Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. - Environmental Justice - 1(1):45. PURSUING "ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE": THE DISTRIBUTIONAL EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION. Richard J. Lazarus * I. Introduction Environmental protection policy has been almost exclusively concerned with two basic issues during the last several decades: (1) what is an acceptable level of pollution; and (2) what kinds of legal rules would be best suited for reducing pollution to that level. By contrast, policymakers have paid much less attention to the distributional effects, including the potential for distributional inequities, of environmental protection generally. To be sure, scholars have engaged in considerable discussion of how the costs of environmental controls affect particular industries, and how these costs place a disproportionate burden on new versus existing, and large versus small, industrial sources of pollution. 1 But there has been at best only an ad hoc accounting of how the benefits of environmental protection are spread among groups of persons.
Environmental justice. The term environmental justice emerged as a concept in the United States in the early 1980s. The term has two distinct uses. The first and more common usage describes a social movement in the United States whose focus is on the fair distribution of environmental benefits and burdens. Second, it is an interdisciplinary body of social science literature that includes (but is not limited to) theories of the environment, theories of justice, environmental law and governance, environmental policy and planning, development, sustainability, and political ecology.[1][2] The United States Environmental Protection Agency defines environmental justice as "the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, sex, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.
"[3] Definition[edit] The United States Environmental Protection Agency defines environmental justice as follows: Environmental Justice | Compliance and Enforcement | U.S. EPA. What is Environmental Justice? Environmental Justice is 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 has this goal for all communities and persons across this Nation. It will be achieved when everyone enjoys the same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards and equal access to the decision-making process to have a healthy environment in which to live, learn, and work. 20th Anniversary of Environmental Justice At EPA February 11, 2014 marks the 20th anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 12898 (6 pp, 140K, About PDF).
National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC) A Federal committee providing recommendations to EPA on environmental justice matters Meetings | Recommendations. Environmental Justice / Environmental Racism.