Environmental Justice

Definition

Environmental justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. It aims to ensure that no group of people bears a disproportionate burden of environmental harms and that all communities have access to a healthy environment.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Environmental justice recognizes that low-income and minority communities often bear a disproportionate burden of environmental pollution and degradation.
2. The environmental justice movement emerged in the 1980s in response to the siting of hazardous waste facilities and other polluting industries in marginalized communities.
3. Achieving environmental justice requires addressing the root causes of inequities, such as systemic racism, classism, and the unequal distribution of power and resources.
4. Principles of environmental justice include the right to a clean and healthy environment, meaningful public participation in decision-making, and the fair treatment of all people.
5. The pursuit of environmental justice is closely linked to broader social justice movements, such as the civil rights, labor, and anti-poverty movements.

Review Questions

• Explain how the concept of environmental justice is connected to the right to a healthy environment.
  • The right to a healthy environment is a fundamental tenet of environmental justice. Environmental justice recognizes that all people, regardless of their race, income, or geographic location, have the right to live, work, and play in a clean and safe environment. It seeks to address the disproportionate burden of environmental harms that often fall on marginalized communities, ensuring that everyone has equal access to the benefits of a healthy environment and that no group bears a disproportionate share of the costs.
• Describe how environmental justice relates to the issues of poverty, inequality, and the environmental crisis.
  • Environmental justice acknowledges the strong link between poverty, inequality, and environmental degradation. Low-income and minority communities are often more vulnerable to the impacts of environmental problems, such as air and water pollution, toxic waste, and natural disasters, due to their limited resources and political influence. Addressing environmental injustices is therefore crucial for tackling broader issues of poverty and inequality, as environmental harms perpetuate and exacerbate social and economic disparities. By promoting equitable access to a healthy environment and the fair distribution of environmental benefits and burdens, the environmental justice movement aims to address the intersections between poverty, inequality, and the environmental crisis.
• Analyze how the principles of environmental justice, such as meaningful public participation and fair treatment, can be applied to address environmental issues in local communities.
  • The principles of environmental justice, including meaningful public participation and fair treatment, provide a framework for addressing environmental issues at the local community level. This involves ensuring that all community members, regardless of their socioeconomic status or demographic characteristics, have a voice in the decision-making processes that affect their environment. It also requires that environmental policies, regulations, and enforcement actions are applied equitably, without disproportionately burdening certain groups. By empowering local communities to participate in environmental decision-making and holding authorities accountable for fair and just outcomes, the environmental justice approach can lead to more sustainable and inclusive solutions to environmental challenges, such as the siting of polluting facilities, the cleanup of contaminated sites, and the equitable distribution of environmental resources and amenities.

Related terms

Environmental Racism: The disproportionate exposure of racial and ethnic minority communities to environmental hazards, such as pollution, toxic waste, and lack of access to natural resources.

Environmental Equity: The fair distribution of environmental benefits and burdens across all segments of society, regardless of demographic factors like race, income, or geographic location.

Environmental Activism: The grassroots movement and advocacy efforts to address environmental injustices and promote sustainable, equitable policies and practices.