What Is Environmental Justice?

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When you think of social justice, what comes to mind? You may immediately think of equal access to education and employment, equal pay among men and women for the same job, and fair housing practices. But what about the environment? After all, many of the factors that determine your quality of life are a result of your environment. In this lesson, you’ll learn about the environmental aspect of social justice: environmental justice.

Environmental justice, a term that has been in use for several decades, describes the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies (EPA).

The ultimate goal for agencies like the EPA and other environmental organizations is to ensure everyone enjoys the same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards and has access to decision-making processes that determine a healthy environment in which to live, learn, and work.

Find out more by examining the resources listed below:

One way to consolidate what you’ve learned is to practice summarizing it. Write a paragraph or make a bulleted list of the key points from these resources. Write as if you’re explaining what you’ve learned to someone who doesn’t know anything about environmental justice.