Environmental Justice: A Very Short Introduction

Environmental justice recognizes that environmental benefits and burdens should be distributed fairly, and that the people making policy decisions should incorporate the views of those most often harmed: people of color, Indigenous populations, low-income communities, and those who are underserved and disenfranchised for other reasons such as age, gender, or disability. It encompasses not only traditional environmental issues like clean air and clean water, but also social issues such as employment, nutrition, and access to health care. Although environmental justice is a relatively recent concept, it has become a focus of governmental environmental policy, UN actions, and the activities of many nongovernmental environmental organizations. Its development tracks our growing understanding of racism and wealth disparity in the US and elsewhere, and of our understanding of inequality between the Global North and the Global South. In the era of climate change, climate justice is a particular focus. In an engaging and approachable way, Environmental Justice: A Very Short Introduction defines the concept, identifies specific environmental justice populations, examines root causes, including racism, capitalism, and colonialism, and traces the history of the environmental justice movement and governmental responses to it. It concludes with suggestions for achieving this elusive goal.