Environmental Justice

The photo above shows protesters demanding climate justice outside City Hall in Nebraska.⁶

Marginalized Communities are populations that face discrimination and disadvantages in society due to their race, gender, sexual orientation, age, economic class, education, disability, culture, citizenship status, or other reason. These groups tend to experience climate change and other environmental hazards differently. Social Justice is the movement to dismantle unjust power dynamics between people and end all forms of oppression within society, including racism, sexism, homophobia, and much more.

Intersectionality is a term created by Kimberlé Crenshaw to describe different issues that are connected or overlap. Many times it is used when discussing social justice issues when someone faces discrimination and disadvantages for more than one identity they hold. Intersectional Environmentalism is an inclusive environmental movement that advocates for people and the planet. This movement focuses on both environmental and social injustices, and works with marginalized communities to combat these issues together.

This TED Talk from Kimberlé Crenshaw explains how Intersectionality was coined and its importance today. She discusses how violence against the Black community and feminist struggles intersect.

Environmental Justice is the movement to bring equity and sustainability to all groups of people.

History

Climate change has been a rapidly growing issue in the past couple centuries. All climate scientists agree that human activities are the main cause for climate change. Since the Industrial Revolution, humans have developed technologies that have significantly increased carbon dioxide and other harmful emissions. This rise in greenhouse gases in our atmosphere is increasing the global temperature, melting glaciers, causing a rise in sea level, and increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events.¹

Power dynamics between different groups of people have been constantly changing over time. Capitalist values of many westernized societies fuel exploitation which leads to the depletion of resources and pollution. People suffer from capitalism as their labor is also exploited by those in power. The environmental consequences of this are not distributed equally, as people who are disadvantaged by social dynamics face these burdens disproportionately. These environmental consequences are usually more frequent or intense for marginalized people, and can even worsen the disparities they already face. Additionally, marginalized groups do not always receive the same attention or protections when dealing with these issues.²

Environmental Activism

Many of the first environmental movements that began by predominantly white conservationists in the 1970s focused on preserving wildlife and nature. Initially, these groups did not consider people who were disproportionately affected by environmental issues and did not make room for marginalized voices in their activism.³

In the 1980s, several reports were released that confirmed the correlation between race and exposure to environmental hazards.⁴ Sociologist Robert Bullard found that 14 out of 17 of Houston's industrial waste sites were located in majority Black neighborhoods, even though only 25% of Houston’s population was Black.⁵ The terms Environmental Racism and Environmental Justice began to be used by activists as protests gained public attention.⁴ In the 1990s, many environmental justice advocates accused mainstream environmental groups of racial bias in policy development and challenged them to address environmental racism. This wake-up call inspired many larger environmental groups and governments to start prioritizing environmental justice. More people of color were hired for positions in federal departments and environmental boards. Environmental hazards that disproportionately impacted marginalized communities were further studied and addressed.³

This picture shows the large turn out of protesters at a climate rally in New York.⁶

Many more intersectionalities have been identified in the environmental movement. Since environmentalism has been combined with social justice, diverse activists have been able to learn from one another through the movement and efforts have been more successful than ever. For example, Black communities made use of sit-ins and school strikes during the Civil Rights Movement. LGBTQ+ people have been organizing grassroots efforts for decades, and have encouraged community building while achieving policy change.² Many women also have experience joining together and advocating for their rights. The environmental movement could not have been so successful without all these people with different experiences.

Yet, there is still so much to be done. Addressing social justice is necessary to solve environmental problems and vice versa. When we consider how people are affected differently by environmental issues and work together, we can all make a difference. There is no environmental justice without social justice.

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