Environmental Justice Flashcards
When we think of Environmental Justice what should we consider
Distribution
Regulation
Participation
Justice is
Ethics is
Practised that emerged on the ground
Philosophy
Environmental ethnics are
Concern with Anthropocene
View humans are at centre they only count morally
Leopold non-anthropocentric view it is the community which is expanded across land- land being all
Environmental Justice is
Interested in divide between humans and non humans is put into practise
John Rawls argues
1) each individual has an adequate scheme of equal basic liberties compatible with the same scheme of liberties for all
2) social and economic inequalities operate to the greatest benefit of the least advantaged members of society
Sen argues
Against rawl, if we souly focus on distribution, we don’t acknowledge ppl have different capacities for understanding rights and liberties
Must think on ground
Martha NUssbaums
10 capabilities including
-life: able to live a normal life without reduction in its worth
- bodily health including reproduction nourishment and shelter
- bodily integrity ability to move and exercise
Theories of justice
Offer rationale for pursuing improved structures of distribution or capabilities for exerting human freedom
Environmental justice is not a theory
It names practises that work from the ground up to connect unequal social structures to environmental harms and goods
Environmental justice vs social justice
EJ- ground up to connect unequal social structures to environmental harms and good
SJ- works from ground up to argue political terms of equality
Environmental Justice Distribution
Began by focusing on the concrete and inequitable distribution of risks and exposed to hazards
Cancer Valley Mississippi River
Health outcomes has meant levels of pollution are recognised, population predominantly African American
Racial divide
Help if NGO’s gathered data to prove air quality was bad for leading health problems
Recognition
Critiques have sort to connect EJ not only to how social structures distribute Environmental norms by why certain actors are not given recognition
Ok Tedi Mine
Cooper and gold mine
1980’s over 2 billion tons of waste dumped into Ok Tedi and fly rivers
Polluted 1000km of water and 2000km of rainforest
Took company to court community built a network for gaining voice for indecency’s people across the world
Participation
Recognition calls for participation
Argued EJ can be achieved on through shifts in social structures so more equal
Power structures must change to allow those with less power to participate
Social structures: violence, fast, slow and geopolitical
Analysis of EJ can help us understand the different speeds scales and spatial dynamics of structural violence
Bhopal chemical explosion
30 years later still water pollution
Poison has effected generations
Dis- scale is far away powers won’t prioritise
Reg- illness classified as ST, physical life altering illnesses not appropriately acknowledged
P- weak government didn’t blame the international organisations
Epistemic injustice
A wrong done to someone specifically in their capacity as the knower
Testimonial injustice
When a listener discredits the speaker
Hermeneutical injustice
A gap in the collective understanding such that a wrong cannot be articulated and puts someone at an h fair disadvantage
Theorising from the ground up
Understanding EJ requires a commitment to study the different ways that individuals communities and groups experience and articulate injustices regarding distribution recognition and participation
Social science that is able to engage with scientific + epidemiological dimension of human relationships
Schlosberg
2004
Argues looking at justice as distribution is limited and can’t encompass the broad demands for justice made by global EJ
Illustrates limits of insistence on a uniformity in movements
Global EJ movement embodies potential for integrated movement of justice
Schlosberg 2
2013
Idea of EJ reflected the lived experience of the reality of injustice on ground
Importance of these have helped push the concept to be embraced
EJ has therefore moved from being a reflection about social injustice to relationship between en and provision of justice itself
