Environmental Justice

Environmental Justice Definition:

Environmental Justice is the act of making sure that all peoples, especially including minorities, are granted the appropriate involvement and protection with regards to environmental issues.

 

Environmental Justice is a movement which was begun by people of color. Prior to the Environmental Justice movement, the Environmental movement was predominantly white. This created a lot of tension between these communities, as the white community had (and continues to have) higher income and easier access to safer and healthier environments than do communities of color.

Another difficulty which the Environmental Justice movement attempts to combat is misrepresentation or lack of representation in discussion of environmental issues. Elected officials typically tend to be more highly educated than the greater community they represent, and often earn a great deal more income than the average person within their domain (Roy). An additional concept that this addresses is NIMBY, or “Not In My BackYard.” This movement helps to broaden the spectrum so that people are thinking beyond what is just their own and instead towards other people, to ensure that no one needs to suffer without the appropriate provisions which we all deserve.

 

Video Aids:

What is Environmental Justice?

Environmental Justice Explained

 

Roy, Prodipto. “The Sacred Cow in India.” Rural Sociology, vol. 20, no. 1, Mar. 1955, pp. 8–15. EBSCOhost, http://ezpro.cc.gettysburg.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eue&AN=13212557&site=eds-live.