What is environmental justice?

Environmental justice (EJ) is the assurance that all people, regardless of sex, gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, or income, have equal access to a healthy, safe, and sustainable environment in which to live, work, learn, and play. Additionally, environmental justice protects all people and includes the affected communities in the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.

Where did environmental justice come from?

We recommend this short video highlighting major events between 1982 and 2017 on environmental justice:

What is environmental racism?

Environmental racism is the disproportionate impact of environmental hazards (ex. air pollution, toxic dumping, manufacturing plants) on communities of color. Environmental hazards increase the likelihood of diseases including asthma, cancer, and lead poisoning. While income is certainly a key indicator of environmental, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined that, even when taking socioeconomic status into account, race plays the largest role in determining an individual’s exposure to environmental hazards.

What is the difference between environmental justice and climate justice?

Climate justice is a vision aimed at dissolving and alleviating the unequal burdens created by climate change. Those who contribute the least to greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change are and will continue to be the most severely affected by it. Examples of these impacts of climate change on communities include heatwaves, storms, floods, droughts, higher disease burdens, forced migration, and more. Achieving climate justice will require the pushing those who have benefited off the climate crisis to share their wealth in the investment of community adaptation to the challenges they face in the coming years due to climate change as well as empowering those communities to develop their own solutions that fit the unique needs of their community.

Where can I learn more about environmental justice?

Sources
"Environmental Justice". Greenpeace USA, 2022, https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/issues/environmental-justice/.
"Environmental Justice | US EPA". US EPA, 2014, https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice.
"Environmental Racism: What It Is And How You Can Fight It". Climate Reality, 2021, https://www.climaterealityproject.org/blog/environmental-racism-what-it-and-how-you-can-fight-it.
"EPA Scientists Find Black Communities Disproportionately Hit By Pollution". Thehill, 2018, https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/375289-epa-scientists-find-emissions-greater-impact-low-income-communities. Accessed 15 Mar 2022.