Environmental Justice Explained

Environmental justice is a concept that is closely associated to social justice. Environmental justice includes fair access to areas where people live, learn, work and play. That can encompasses schools, homes, apartment and a variety of other structures and land.

Environmental justice issues can include several factors. For example, if a body of water, such as the Atlantic ocean, were only accessible to a select few, there would be no environmental justice.

This concept is meant to ensure that every person has access to basic human rights. The earth, and therefore the environment, is meant to be enjoyed be every person, not simply by those that have vast resources.

The department of justice handles many issues of justice, including justice for human rights violations. The department if justice may for example, investigate cases in which individuals are denied access to the right to learn. The learning environment can encompass a variety of structures, but every person has the right to an education, regardless of structure type and the same can be be said for the right to play. In other words, each person has the basic human right to enjoy their environment.

There have been many cases throughout history in which people were denied access to environmental justice, on a large scale. However, there are also smaller scale cases of environmental injustice which occur every day. Many times these issues relate to some form of biased or prejudiced behaviour.

NEXT: What are The Focuses of Environmental Education