"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 the development of the environmental justice movement and the key events, people, and organizations involved.
Social justice: The concept of fair and equitable treatment for all members of society, irrespective of class, race, gender, religion, or ethnicity.
Environmental degradation: The harm caused to natural resources and ecosystems by human activities such as pollution, resource extraction, and deforestation.
Environmental racism: The disproportionate exposure of people of color and low-income communities to environmental hazards.
Toxic waste: The hazardous waste produced by industrial processes, which can harm human health and the environment.
Environmental regulation: Laws, policies, and regulations that aim to regulate industry and protect the environment.
Environmental health: The public health issues associated with environmental hazards and pollution.
Environmentalism: The social and political movement that seeks to protect the environment and prevent environmental degradation.
Environmental sustainability: The effort to maintain and preserve natural resources and ecosystems for future generations.
Environmental activism: The organized effort to bring about social and political change through direct action and advocacy.
Green jobs: Employment opportunities in occupations that contribute to the protection and restoration of the environment.
Climate change: The long-term alteration of Earth's climate, caused by human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation.
Environmental law: The body of law that regulates environmental quality and seeks to protect the environment.
Environmental justice movement: The social and political movement that seeks to address environmental degradation and promote social justice.
Environmental impact assessments: The process of evaluating the potential environmental effects of a proposed project or activity.
Environmental education: The education of individuals and communities on environmental issues and sustainability practices.
Civil Rights Movement and Environmentalism: This type of environmental justice focuses on the intersectionality of racial inequality, environmental degradation and the modern civil rights movement's demands for justice and equality.
Grassroots Environmental Justice Activism: This type of environmental justice refers to the movements of local communities and grassroots organizations fighting for ecological preservation, social justice, and public health.
Environmental Racism: This concept refers to the disproportionate exposure to environmental risks and harms (such as pollution or toxic waste) experienced by people of color and low-income communities.
Environmental Colonialism: This concept describes how colonialism and imperialism have fueled environmental degradation and environmental injustice, particularly in developing countries and communities of color.
Environmental Health: This type of environmental justice is concerned with the impacts of environmental hazards on human health, particularly on vulnerable populations such as children, the elderly, and people with disabilities.
Climate Justice: This type of environmental justice refers to the movement to address the adverse effects of climate change and promote sustainable development, particularly for marginalized communities disproportionately affected by environmental harm.
Green Consumerism: This concept refers to the idea that individuals can address environmental issues through their consumption choices, such as buying eco-friendly products or reducing their carbon footprint.
Environmental Policy: This type of environmental justice refers to the development and implementation of government policies, regulations and laws to address environmental issues and promote environmental justice.
"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."