Knowra Environmental justice Environmental justice Environmental justice is the principle that environmental benefits and burdens should be distributed fairly and that affected communities should participate meaningfully in environmental decisions.
Distributive justice : Theories of justice concerned with how benefits, burdens, and resources are allocated. Environmental justice asks who receives environmental benefits and who bears pollution and risk.
Warren County PCB landfill protest : A 1982 protest in Warren County, North Carolina, against a landfill for PCB-contaminated soil. The protest brought national attention to the siting of hazardous waste in a predominantly Black community.
Environmental impact assessment : A process for identifying and evaluating the likely environmental effects of a proposed project before approval. Assessments can reveal who bears project impacts and whether alternatives reduce unequal harm.
Cost–benefit analysis : A decision method that compares the monetary costs and benefits of an action. Aggregate gains can conceal who bears the costs and whether affected communities had a say.
Procedural justice : Fairness in the processes through which decisions are made. Meaningful participation makes decision-making procedures part of environmental fairness.
First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit : A 1991 gathering of environmental leaders of color in Washington, D.C. Its principles articulated a broad, community-led vision of environmental justice.
Cumulative impact assessment : An evaluation of combined environmental and health effects from multiple sources over time. It captures overlapping burdens that a project-by-project review can miss.
Risk assessment : A systematic process for estimating the likelihood and consequences of hazards. Estimating total risk alone does not establish whether its distribution is fair.
Recognition justice : Justice that respects distinct identities, experiences, and forms of knowledge. Ignoring a community’s identity or knowledge can reproduce environmental harms.
Principles of Environmental Justice : A 17-point declaration adopted at the 1991 First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit. The declaration set out the movement’s demands for self-determination, protection, and participation.
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