Environmental Justice in Local and Global Commons Dilemmas

8/8/2019 Environmental Justice in Local and Global Commons Dilemmas

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ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICEIN LOCAL AND GLOBAL

COMMONS DILEMMAS

Steve Zavestoski

“Humans and Environmental Change” (ENVA 109)Fall 2010



OUTLINE

• COMMONS DILEMMAS AND EJ--WHAT’S THE LINK?

• PELLOW--WHY IS THERE ENVIRONMENTAL INEQUALITY(RACE THEORIES VS ENV SOC THEORIES)?

• INEQUALITY IN CC IMPACTS AND ADAPTATIONS



KEY EJ TENETS• sacredness of Mother Earth, ecological unity and the

interdependence of all species, and the right to be free from

ecological destruction.

• public policy (should) be based on mutual respect and justice for all

peoples, free from any form of discrimination or bias.

• the fundamental right to political, economic, cultural and

environmental self- determination of all peoples.

• the right to participate as equal partners at every level of decision-

making, including needs assessment, planning, implementation,

enforcement and evaluation.



EJ CRITIQUE OF CLIMATE MOVEMENT*

• “our economy works, except for the carbon thing. How do we

simply make our economy less carbon-intensive? But EJ

[environmental justice] folks see climate as a symptom of a

whole system, so we need to rethink our economics. It’s not

just solar-powered buses.”

• “The technological frame on climate change doesn’t capturepeople’s imagination, hopes, and dreams in a way that

translates into real base-building.”

• Most climate campaigns still focus on abstractions like partsper million rather than on the opportunities to improve

people’s lives by creating a more equitable green economy.

* quotes in this section taken from “Everybody's Movement:

Environmental Justice and Climate Change”

http://envsc.org/esc-publications/copy_of_ESC%20everybody%20s%20movement.pdf









A SYSTEMIC CRITIQUE• “When we talk about how climate and fossil fuels are related to transportation infrastructure and industrial facilities and their active campaigns, then they see it. They get it. They think it’simportant when it’s linked that way.”

• “The climate crisis is a symptom of a deeper systemic problem. Itis the symptom of an economic model that is based on intensiveresource extraction. We could arguably end up in a scenariowhere we find a way to reduce carbon emissions but are still on this treadmill of intensive resource extraction and theexploitation of people. Our goal politically is that long-term wehave to rethink how we live on this planet.”



UNEQUAL IMPACTS OF CLIMATECHANGE

• Worldwide, the poor and people of color willdisproportionately suffer from mortality rates from extremeheat waves, dirty air, water scarcity, and the “heat island”affect of urban areas. They will also be disproportionately impacted by higher costs for food and electricity and by potential job losses and economic shifts.



EJ AND THE MAINSTREAM

• “Their policies don’t touch the ground. And we are here on

the ground.”

• National constituencies vs community constituencies

• policies/outcomes vs process



MOVEMENT STRATEGIES

• Increase community groups’ capacity and access to scientificdata, communicationsexpertise, and economic analysis

• Deepen climate policy expertise and implement political strategies based on environmental justice values

• Expand creation and distribution of climate justice materials

• Support networking and information sharing through adoption of new technologies

• Acknowledge issues of scale while building expertise at multiple levels

• Build development capacity and better integrate environmental justice into existing fundingstreams



FOUR TYPES OF JUSTICE...

• Retributive justice: just punishment administered to those

who violate laws (punishment should be equal to the wrongsuffered).

• Restorative justice: returning those harmed to wholeness andreintegrating the offender into society.

• Distributive justice: the proper allocation of things — wealth,

power, reward, respect and environment — betweendifferen t people.

• Procedural justice: procedures used to reach agreement

about allocation must be just.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restorative_justice

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distributive_justice

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distributive_justice



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retributive_justice

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retributive_justice



DISTRIBUTIVE JUSTICE

• What goods are to be distributed?

• Among what entities? All humans (dead, living, future); only certain societies/nations; animals: ecosystems

• What is the proper distribution? Equal, meritocratic,according to social status, according to need, based on

property rights and non-aggression?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meritocracy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nation


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Need

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Need

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_status

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_status







coal reserves

communities

Factors shapingenvironmental injustice:

•Location of resource(s)

•Location of people

•Rules for decision-making

•Distribution of power

•Ability to adapt

A Coal-based

Commons

active coal minescoal-burning power plants

mine waste

air pollution

EJ IN THE CONTEXT OF A COMMONS



Environmental and Climate

Justice: Capabilities,Communities, and Ecosystems

Adapted from a presentation by David Schlosberg

Dept of Politics and International Affairs

Northern Arizona University

Department of Government and International Relations

University of Sydney



The Justice of Environmental

and Climate JusticeThree Interrelated Questions:

What, exactly, does “justice” mean in

movements for environmental and climate justice?

How can a capabilities approach to justice beused to design climate adaptation strategies?



Three Main Points

Justice is a multi-faceted concept in both the

environmental and climate justice movements.It includes distributional equity, but also recognition andparticipation; all are encompassed in a capabilitiesapproach to justice

Environmental and climate policy can be designedwithin a thorough and pragmatic framework of

justice

Movements illustrate a conception of environmental

and climate justice that is communities and group-based, not only individual



1. Defining Environmental JusticeTwo main parts of the movement in the US,

focused on toxics and environmental racismLove Canal and Warren County

Emerges from and connects to numerous other movements



Climate Justice Movements

Climate justice is articulated in

south, island states, andindigenous communities.

Growth in US post-Katrina, andnow linked with EJ movement.



Justice Theory: Distribution

As Marcel stated: based in the idea of theethics of social relations in a situation of scarcity.

One major approach is to define how to

address scarcityRawls:

Rights

Difference Principle

The Rawls Industry



Justice Theory: Beyond the(solely) Distributive ParadigmJustice as recognition: Young, Fraser

Underlying causes of maldistribution

Psychology vs. Status



Justice and Capabilities

Capacity and functioning: Sen,Nussbaum

How distribution affects our functioning

What “capabilities” are needed to convertgoods into a functioning life



Justice in EJ and CJMovements: Distribution

EJ: Maldistribution of environmental goodsand bads

Studies motivated the EJ movement

Race and economic classClimate justice

Who is more historically responsible

South, island states, indigenous peoples, andpoor more vulnerable

Capacity to adapt also not equally distributed



EJ and CulturalRecognition



Capabilities

EJ and CJ are about the ability of people to

sustain themselves, and of their communities to function in face of risk

CJ focuses on specific capabilities: health,

becoming climate refugees, loss, andrelationship with natural world



Participation

EJ has always been about inclusion,

“speaking for ourselves,” “a place at thetable.”

Demands for participation are in every

iteration of climate justice principles.Also includesthe resourcesneeded to

participate



EJ Policy ImplicationsPolicy must focus on more than just

distributionsCover a range of issues, includingrecognition and vulnerability of capabilities

Example: Green jobs in response to CCRespect, inclusion, functioning and sustainablecommunities

Example: Public health

Example: Indigenous rights and practices

Individual and Community capabilities



Theories of Climate Justiceand a Capabilities Approach

The historical approachAgarwal, Narain, Sharma; Neumayer

Polluters/industrialized nations pay for the impacts

of past development

The per capita equity argumentJamieson, Singer

Equal slice of the emission pie

With cap and trade means compensation todeveloping countries



Modified polluter pays, with duties toothers

Caney: A right not to suffer climate impacts

Development rights frameworkAthanasiou, Baer, Kartha

Protect right to a basic level of development

Development = 25% above global poverty level

Environmental rights approachVanderheiden’s Atmospheric Justice

Right to environment needed to develop andflourish trumps other claims

Developed should pay the full costs of luxury as itimpacts others



The Capability ApproachCapacity and functioning: Sen, Nussbaum

How distribution affects our functioning

What “capabilities” are needed to convert goodsinto a functioning life

Develop deliberatively (Sen), or apply asconstitutional rights (Nussbaum)

Incorporates manynotions of justice

simultaneously



Capabilities And Climate Justice

Two ways to frame:Expand our understanding of human

capabilities to include environment andclimate systems that support them

Expand the concern for functioning tonatural/ecological systems themselves



Climate, Environment, and HumanCapabilities

Acknowledge environmental implicationsand needs of existing capabilities list

Life; bodily health; senses, imagination andthought; emotions; affiliation – all requireenvironmental support

Offer a new, environmental capability

Page: experience a life devoid of dangerous

environmental impactsHolland: “Meta-capability” of sustainableecological capacity, with environmental justicethreshold



CJ Policy ImplicationsEquity is an inadequate response to CC

Capabilities-based focus is on how CC makeslives vulnerable in varied ways

Diff capabilities threatened in diff. places

Use capabilities to map vulnerabilitiesDrought and food production?

Extreme storm events/flooding and housing?

Health impacts?

Policy responses differ according to localvulnerabilities/threats to capabilities

Participatory process of defining vulnerabilities

Environmental Justice in Local and Global Commons Dilemmas

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