How Environmental Justice Works

by Leigh Graham

categories: Activism, Cities, Corporations, Government, Gulf Coast, Health & Healthcare, Inequality, Jobs & Unemployment, Nonprofits, Policy, Race Ethnicity Class & Gender, The Economy

Published October 15, 2009 @ 09:03AM PT

Through MIT, I've had the opportunity to provide research and writing for a range of social justice clients, including grassroots groups fighting for environmental justice and green economic development.  I've written occasionally about EJ here, but I've never really taken the time to define it.  Embracing this frame is imperative as stimulus funds flow and talk of "green jobs" and "green development" abound.

Today, in honor of Blog Action Day 2009, in which Change.org hosts over 8k blogs from 135 countries worldwide to blog about Climate Change to raise awareness of this pressing global problem, I want to provide some important information on environmental justice, racism and equity to inform your climate change activism.  To be effective climate change activists, we cannot forget the unequal and unfair impacts borne by low-income communities, often communities of color, often in the US South, on reservations and borderlands, from environmental degradation.  Read on to learn more about these critical frames and see how one group in San Diego, the Environmental Health Coalition, is succeeding in pursuing environmental equity for low-income Latin@ communities there.

We start with the problem of environmental racism, which is "the disproportionate impact of environmental hazards on people of color."  Environmental justice, or EJ, is how we fight this form of institutional racism; EJ recognizes: species"interdependence"; the need for a sustainable planet and sustainable policies; the right of all people to self-determination and political participation; the need to cease all polluting, toxic and environmentally harmful practices and policies, not just the obligation to redistribute the harm; the right to a safe, healthy work environment; the right to compensation for past environmental harms; and the violation of international law should the federal government not live up to these principles.

The desired outcome of EJ activism is environmental equity, which is a fair and just governmental response to the problem of environmental racism.

EJ activism is interdependent with anti-poverty activism, as poor communities are often vulnerable to the siting of toxic facilities - such as plants or dumps - due to their lack of resources and political clout to fight such decisions.  Health in low-income communities is often triggered and exacerbated by poor environmental conditions, such as car fumes from a highway that's sliced through the center of a neighborhood; from lack of green, open spaces to play; from poor building quality and materials; or from housing built on polluted sites that haven't been cleaned up appropriately.

A great example of a recent EJ victory in the US is the successful prevention of a power plant being built in a low-income Latin@ community outside San Diego by local residents and the Environmental Health Coalition.  For two years, EHC organized with local residents to collect the public testimony and legal documentation needed to reverse this siting decision at the state level.  Time-consuming and expensive work, EHC saw more than 1k residents speak out against the plant proposal, and the Coalition also provided alternative energy development plans to local and state authorities for healthier, safer and more sustainable environmental and economic development.

EHC is proudest of these alternative development options, as it reflects a proactive approach to sustainable development and climate adaptation rather than the typical reactive, defensive posture in which poor communities find themselves.  Organizations like EHC are doing important justice and development work nationwide: check out WE-ACT, Alternatives for Community & Environment, Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, Miami Workers Center, Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, Black Mesa Water Coalition, and Advocates for Environmental Human Rights.

Let us know what EJ work is happening in your area!

(Photo of Communities for a Better Environment tour of East Oakland, CA by Brooke Anderson)