Contemporary Landscape

Environmental Activism in Recent Years

Over the past decade, environmental activism has gained traction with activists like Greta Thunberg highlighting how young people are at the crux of the climate issue. In recent years, the climate crisis has made its way into public policy, indicating that it is not merely a looming problem. We are at the breaking point. In the 1980s, environmentalism began to engage in intersectionality or 'environmental justice' which centered the idea that people of all races and ethnicities deserve equal and fair environmental conditions. Today, this concept is being applied by grassroots movements to fight for better policy, levying collective power on the local and global stage to preserve communities.1

Youth activists protesting against petrochemical pollution in St. James Parish, Louisiana, with RISE St James, a nonprofit founded by Sharon Lavigne | Goldman Prize

Texas and the Greater Houston Area

Across Texas—and especially in Greater Houston—environmental justice concerns remain both urgent and deeply rooted in historical inequities. Industrial facilities, chemical plants, and waste sites are disproportionately concentrated in low-income, predominantly Black and Hispanic neighborhoods such as Manchester, Galena Park, Fifth Ward, and Kashmere Gardens.2 In these communities, residents face elevated exposure to harmful pollutants like 1,3-butadiene, benzene, and creosote, linked to cancer clusters and respiratory issues.3

Local organizations such as Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services (TEJAS) and Air Alliance Houston are at the forefront of advocacy efforts—mobilizing youth, conducting air quality monitoring, advocating for policy change, and empowering residents to engage with permitting processes.4 Meanwhile, the Houston Environmental Justice Advisory Council (HEJAC), established by the city, promotes community-led initiatives focused on air pollution, illegal dumping, climate resilience, and neighborhood advocacy.5

Federal intervention has also played a role: the Department of Justice launched an environmental justice investigation and later secured a settlement agreement with the City of Houston to address illegal dumping in Black and Latino neighborhoods, signaling that this as a civil-rights and environmental health issue.6

Moreover, the Fifth Ward has been a focal point of concern due to creosote contamination from historic rail-yard operations, leading to confirmed cancer clusters and community-led relocation and remediation plans supported by the city and federal agencies.7

Life on Houston's Fifth Ward | EHN

xAI 'Colossus' Supercomputer Data Center | Gresham Smith

Memphis, Tennessee

In September of 2024, xAI, an artificial intelligence company founded by Elon Musk, launched ‘Colossus’ in Memphis, Tennessee. It is believed to be the world's largest AI supercomputer. The supercomputer, or data center, trains xAI’s social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, and its language program, Grok. 8 The project was completed in less than a month of its conception, much quicker than the average data center at around 4 years.9 Since then, multiple claims of worsening air quality and poor health developments have been levied against the company. 10 xAI selected an abandoned manufacturing site in Boxtown, South Memphis, a black neighborhood with a historical legacy of industrial pollution. Not only could the abandoned building be repurposed for an expedited construction, it is nearby a wastewater treatment facility.11 As AI centers require tons of water daily for their cooling systems, the site proves convenient and as of February 2025, the company plans to build an $80 million dollar wastewater facility nearby.12

“He may be a millionaire, a billionaire — whatever kind of ‘aire he is,” she said. “But what we need here is clean air.” 13— Pearl Walker, Memphis community advocate, quoted in Politico, May 6, 2025

With the booming demand of data centers in recent years due to a pivot to AI and cloud computing, these incredibly dense data centers are popping up across the country.14 AI requires more electricity for its operations compared to traditional search engines. Most of the required energy to generate AI responses is produced by burning fossil fuels.15 Within less than a year of the facility’s construction in Memphis, xAI has become one of the largest emitters in Shelby County. In Memphis, xAI has bypassed some environmental rules, exacerbating the issue of smog in the area. The company was reportedly caught with 35 gas turbines in April 2025 while only obtaining a permit temporarily to have over a dozen.16 These turbines release nitrogen oxides, NOx, at a rate of 1,200 to 2,000 tons a year. According to a ProPublica report, residents living in South Memphis have 4 times the risk of cancer than the EPA determined acceptable risk.17 The 1 million gallons of water needed daily for the center could potentially dry up and contaminate the local wellfield, according to the nonprofit Protect Our Aquifer.18

Boxtown: The Land of Broken Promises | Storyboard Memphis

Resistance

Local residents in Memphis have been vocal about the damage incurred by the community damage that the facility has been causing. On June 17th, over 100 protesters gathered in Downtown Memphis to demonstrate against Musk's xAI facility. The protest was organized by Tigers Against Pollution, a student environmental activist group at the University of Memphis. Representative Justin J. Pearson stood alongside activists to demand accountability from city officials and xAI, putting pressure on Mayor Paul Young.19 This event followed the news of a joint lawsuit against xAI by the NAACP and the Southern Environmental Law Center, claiming several violations of the Clean Air Act.20

TN Rep. Justin J. Pearson holds rally against xAI turbine permits | Commercial Appeal

Cancer Alley Louisiana

Cancer Alley, an 85-mile stretch along the Mississippi River in Louisiana, remains a critical site of environmental injustice, disproportionately impacting predominantly Black communities with toxic industrial pollution. Recent studies in 2024 reveal that air concentrations of carcinogens like ethylene oxide and chloroprene exceed EPA risk thresholds by more than double, contributing to elevated cancer rates and respiratory illnesses among residents.21 Despite federal actions such as the EPA’s 2022 lawsuit against Denka Performance Elastomer for chloroprene emissions, enforcement has weakened with the case’s dismissal in 2025, drawing criticism from advocates.22 Meanwhile, community groups like the Louisiana Bucket Brigade continue vigorous activism, pushing for stricter regulations and environmental accountability. These ongoing challenges underscore the urgent need for comprehensive policy reforms and sustained community engagement to address the entrenched environmental and racial injustices in Cancer Alley.

Citations and references can be found in Sources.

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