some were even excited about the opportunity it may create for economic growth and tourism (Web Staff, 2019). But this all changed when construction commenced in June 2019, confirmed by a support decline of 27% . Pastor (2018) states that environmental injustice disproportionately affects low-income communities and people of color. Compared to other non-Hawaiians residents, Native Hawaiians “have lower education, higher unemployment, and lower incomes” (HUD, 2013). Since the incorporation of Hawaii into the United States, similarly to Native Americans, Hawaiians have had mixed feelings and mistrust when it comes to issues of land use. How should the TMT project proceed? Twenty percent of its monthly lease will go towards the Department of Hawaiian Affairs (TMT, 2019), and many local tourist companies and businesses around the mountain have suffered and gone out of business. How can we be sensitive to minority populations?
Emilee post
ittsburgh has struggled for a long time with air pollution- since the industrial days. People who live in the Greater Pittsburgh region are at double the risk at getting cancer compared to surrounding counties especially the low income families. On the east side of Pittsburgh there are falling infrastructures, community disinvestment, and high traffic density (University of Pittsburgh.2019, May 29). These factors all contribute significantly to the air pollution affecting the populations health and wellness. “We found the most important thing we could do was to be present, to listen to the citizens and figure out how our research can help them,” says Mr. Rickenbacker. (University of Pittsburgh.2019, May 29
