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Explain what is meant by the term environmental justice.
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Environmental justice is the principle that all people — regardless of race, color, national origin, income, or other status — have the right to equal protection from environmental harms and equal access to decision-making about the environment that affects their lives.
Key points:
- Distributional justice: Environmental burdens (pollution, hazardous waste sites, noisy highways) and benefits (clean parks, healthy housing, access to clean water) should not be concentrated unfairly in low‑income or marginalized communities.
- Procedural justice: Affected communities should have meaningful opportunities to participate in environmental decisions — access to information, ability to be heard, and influence over outcomes.
- Recognition and participation: The identities, rights, and knowledge of marginalized groups should be respected; their concerns must be taken seriously.
- Intergenerational justice: Protecting the environment for future generations (e.g., climate change impacts) is often included.
Origins and policy context:
- The environmental justice movement grew from civil-rights and grassroots struggles (U.S. examples include protests in the 1970s–1980s against siting of hazardous waste in Black communities).
- Many governments and organizations now have policies to assess and reduce disparities (for example, U.S. Executive Order 12898 directing federal agencies to address environmental justice).
Examples:
- A polluting factory located predominantly in a low‑income neighborhood, leading to higher asthma rates there.
- Lack of safe drinking water in certain rural or indigenous communities.
- Disproportionate climate impacts (sea‑level rise, heat waves, flooding) on communities with fewer resources to adapt.
Why it matters:
- Environmental injustice causes preventable harm to health and well‑being, reinforces social inequality, and undermines democratic decision‑making. Addressing it improves public health, resilience, and fairness.
Key points:
- Distributional justice: Environmental burdens (pollution, hazardous waste sites, noisy highways) and benefits (clean parks, healthy housing, access to clean water) should not be concentrated unfairly in low‑income or marginalized communities.
- Procedural justice: Affected communities should have meaningful opportunities to participate in environmental decisions — access to information, ability to be heard, and influence over outcomes.
- Recognition and participation: The identities, rights, and knowledge of marginalized groups should be respected; their concerns must be taken seriously.
- Intergenerational justice: Protecting the environment for future generations (e.g., climate change impacts) is often included.
Origins and policy context:
- The environmental justice movement grew from civil-rights and grassroots struggles (U.S. examples include protests in the 1970s–1980s against siting of hazardous waste in Black communities).
- Many governments and organizations now have policies to assess and reduce disparities (for example, U.S. Executive Order 12898 directing federal agencies to address environmental justice).
Examples:
- A polluting factory located predominantly in a low‑income neighborhood, leading to higher asthma rates there.
- Lack of safe drinking water in certain rural or indigenous communities.
- Disproportionate climate impacts (sea‑level rise, heat waves, flooding) on communities with fewer resources to adapt.
Why it matters:
- Environmental injustice causes preventable harm to health and well‑being, reinforces social inequality, and undermines democratic decision‑making. Addressing it improves public health, resilience, and fairness.
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