Equity and justice in environmental decision making: A proposed research agenda

Abstract

The substantial health, social, and economic costs borne by rural, low‐income, and minority communities because of their differential exposure to environmental hazards is being increasingly acknowledged. For decades, these groups have been the the victims of a variety of activities and policies that have placed them at a substantial risk to their health and quality of life. Recently, many of these policies have come under increasing criticism by an emerging environmental justice movement—a movement that promises to be one of the strongest forces for environmental reform to appear in recent years. It is argued that questions of justice and equity in environmental decision making are deserving of increased attention by the research community. A number of questions that can guide such a research agenda are identified.