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Environmental Justice Movements in the 1980s, 90s—Some Characteristics. H uman health and well-being is the primary focus (rather than species protection, wilderness, biodiversity) Distrust of government, government experts (dissident science)
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Environmental Justice Movements in the 1980s, 90s—Some Characteristics • Human health and well-being is the primary focus (rather than species protection, wilderness, biodiversity) • Distrust of government, government experts (dissident science) 3. Led by local, grassroots’ organizations (e.g., LCHA) with little or no aspiration to become national, professional…. • Communities that have been marginalized by race and/or class 5. Reject technocratic framing of issues and privileging of distant scientific experts; emphasize the social/political/economic dimensions of env’l issues
Toxic Wastes and Race in the United States, published by the United Church of Christ in 1987, in the wake of the Warren County landfill struggle
“It was not just our children we were fighting for but also the health and well-being of whole future generations. An Hispanic mother will turn into a lioness if her cub is threatened. You see, the mother is the soul of the family, but the child is the heart-beat. And that is why we keep fighting. To the keep the heart of our community beating.” • - Aurora Castillo, leader of the Mothers of East Los Angeles, 1992
Executive Order 12898, issued by President Clinton, 1994: “To the greatest extent practicable and permitted by law….each Federal agency shall make achieving environmental justice part of its mission by identifying and addressing…disproportionately high human health or environmental effects of its programs, policies, and activities on minority populations and low-income populations in the United States…..”