Environmental justice: An international perspective

Environmental Justice in an international context must be understood in terms of socially-derived inequalities affecting health, well-being and the environment both within and between countries. The unequal distribution of benefits and burdens of production systems and their associated environmental pollution, with disproportionate burdens borne by the poorest and most marginalized populations, has its roots in underlying inequalities of power. This is particularly exacerbated by unequal terms of trade promoted under globalization. Four case studies are explored to illustrate how environmental injustice is experienced globally: (i) agricultural production, pesticides and food security; (ii) asbestos; (iii) air pollution from waste incineration; (iv) e-waste. A conceptualization of environmental justice as linked to questions of development, human rights and democratic accountability offers a broader framework to achieve protections from toxicants through reinforcing the agency of vulnerable groups to change their conditions of vulnerability in a context of global interconnectedness. Organizing internationally towards a common goal is therefore necessary to build a global environmental justice movement as is the need to hold developed countries and transnational companies accountable.