"Environmental justice or eco-justice, is a social movement to address environmental injustice, which occurs when poor and marginalized communities are harmed by hazardous waste, resource extraction, and other land uses from which they do not benefit."
Overview of legislation and regulations related to environmental justice, including the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act.
Environmental Justice: The principle that all people, regardless of their background, have the right to live in a safe and healthy environment, and the policies and regulations that are designed to ensure this right is upheld.
Pollution: The release of harmful substances into the environment, such as toxic chemicals or excessive noise, that can pose a threat to human health and the ecosystem.
Air quality: The measurement of pollutants in the air, such as carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide, and the policies that are in place to mitigate those pollutants.
Water quality: The measurement of pollutants in water, such as bacteria and toxic chemicals, and the policies that aim to keep water sources clean and healthy.
Climate change: The global phenomenon of rising temperatures, changing weather patterns, and rising sea levels, and the policies and regulations designed to address it.
Energy policy: The regulation of the production, distribution, and consumption of energy, including renewable sources like wind and solar power.
Land use: The management of land and resources, including zoning laws and regulations to protect sensitive ecological sites.
Waste management: The techniques and policies used to deal with the disposal, treatment, and reduction of waste materials.
Wildlife conservation: The preservation and protection of animals and natural habitats, including endangered species.
Environmental health: The relationship between environmental factors and human health, including exposure to pollutants and the risk of disease.
Environmental Protection Policy: This policy aims to protect the natural environment by addressing the negative impacts of human activities, such as pollution and waste.
Clean Air Act: Signed into law in 1970, this policy regulates the emission of pollutants into the air and supports air quality monitoring and enforcement.
Clean Water Act: Enacted in 1972, this policy sets standards for water quality in the United States and regulates the discharge of pollutants into waterways.
Endangered Species Act: Ensures the protection of endangered and threatened species, and their habitat.
National Environmental Policy Act: Requires federal agencies to assess the potential environmental impacts of proposed projects and consider alternative options.
Toxic Substances Control Act: Regulates the production, import, and use of chemicals that pose a significant risk to human health and the environment.
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act: Oversees the management of hazardous and non-hazardous solid waste and promotes the recycling and proper disposal of such waste.
Energy Policy Act: Encourages the development of clean and renewable energy sources while also promoting energy efficiency measures.
Environmental Justice Policy: Addresses the disproportionate impacts of pollution and environmental hazards on low-income communities and people of color.
Occupational Safety and Health Act: Establishes standards for workplace safety and health to protect workers from occupational hazards and reduce workplace accidents.
"The movement began in the United States in the 1980s."
"It was heavily influenced by the American civil rights movement and focused on environmental racism within rich countries."
"The movement was later expanded to consider gender, international environmental injustice, and inequalities within marginalized groups."
"The movement for environmental justice has thus become more global, with some of its aims now being articulated by the United Nations. The movement overlaps with movements for Indigenous land rights and for the human right to a healthy environment."
"The goal of the environmental justice movement is to achieve agency for marginalized communities in making environmental decisions that affect their lives."
"The global environmental justice movement arises from local environmental conflicts in which environmental defenders frequently confront multi-national corporations in resource extraction or other industries."
"Local outcomes of these conflicts are increasingly influenced by trans-national environmental justice networks."
"Environmental justice scholars have produced a large interdisciplinary body of social science literature that includes contributions to political ecology, environmental law, and theories on justice and sustainability."
"Environmental injustice, which occurs when poor and marginalized communities are harmed by hazardous waste, resource extraction, and other land uses from which they do not benefit."
"The movement began in the United States in the 1980s."
"The movement was heavily influenced by the American civil rights movement and focused on environmental racism within rich countries."
"The movement was later expanded to consider gender, international environmental injustice, and inequalities within marginalized groups."
"As the movement achieved some success in rich countries, environmental burdens were shifted to the Global South (as, for example, through extractivism or the global waste trade)."
"The movement overlaps with movements for Indigenous land rights and for the human right to a healthy environment."
"The goal of the environmental justice movement is to achieve agency for marginalized communities in making environmental decisions that affect their lives."
"Local outcomes of these conflicts are increasingly influenced by trans-national environmental justice networks."
"Environmental justice scholars have produced a large interdisciplinary body of social science literature that includes contributions to political ecology, environmental law, and theories on justice and sustainability."
"Exposure to environmental harm is inequitably distributed."
"As the movement achieved some success in rich countries, environmental burdens were shifted to the Global South."