A guide to the environmental justice movement and how to make change

In the fall of 1982, fear ripped through the predominantly Black communities of Warren County in North Carolina. Then-governor Jim Hunt had decided to place a toxic waste landfill squarely in the middle of the county and truck in tons of waste contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls, a toxin known to cause cancer and have other reproductive and neurological effects. Throughout Warren County, people were outraged.

Residents revolted. Inspired by a 1979 lawsuit filed in Houston, Texas to stop a new landfill in a predominately Black community, the Warren County community marched, laid down in front of trucks filled with toxic soil, and staged protests. Ultimately, the brave Warrant County protestors’ efforts were unsuccessful, but ignited a legacy that became the environmental justice movement.

The 1991 First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit followed, bringing together people of every race and national origin. The summit was the first gathering in history to address environmental justice, and laid out the 17 principles of environmental justice that still form the foundation of the environmental justice movement today.

While all this happened decades ago, we can trace today’s environmental justice movement back to the Houston, Texas landfill lawsuit, the Warren County protests and the People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit. They were the first major efforts to address environmental justice and those beginnings of the environmental justice movement continue to resonate now, providing inspiration for today’s environmental justice warriors.

Learn all about the modern environmental justice movement and how you can be a part of it in this guide.

What is environmental justice?

Environmental justice: The just treatment and meaningful involvement of all people, regardless of income, race, color, national origin, Tribal affiliation, or disability.

The statement above is the official United States Government definition of environmental justice. It underscores the importance of equal access to environmental protections and fair distribution of environmental hazards and benefits among all communities. But to truly answer the question of “what is environmental justice?” we must begin with its opposite: environmental injustice.

In essence, environmental injustice occurs when vulnerable populations bear the brunt of environmental-related burdens. Environmental injustice can take many forms, like: 

• Setting up factories in low-income communities, forcing local residents to breathe polluted air
• Not addressing water contamination in economically disadvantaged areas
• Placing environmental hazards, like toxic waste storage, in communities of color
• Dumping waste from affluent countries in the ocean near developing countries
• Leaving vulnerable communities out of coastal climate change resilience planning

These are just some examples of environmental injustice. The systemic problems contributing to environmental justice issues are also found at the government level, baked into both legislation and policy. Federal agencies create federally funded programs that leave disadvantaged communities out of environmental protection efforts. Local agencies fail to consider human health and environmental justice impacts when shaping environmental protection policies. Environmental laws are often not enforced by local agencies, and environmental policies often fail to protect vulnerable communities.

The environmental justice movement emerged to fight all these problems because while everyone has a right to environmental protections, they aren’t equal for vulnerable and underserved communities.

Types of environmental injustice issues

Environmental injustice can take many forms and impact people and communities in many different ways. Every aspect of our lives touches an environmental justice issue, from the air we breathe and the water we drink to the food we eat and the waste we dispose of. Here are some of the most pressing environmental justice topics and how they affect communities around the world.

Environmental racism

Defined as the deliberate infliction of environmental justice hazards on communities of color, environmental racism and environmental justice are inextricably intertwined. From the lead-contaminated water in Flint, Michigan, to communities of color being left out of infrastructure defenses against rising sea levels, to federally funded programs omitting environmental equity, environmental racism is widespread. Achieving environmental justice to remedy these issues will require meaningful involvement at every level, from federal agencies to grassroots organizers.

Water contamination

Clean water is required to sustain human life, a basic aspect of environmental justice. But while the lead contamination crisis in Flint, Michigan, is perhaps the most widely known example of water contamination, many other water crises impact marginalized communities and create adverse health problems. 

Environmental justice standards imply that everyone should have access to clean, drinkable water. Yet throughout the United States, from the water treatment plant failing in Jackson, Mississippi, to drinking water contaminated with uranium on Navajo Tribal lands, far too many people lack access to this basic human right.

Pollution that impacts human health

Pollutants that fuel the climate crisis and affect human health often disproportionately impact low-resource communities. This creates an environmental justice issue for everyone, regardless of their national origin. Building industrial facilities near (or not mitigating pollution in) disadvantaged communities concentrates pollutants them near the people with the least means to protect themselves. From “cancer alley” in Louisiana to air pollution in Delhi, India, the environmental justice and human health impacts of pollution have time and time again harmed vulnerable populations.

Plastic waste

Plastic pollution is found on every part of the planet. Plastic pollution predominately impacts low-resource countries, often used as dumping grounds for waste from affluent regions. This flow of waste has accelerated since China stopped accepting many forms of plastic for recycling. 

The impacts include harming wildlife and accelerating climate change. Environmental justice solutions for this issue are on the rise, and advocacy to reduce plastic pollution’s impact on marginalized communities is a critical tool in the environmental justice toolbox.

Unequal access to public green spaces

Access to nature, open space, and green spaces is another critical environmental justice issue. Research shows that communities of color often have less access to green spaces. Proximity to green and open spaces has been linked to improved mental and physical human health outcomes, and such spaces also have benefits in terms of reducing climate change. 

The environmental justice implications of this are clear — disadvantaged communities often have the largest nature deficits. Addressing these environmental justice disparities will require legal action to increase green space access coupled with advocacy from environmental justice groups to remedy these historic inequities.

Factory farming

Factory farms have many issues, from the inhumane treatment of animals to their impact on climate change. These farms are often located near underserved and low-resource communities, impacting local residents’ air and water. The air pollution created by factory farms and production of the feed they use kill an estimated 12,700 people in the U.S. each year. 

And, factory farms are exempt from most anti-pollution laws and regulations intended to reduce climate change, such as the Clean Air Act. Current enforcement doesn’t even require factory farms to monitor or control the disposal of all the animal manure they generate. Resolving these issues will require concerted activism to motivate the needed legal and policy changes to deal with these environmental hazards.

The path to progress in the environmental justice movement

There are numerous ways to support environmental justice, whether as an individual or part of an organization. From reducing your personal carbon footprint to advocating for environmental justice nationwide at the highest levels of government, there are countless ways to make a difference. Here are some ways to create meaningful change in the environmental justice movement.

Protect the environment to create environmental justice

Ground zero for environmental justice is doing whatever you can to protect the environment. Small, everyday actions to protect the planet can have a big environmental impact. By lowering energy use, minimizing waste, and generally reducing our carbon footprint, we are also reducing the serious impacts of climate change on marginalized communities.

Become a climate advocate to increase environmental justice

Engaging in climate advocacy is one of the most important steps you can take for environmental justice. Advocating for environmental protection to help stop climate change will also support the disadvantaged communities unequally impacted by the climate crisis. Grassroots organizing and initiatives can drive systemic change, resulting in environmental justice for those who need it most.

Support renewable energy to aid environmental justice

The environmental justice movement and renewable energy go hand in hand. One of the most important climate justice actions is ensuring that disadvantaged communities have equal access to clean power. By supporting renewable energy projects that generate clean, sustainable power, you are advancing environmental justice and helping reduce environmental disparities.

Engage in climate activism to support environmental justice

Climate activism, like joining marches and protests or advocating for better policies and environmental laws, plays a critical role supporting environmental justice. Climate activists are taking on some of today’s biggest environmental justice battles. Get inspired by these impactful climate activists who are taking on issues ranging from the role of big oil in climate change to halting deforestation.

Tackle systemic issues that affect environmental justice

One of the most common root causes of environmental justice issues is systemic failures that threaten communities. For example, discriminatory zoning policies often create environmental justice disparities that unequally impact underserved populations. Damage from the climate crisis disproportionately affects underserved communities, creating human health hazards and inequity. The solution to these environmental justice issues lies in systemic change, and advocacy efforts can play a huge role in motivating that change.

Advocate for policy and legislation that supports environmental justice

Legislation, policies, and executive orders can be incredibly effective tools to address both the climate crisis and environmental justice. For example, The 2021 Justice40 Initiative mandated that 40% of federal climate and clean energy funding go to disadvantaged communities. 

Many systemic government shortcomings contribute to environmental justice issues, from the failures in the government’s environmental oversight, to federal agencies’ inability to enforce environmental justice regulations. Advocating for environmental legislation and policies will help address historic inequities and facilitate environmental justice for all.

Join community-based organizations focused on environmental justice

Environmental justice groups are rapidly evolving, addressing environmental justice issues ranging from coastal resilience, to the climate crisis, and equitable urban planning. Environmental justice advocates amplify the voices of people from vulnerable communities, and grassroots organizations can be highly effective in the fight for environmental justice.

Support nature-based solutions that promote environmental justice

Nature-based environmental justice solutions can play a critical role in alleviating environmental injustices and providing protections to help combat the climate crisis. From planting trees to fight heat islands in the concrete jungle to restoring wetlands to reduce the impacts of climate change, nature-based solutions are all around us. Supporting solutions like these can also support environmental justice for local communities.

The time for environmental justice is now

We all are responsible for contributing to the environmental justice movement. Like the protestors of Warren County and the visionaries of the First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit, we have the power to create change.

Whatever your race, color, or national origin, your voice matters. Whether you’re pushing an elected official to support an executive order, urging federal agencies to fund environmental protection programs, or working with your local government to take action, you can have an impact on environmental justice.

Start your journey as an environmental justice advocate today. You can take action by starting a petition to raise awareness about an environmental issue that matters to you and make meaningful change. As the legendary activist Greta Thunberg says, “We can’t save the world by playing by the rules because the rules have to be changed. Everything needs to change, and it has to start today.”