Understanding Pollution in China through the Lens of Environmental Justice

Abstract

Environmental Justice is based on the principle that all people have a right to be protected from environmental pollution, and to live in and enjoy a clean and healthful environment, in which the essence of the theory is about the fair distribution of environmental benefits and responsibilities. Taking mass incidents in China from the 1990s to the beginning of the 21st century as examples, this paper illustrates that the lack of understanding and demonstration of three dimensions of environmental justice: distribution, political administration, and social recognition, has fundamentally led to severe environmental conditions in China, notably in the form of heavy environmental pollution. This paper suggests to highlight the "injustice" embedded in Chinese pollution issues, which usually hidden behind the common "excuse" of rapid urbanization and economic development, through establishing the concept of environmental justice, paying attention to economic and environmental policies and focusing on humanistic concerns.