The Concept of Environmental Justice and a Reconception of Democracy
By William A. Shutkin
INTRODUCTION
Environmental justice entails much more than a clarion call to action on the part of low-income and minority communities facing environmental and public health hazards. It is ultimately about the promise of American democracy and the possibility of redeeming the environment as a preeminent symbol of our democracy's highest aspirations. In this essay, I discuss the concept of environmental justice as it relates to the idea and experience of democracy. Environmental justice, I argue, signals a uniquely dynamic, forceful approach to democracy, hinted at by Luke Cole's formulation, “empowerment is the key to environmental protection.”
The democratic experience defines the concept of environmental justice in many ways: organizing around issues relating to people's health and quality of life; sitting at the table to participate in important decision making; solving problems using the expertise and knowledge of ordinary people.2 The concept of environmental justice points to the promise of American democracy in a way unlike any other contemporary democratic idea because it fuses one of our most enduring and cherished democratic symbols -- the environment -- together with the notion that the true test of democracy is the ability and capacity of ordinary people, especially the disenfranchised and dispossessed, to participate in the decision-making procedures of institutions that fundamentally regulate their lives.
Conversely, the persistence of environmental injustice -- the exclusion and unequal treatment of low-income and minority communities in matters concerning the distribution of environmental benefits and burdens -- fundamentally undermines our democratic faith and commitments. The concept of environmental justice is the most resonant, most powerful response to what many perceive to be a crisis of American democracy reflected in political malaise, vigorous cultural backlash, and persistent economic and racial inequality.
Environmental justice entails much more than a clarion call to action on the part of low-income and minority communities facing environmental and public health hazards. It is ultimately about the promise of American democracy and the possibility of redeeming the environment as a preeminent symbol of our democracy's highest aspirations. In this essay, I discuss the concept of environmental justice as it relates to the idea and experience of democracy. Environmental justice, I argue, signals a uniquely dynamic, forceful approach to democracy, hinted at by Luke Cole's formulation, “empowerment is the key to environmental protection.”
The democratic experience defines the concept of environmental justice in many ways: organizing around issues relating to people's health and quality of life; sitting at the table to participate in important decision making; solving problems using the expertise and knowledge of ordinary people.2 The concept of environmental justice points to the promise of American democracy in a way unlike any other contemporary democratic idea because it fuses one of our most enduring and cherished democratic symbols -- the environment -- together with the notion that the true test of democracy is the ability and capacity of ordinary people, especially the disenfranchised and dispossessed, to participate in the decision-making procedures of institutions that fundamentally regulate their lives.
Conversely, the persistence of environmental injustice -- the exclusion and unequal treatment of low-income and minority communities in matters concerning the distribution of environmental benefits and burdens -- fundamentally undermines our democratic faith and commitments. The concept of environmental justice is the most resonant, most powerful response to what many perceive to be a crisis of American democracy reflected in political malaise, vigorous cultural backlash, and persistent economic and racial inequality.
