Environmental justice, sustainability and vulnerability

Abstract

Justice is a core yet often ignored principle of sustainability. However, sustainability for some at the expense of others undermines the principles and practice of sustainability as a force for positive change. In this commentary, I argue that sustainability research and practice can benefit from a closer reading of environmental justice scholarship. At the same time, environmental justice can draw on sustainability principles of systems thinking, anticipatory action and environmental stewardship to strengthen its methods and approaches while broadening its constituency. Vulnerability science can bridge environmental justice and sustainability and can also benefit from the convergence of ideas, principles and practices of these fields.