Environmental justice for minorities – a comparative perspective
Keywords:
environmental justice, envronmental racism, environmental rights, minioritiesAbstract
The concept of environmental justice became one of the really important issues of the environmental law, although it was developed within the sociology, political philosophy and related sciences. The term environmental justice originated in the USA in the 1970s, in context of disproportionate exposures of minorities to environmental risks. Later on, concept of environmental justice gained more significant procedural aspect, in terms of development of the public participation rights. Environmental justice theorists define it in various ways, so there are numerous definitions of the environmental justice. In this article, significant cases of environmental injustices that occurred in practice and that are documented in relevant studies and research areanalyzed. Afterwards, the elements of environmental justice are considered from the perspective of public policies and social movements. Environmental justice is analyzed from a comparative perspective, but it is particularly pointed out that in Europe, including developed democracies, patterns that make environmental justice difficult to achieve for minorities are identified. Consequently, it is concluded that it is necessary to raise significant questions related to discrimination when it comes to exercising environmental rights in Europe.
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