Environmental Justice Research Articles

Amplifying concerns: An exploration of community noise levels in rural communities impacted by wood pellet production

Wood pellets are increasingly promoted as a renewable and sustainable energy source, driving the global wood pellet market to a projected value of $16 billion by 2026. However, the rapid expansion of this industry disproportionately affects predominantly Black and low-income communities in the rural South, where approximately 100 pellet manufacturing plants are currently located in the United States. From August 2023 to March 2024, we conducted a noise exposure assessment in Gloster, Mississippi, a community affected by pellet production, and compared it to Mendenhall, a nearby community without industrial activity. In collaboration with a local organization, we measured noise metrics and found significantly higher A-weighted, C-weighted, and Z-weighted sound levels in Gloster, along with elevated decibels at multiple center frequencies. These findings suggest that wood pellet manufacturing can severely alter the soundscape of rural communities, raising environmental justice concerns. Our findings underscore the importance of investigating the cumulative health impacts of noise and other environmental burdens on these vulnerable communities to better inform policy.

Alternative futures “in the making”: Insights from three makerspaces in peripheral Greece

The great environmental and social challenges of recent decades have questioned the hegemony of growth-oriented development and its objectives. Those critiques reexamined growth-based policies and strategies, leading to ‘alternative development’ pathways, the most prominent being sustainable development. Nevertheless, critical scholars have problematized those perceptions and practices, repoliticizing the question of development, connecting it with issues of social and environmental justice and supporting ‘alternatives to development’. Building on such perspectives, primarily the degrowth literature, this paper connects alternatives to development to the question of space, analyzing the practices of three makerspaces in peripheral Greece, as potentially alternative economic and political spaces. It explores how an alternative normative framework appears in these spaces; and illuminates practices connected to commons, care, and community as seeds for the emergence of holistically alternative futures. That way the study cherishes sustainability perspectives that problematize social and environmental justice and do not propose only technical solutions, but deep political transformations and normative shifts in the ‘here and now’.

How do multidimensional energy justices work?: Specifying the role of anthropocentric and ecological justice in the acceptance of solar energy.

This study analyzed the acceptance of solar energy in terms of energy justice. The critical issue of energy supply, demand, and transition is a process of social redistribution of risks from old to new energy systems. The question of the appropriate distribution of risks for the energy system is closely related to energy justice. Previous studies are limited in empirically testing whether or not energy justice can contribute to the acceptance of new energy system. In addition, previous studies have heavily depended on energy justice in terms of anthropocentric type. Anthropocentric definitions of energy justice have focused primarily on the benefits and costs allocated only to humans. Such an anthropocentric view of justice lacks consideration of the value of various ecological beings. Therefore, this study aims to shed light on the role of not only four anthropocentric types of energy justices but also on for four ecological ones in the acceptance of solar energy. The analysis reveals that recognitive justice, generational justice, deep ecological justice, social ecological justice, and distributional justice positively influence the acceptance of solar energy, whereas procedural justice, restorative justice, and eco-socialist justice have no effect on it. In particular, this study found that recognitive justice moderates the effect of personal norms on acceptance of solar energy, whereas restorative justice moderates the effect of knowledge on it.

Environmental Justice and Social Work: A Study across Practice Settings in Three U.S. States

Environmental Justice and Social Work: A Study across Practice Settings in Three U.S. States

Довкіллєве правосуддя в Україні та світі

The article is devoted to the study of domestic and foreign trends in environmental justice. To solve the set goal, the following research methods were used, in particular: the method of scientific observation is to form the topic and purpose of the research; comparative legal method in the study of foreign experience of environmental justice; logical method – for theoretical generalization and formulation of research conclusions. The main models of environmental justice that exist in the world include such as consideration of environmental cases by courts of general jurisdiction, consideration of environmental cases by judges specializing in environmental issues or specialized environmental divisions of courts, consideration of environmental cases by specialized environmental courts. Environmental courts, as specialized judicial authorities, deal with the resolution of environmental conflicts and the protection of the environment and function in particular in countries that are members of the European Union, such as Sweden and Austria. In Ukraine, environmental justice is carried out in the form of civil, economic, administrative and criminal proceedings. At the same time, civil, economic, administrative and criminal cases in the environmental sphere differ among themselves in terms of the type of offense, the subject of the dispute, the composition of subjects, etc. Judicial practice in the environmental sphere covers a wide range of environmental relations, in particular on atmospheric air protection, land protection and use of land resources, subsoil protection and use of minerals, protection of forests and use of forest resources, protection and use of territories and objects of the nature reserve fund, access to environmental information, waste management, etc. Environmental justice in Ukraine may be limited to the functioning of certain specialized environmental units in courts, or involve the formation of a system of specialized environmental courts throughout the country, including a higher specialized court. At the same time, the implementation of environmental justice will be more or less time-consuming and costly (depending on the model chosen for implementation).

Residents’ Perceptions of Urban Greenspace in a Shrinking City: Ecosystem Services and Environmental Justice

Although urban greenspace enhances ecological functioning and human well-being through ecosystem services (ES), it is oftentimes inequitably distributed. Environmental justice (EJ) encompasses aspects of distributive, procedural, and interactive justice related to accessibility and allocation of environmental benefits. Vacant land in shrinking cities has the potential to address greenspace inequalities and provide ES. This study investigated the perceptions of residents regarding urban ES and EJ in their communities in St. Louis (MO, USA)—a shrinking city that was undergoing green development, through semi-structured interviews. Altogether, 27 residents were selected from socio-economically disadvantaged neighborhoods characterized by high levels of vacancy due to legacies of redlining and systemic racism. Interview analysis revealed four themes: green benefits (including recreation opportunities), green costs (e.g., concerns for increased crime and nuisance animals), injustice issues (e.g., access to community greenspaces), and changes in the community (e.g., higher property taxes). Results revealed that residents perceived ES as closely connected with EJ when it comes to urban greening projects in their city. This study helps inform the process of urban greening projects, particularly in shrinking cities at risk of inequities.

Issue linkage and climate votes in the U.S. House of Representatives, 2007–2020

What motivates members of the U.S. House of Representatives to support legislative action (LA) on climate issues? Although the U.S. Congress has passed very few climate bills in the last 20 years, there has been a substantial number of LAs in the form of votes on bills, resolutions, and amendments. Because climate issues might not get legislative traction on their own, we examine whether linking them with other salient environmental issues changes how legislators vote on climate-focused LAs (C-LAs). Substantively, we examine whether linking climate with clean air, water pollution, environmental justice, and transportation might change House members’ votes. We analyze House votes on climate change LAs as reported by the League of Conservation Voters (LCV). For the 2007–2021 period, LCV scored 406 votes and identified 77 of them as C-LAs. Our regression analysis of the votes of 435 House members on 77 LAs suggests that all else equal, while climate issues without issue linkages diminish legislative support, C-LAs attract votes when they are linked with clean air and environmental justice. However, issue linkages could also backfire: C-LAs linked with water and transportation diminish legislative support.

Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications of Gene-Environment Interaction Research.

Many complex disorders are impacted by the interplay of genetic and environmental factors. In gene-environment interactions (GxE), an individual's genetic and epigenetic makeup impacts the response to environmental exposures. Understanding GxE can impact health at the individual, community, and population levels. The rapid expansion of GxE research in biomedical studies for complex diseases raises many unique ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSIs) that have not been extensively explored and addressed. This review article builds on discussions originating from a workshop held by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) in January 2022, entitled: "Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications of Gene-Environment Interaction Research." We expand upon multiple key themes to inform broad recommendations and general guidance for addressing some of the most unique and challenging ELSI in GxE research. Key takeaways include strategies and approaches for establishing sustainable community partnerships, incorporating social determinants of health and environmental justice considerations into GxE research, effectively communicating and translating GxE findings, and addressing privacy and discrimination concerns in all GxE research going forward. Additional guidelines, resources, approaches, training, and capacity building are required to further support innovative GxE research and multidisciplinary GxE research teams.

Mapping the Weaknesses of Nigeria’s Environmental Impact Assessment Mechanism as a Framework for Environmental Justice in the Petroleum Sector

Mapping the Weaknesses of Nigeria’s Environmental Impact Assessment Mechanism as a Framework for Environmental Justice in the Petroleum Sector

Risk society and the challenge of sustainable rural development in the era of pesticides

This study addresses the issue of pesticides in agriculture from the perspective of risk society theory. Through a comprehensive literature review, the study explores the central concepts of the theory, such as manufactured uncertainty, individualization of risks, and the globalization of effects. Pesticides are an emblematic example of modernity's risks. Their widespread use, driven by the pursuit of high productivity, conceals dangers to human health, biodiversity, and ecosystems. The complex and often invisible nature of the impacts of pesticides makes it difficult for society to perceive the risks. This invisibility, combined with unequal access to information and the lack of transparency from the industry, exacerbates the problem. Methodologically, this article presents itself as an exploratory narrative literature review. The final considerations point to ecological-based agriculture as a promising path for building a fairer, more sustainable, and safer agricultural system. Furthermore, Ulrich Beck's risk society theory underscores the urgency of seeking sustainable alternatives for agriculture and public policies that promote social and environmental justice, focusing on agroecology and organic production. This is essential to building a fairer and more sustainable future for the next generations. Additionally, it is important to highlight the need to bring this debate into the realm of public security, as this area plays a crucial role in promoting more sustainable societies with fewer individual and collective risks.

Water Governance in the Wake of Disasters: Implications for Resilience, Security, and Environmental Justice

Water Governance in the Wake of Disasters: Implications for Resilience, Security, and Environmental Justice

Minoritised youth’s environmental justice priorities in a gentrifying context: brokenness and repair

ABSTRACT Youth engagement in urban planning research and practice can help reveal their distinct experiences, priorities, and provide direction for future action. Environmental justice scholarship has documented critical insights learned from youth co-researchers. This article adds to this tradition by exploring how youth in Austin, Texas, experience environmental injustice within the context of gentrification. Using photovoice methods, youth researchers identify and discuss these dual challenges. We illustrate how their emphasis on brokenness links and builds on environmental justice, repair and maintenance, and reparative literatures. Findings also highlight how youth actively work to improve their communities, challenging planning scholarship’s tendency to frame youth action as aspirational or as happening in structured, programmatic ways.

Abstract PR001: A comparison of modeling approaches to assess the interplay of social, behavioral, and environmental factors on lung cancer racial disparities

Abstract Purpose: While risk factors for lung cancer incidence are well established, our understanding of factors driving an increased risk of lung cancer among Black/African American populations remains incomplete. Methods: We assembled data from five U.S. lung cancer case-control studies matched on race, gender and age: the Southern Community Cohort Study, the Inflammation, Health, Ancestry and Lung Epidemiology study, the Northern California Lung Cancer Study, three Detroit area lung studies, and the NCI-Maryland Lung Cancer Study. Incident lung cancers were ascertained from state and regional cancer registries or National Death Index mortality records. Social, behavioral, and environmental factors were ascertained by in-person interviews or mailed-in questionnaires. Participant's residential addresses were geocoded and area-level area deprivation and environmental justice variables were linked at the census block. We evaluated interactions between known lung cancer risk factors and race using multilevel logistic regression analyses and novel tree-based approaches to identify potential factors contributing to racial disparities. Tree-based approaches included a conditional matched classification tree analysis designed to detect complex interactions, as well as a specialized partially recursively induced structured moderation (PRISM) analysis to study variation in disparity in lung cancer risk across levels of educational status. Results: Among 5,829 lung cancer cases and 10,671 controls (64% self-identified Black/African American and 36% White), the average age was 60 years, 50% were female, and 24% had less than a high school education. Conditional logistic regression models fit after imputation of missing data identified increased risk of lung cancer associated with personal history of cancer, family history of lung cancer, current smoking status, smoking duration, smoking pack-years, and higher neighborhood deprivation; whereas, reduced lung cancer risk was associated with higher education and increased BMI. Similar patterns were observed among Black/African Americans only, with the addition of secondhand smoke exposure. Assessment for interactions with race identified significant interactions between race and body mass index (BMI) (p-value < 0.0001), PM2.5 (p= 0.010) and gender (p=0.001) and lung cancer risk. A conditional matched classification tree analysis identified both increased and decreased risk subgroups defined by multi-way interactions of similar variables that were identified as significant main effects in the conditional logistic regression analysis. Smoking pack-years and BMI were identified as the most important determinants of heterogeneity of disparity in lung cancer risk across educational levels in our study population. Conclusions: The use of both traditional and novel tree-based based approaches provide approaches for identifying factors contributing to racial disparities. Future studies should assess the interplay of lung cancer risk factors to inform development of targeted interventions. Citation Format: Melinda C. Aldrich, Chen Zhao, Christine M Lusk, Lucie McCoy, James Jaworski, Michael Mumma, Catherine Pichardo, Michael Betti, John K Wiencke, Brid Ryan, Ann G Schwartz, Sunil Rao. A comparison of modeling approaches to assess the interplay of social, behavioral, and environmental factors on lung cancer racial disparities [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 17th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2024 Sep 21-24; Los Angeles, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2024;33(9 Suppl):Abstract nr PR001.

Surfacing political clarity in farm and garden education

Farms and gardens are increasingly being recognized as dynamic educational settings through which learners can engage in a wide variety of activities and practices to connect with land, food, self, and community. Across these settings, teaching with political clarity represents a pathway for identifying, interrogating, and disrupting systems of oppression as they manifest in farm and garden education, as well as in land relations more broadly. Drawing on a series of interviews with farm and garden educators in California who identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or people of color, this study identifies key principles for sociopolitically conscious garden-based education by examining the ways in which study participants demonstrate political clarity with respect to their pedagogy. Findings center on educators’ work to build connections from learners’ cultural knowledge and practices, attend to intergenerational land-based traumas, take critical and holistic perspectives on health and well-being, engage land with intentionality and reverence, and flatten hierarchies and support collective decision-making. These pedagogical commitments offer an opportunity to more substantively attune the work of farm and garden education toward the goals of cultivating social and environmental justice.

Protection of the Conversion of Sustainable Food Agricultural Land from an Islamic Perspective

The problem of changing the function of food agricultural land is a crucial and national problem so it needs special handling and protection. Land conversion will have an impact on environmental degradation, decreased rainwater holding capacity, and groundwater and air quality. The Constitution provides a guarantee of a good living environment. Article 28H paragraph (1) of the 1945 Constitution "Everyone has the right to live in physical and spiritual prosperity, to have a place to live, and to have a good and healthy living environment and the right to obtain health services." The aim of this research is to analyze the protection of land conversion for sustainable food agriculture from an Islamic perspective. The research method used is sociological juridical. The data used are primary data and secondary data. Data collection techniques through literature study and interviews collected data were analyzed qualitatively. The research results found that efforts to preserve the environment from an Islamic perspective take several steps, including reviving dead land, reforestation, not polluting water, and avoiding damage and maintaining natural balance. Caliph Umar bin Khatab's policy in the agricultural sector was through management of dead land, giving agricultural land to the community to cultivate and prioritizing public interests, development of agricultural infrastructure, kharaj (tax) policy and agricultural zakat. Protection of the conversion of agricultural land in Indonesia has not been able to realize ecological justice and Islamic values due to competition in land use between the agricultural sector and the non-agricultural sector.

Teaching strategic management accounting with sustainability

ABSTRACT Current agendas such as decolonising curriculum, incorporating sustainability, and navigating the neoliberal global political-economic order demand a broader perspective on management accounting education in universities than the prevailing techno-economic taxonomy. With a critical social science approach, this paper first explores why current management accounting thought limits the consideration of social and ecological justice issues. It then seeks to broaden management accounting teaching by integrating ecological and social justice concerns into the Strategic Management Accounting (SMA) curriculum. Drawing from Deleuze and Guattari’s theoretical concepts of arborescent and rhizomatic assemblages, the paper provides a conceptual framework to contextualise, historicise, politicise, and theorise the techno-managerial particularities of SMA within a broader framework of strategising ecological and social justice. This approach encourages management accounting students to critically engage with professionally accredited techno-managerial elements of SMA while considering their sustainability implications.

More green but less just? Analyzing urban green spaces, participation, and environmental justice in Amsterdam

Cities worldwide are taking action to increase the amount and quality of urban green spaces. However, not all efforts for the greening of cities produce just and inclusive outcomes. For more inclusive urban greening processes, scholars have proposed incentivizing residents’ participation in planning and implementing green initiatives that promote creating and maintaining green spaces. However, further in-depth analysis of the connection between implementing new urban green spaces and environmental (in)justice is needed to understand how unjust outcomes might emerge due to policies aiming to promote the uptake of urban green through citizen engagement. To investigate the justice implications of policies that aim to create new urban green spaces through citizen participation, this article combines GIS analysis and qualitative analysis of 26 semi-structured interviews to evaluate the process and outcomes of the Green Agenda policy in Amsterdam. The Green Agenda (Agenda Groen) is a municipal policy supporting citizens’ initiatives to uptake urban green. Through the analysis of this case study, the article aims to identify factors that create barriers to achieving just outcomes during the implementation of policies for urban greening. Results indicate that although the approach has successfully increased the amount of urban green in Amsterdam, the presence of barriers that impede procedural justice and lack of recognition made the urban greening process less just. The three underlying factors that create barriers in Amsterdam are the centralization of the government, the lack of support for local organizations, and the effect of socioeconomic characteristics on inclusion and participation. The article concludes by discussing the synergies and tradeoffs between identified barriers and suggesting solutions to be integrated into future policies for more successful and just greening processes.

Reconstruction of regional regulations on the development of natural tourism and river water tourism in the Muria mountains based on sustainable tourism

The potential for developing nature-based tourism and water tourism in Kudus Regency has quite good potential, but its development is not yet in line with the principles of sustainable tourism. This is also supported by regional regulations that have not fully implemented sustainable tourism. This research uses normative research methods by conducting a study of the synchronization of legal regulations, namely regional laws and regulations with the principles of sustainable tourism and ecological justice. The first result of this research is the threat of environmental damage and a pollution crisis that will occur in the Mount Muria area, if it is not followed up with special regional regulations, second, ecological justice is needed in the substance of regional regulations based on sustainable tourism, third, the concept of new regional regulations must contains the substance of sustainable tourism, green economy and ecological justice.

Environmental justice in education for climate action: Case studies from Perú and Uganda

Environmental justice in education for climate action: Case studies from Perú and Uganda

“It’s the Only World We’ve Got.” Children’s Responses to Chris Jordan’s Images about SDG 14: Life Below Water

Abstract Broad and complex ideas about sustainability can be communicated through the Arts. Australian curriculum documents support the integration of Arts education with education for sustainability. Responding to artworks as a viewer is a key aspect of Arts education in Australian schools. Chris Jordan is a US artist whose online media galleries communicate ideas about environmental and social justice themes. This paper reports interview data from a larger project exploring children’s responses to Chris Jordan’s artworks. Conversations were held with 28 children aged between 4 and 12 as they navigated Jordan’s website to explore the images they encountered. Data relating to SDG14: Life below water were selected for the specific focus of this paper. Thematic analysis of the data revealed five themes: connections to prior experience and knowledge, links with local contexts and places, emotional engagement with the images, solutions and action-taking and ideas related to post-humanism and the human-nature binary. These findings endorse the power of Arts-based experiences for enhancing education for sustainability in primary schools and early childhood contexts.