Environmental Justice Research Guide: Background Information

The term "Environmental Justice" encompasses many different and inter-related concepts and areas of study, including "Environmental Racism.' You can explore and understand these concepts better using background information sources--collections of encyclopedias, handbooks and dictionaries that reveal how different authors, researchers and scholars express and represent environmental justice-related concepts across different disciplines and contexts.

The following statements illustrate the scope of meaning and variety of concepts associated with this field:

"Environmental justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. This goal will be achieved when everyone enjoys the same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards, and equal access to the decision-making process to have a healthy environment in which to live, learn, and work." US Environmental Protection Agency

""Environmental Justice" is based on the principle that all people should be protected from environmental pollution and have the right to a clean and healthy environment. Environmental justice is the protection of the health of the people of Illinois and its environment, equity in the administration of the State's environmental programs, and the provision of adequate opportunities for meaningful involvement of all people with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies." Illinois Environmental Protection Agency

"Environmental Racism: Whether, by conscious design or institutional neglect, actions and decisions that result in the disproportionate exposure of people of color to environmental hazards and environmental health burdens." National Conference for Community and Justice

Here are some additional reference works covering environmental justice issues (to see a bigger range of environmental reference resources, click HERE):

►  identify a topic or focus that you find interesting

►  understand your topic more deeply

►  find definitions and explore the scope of meaning

►  explore different perspectives or viewpoints

►  avoid confusion, uncertainty, or misinformation

►  see the bigger picture and the broader context

►  find accurate and reliable facts

►  identify specialized terms to use in your database searches

►  identify variations in word endings, suffixes, prefixes

►  check spellings