Proponents of environmental justice believe that every individual has a right to be protected from environmental degradation. Environment justice includes maintaining a clean and healthy environment for everyone who lives, works, and plays in areas that are closest to sources of pollution. Activists call for equal access to information, participation in decision-making, and to justice in environment-related matters.
Environmental justice advocates note that environmental protections are often overshadowed when business leaders and politicians value profit incentives, in the name of progress and development, more than the need to protect poor and underrepresented populations from negative health consequences. Some call this attitude "environmental racism," "toxic imperialism," or "toxic colonialism." They complain that political and business leaders often target impoverished and minority communities when they seek to dispose of trash and hazardous materials, or conduct experiments that create environmental hazards.
Review environmental justice in the following resources.Minority and impoverished communities frequently face higher levels of environmental risk due to environmental prejudice and racism. Some activists argue these occurrences are deliberate and note that race has become a useful metric scientists can use to assess exposure to environmental risk.
For example, many communities build landfills and incinerators near minority communities that put these populations at risk. They often fail to properly warn new homebuyers about the accompanying health risks when they move there. Native Americans face water pollution problems that create health problems and put their cultural traditions, which are tied to water resources on and off their reservations, at risk. Minority communities often lack sufficient representation among corporate decision-makers, regulatory bodies at all levels of government, and even among the leadership of environmental and natural resource advocacy organizations.
In addition to the resources in Learning Outcome 4a above, review environmental prejudice in the following resources.When segments of the local, regional, and global community suffer from the unhealthy side-effects of pollution, industrial waste, and other contaminants, they can no longer contribute to the economic success of their communities. They fall further and further behind, while their wealthier and healthier neighbors move on with their lives.
The chemicalization of our everyday environment, where toxic chemicals contaminate our bodies via the food we eat, air we breathe, water we drink, and personal care products we use. These chemical toxins harm our health by exposing us to carcinogens which cause many forms of cancer, neurotoxins which damage our neurological systems, and chemicals that promote birth defects.
Environmental ethicists argue that companies tend to build their incinerators and dispose of their chemical waste in low-income communities that are less politically organized and have fewer political and economic resources to defend themselves. In some cases the communities that are most impacted by the pollution are located in a different political district from the offending company—the people who suffer the effects of the pollution have fewer political avenues to oppose the company that is disposing the waste.
Meanwhile, pollution and poor land management practices cause further destruction and economic decline when they restrict the community from engaging in healthy farming, fishing, and the efficient use of natural resources. Proponents of environmental justice argue that everyone (without exception) should have the opportunity to be involved in the effort to help develop, implement, and enforce environmental laws, regulations, and policies.
In addition to the resources in Learning Outcome 4a and 4b above, review environmental injustice in the following resources.Environmental justice advocates argue that a healthy environment should not be restricted to some segments of the community, and not others. However, research shows that certain groups disproportionately suffer environmental harms and/or are disproportionately denied environmental benefits and protections due to discriminatory practices. Those most affected include certain impoverished people and communities, minority and ethnic groups, and segments of the population who have achieved lower levels of education.
Members of the international community have proclaimed that environmental justice is a fundamental human right.
For example, Principle 1 of the Stockholm Declaration of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, held on June 16, 1972, establishes a foundation that links human rights, health, and environmental protection when it declares that "Man has the fundamental right to freedom, equality and adequate conditions of life, in an environment of a quality that permits a life of dignity and well-being."
In her paper, Dinah Shelton notes "Procedural human rights are emphasized in environmental agreements. Several dozen international treaties adopted since the Stockholm Conference call upon states to take specific measures to ensure that the public is adequately informed about environmental risks, including health risks, posed by specific activities. In addition to the right to information, the public is also given broad rights of participation in decision-making and access to remedies for environmental harm. The protections afforded have increased in scope and number since the adoption of Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development."
International organizations, such as the United Nations and the World Health Organization, offer valuable information about the global environmental risks our communities face. These organizations research these global challenges and document their work in comprehensive annual reports.
Review the human rights movement and environmental justice in the following resources.
Environmental rights litigation has helped countries maintain regulatory compliance, reduce negative environmental impacts, and integrate environmental programs into their public policy. Additionally, this litigation has created mechanisms for monitoring environmental performance, identifying root causes of environmental degradation, and conducting corrective and preventive actions.
A toxic tort lawsuit is a type of personal injury lawsuit individuals and groups bring against the manufacturer or supplier of a chemical product which causes a toxic injury. In addition, the U.S. Congress has passed the following legislation that authorizes various federal agencies to promote, regulate, and enforce environmental sustainability in the United States.
Environmental management systems bring together the people, policies, plans, review mechanisms, and procedures used to manage environmental issues to create strategies that facilitate environmental compliance, address environmental impacts, broaden environmental responsibilities to all whose work have a significant impact on the environment, and contributes the necessary technical expertise.
Review the descriptions of these different types of pollution in:
Rural and Urban Concerns for Waste
The environmental rights movement argues that earth's resources are limited and risk being completely depleted. As our population grows, many factors contribute to environmental health hazards and inequities, including habitat destruction, deforestation, overhunting, overfishing, and an increasing negative impact for each individual.
The environmental movement emerged due to the public's increased concern for the apparent rise in in air and water pollution, radiation, pesticide poisoning, and other problems. It became increasingly clear that environmental pollution was a health hazard. Consequently, protective regulations and ethical management of the environment became a priority for the environmental rights movement. Advocates demanded the federal government accept responsibility for the degradation and take appropriate action to resolve it.
Review the goals of the environmental rights movement in the following resources.