Environmental Justice Seminar

Environmental Justice (EJ) has been defined as the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people in the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policy. EJ theory and practice begins with the recognition that environmental goods (such as clean air and water) and environmental harms (such as toxic waste) are not always distributed equitably among populations. In fact, environmental harms often fall more heavily on low-income communities, communities of color, immigrant communities, indigenous peoples, and other population segments. This course will examine the various bases for these disparate impacts and will look for solutions grounded in law, policy, and practice. Throughout the semester, students will be encouraged to identify solutions to contemporary problems of environmental justice and related concerns for social justice such as food justice, disaster justice, and climate justice. We will welcome guest speakers who are on the frontlines of efforts to ensure environmental justice, and we will learn from one other on how we can become stronger EJ advocates and allies.