Through venturing out onto the hills, you begin to understand and appreciate the power of nature. It is an indescribable sense of wonder that cascades through other areas of your life; often increasing environmental awareness. In the past few weeks, in the wake of George Floyd's death, I amongst many others in the outdoor community have felt a sense of urgency to help change society and its rooted racism. The success of Environmental Justice, with the intersection of Social Justice is just one pillar in the fight against racism, but it is important in the context of extreme environmental degradation.
The achievement of Environmental justice (EJ) is one of the most important and time-sensitive goals humanity faces. Globally, climate change is a threat which will continue to disrupt normality as extreme flood and drought events increase (Gray 2019). Without climate resilience, trends indicate that soil fertility and crop yield will be damaged severely – affecting communities who are already vulnerable through economic and social constraints. The increasing concern is compounded by the stark inequalities that have been entrenched in the global South. Environmental risks are inequitably distributed to people locally and internationally and are propelled by variables such as geographic positionality, race, gender and class.
Environmental justice is the intersection of both social justice and environmentalism, where the inequity in environmental degradation is also considered.
With the knowledge that climate change has disproportionate effects, the agenda must be to protect these vulnerable communities alongside the environment. This is where environmental intersectionality or justice comes in, as there is so much more to critically understand. Including the convergence of multiple forms of identity, lived experiences, and intersecting structures of oppression faced by marginalised groups (Liboiron 2016).
However, even EJ on its own can have its limitations, and it is important to reach past these to understand what is actually effective in solving the issues of social injustice and climate change. Recognising that policy responses to climate change can lead to inequitable outcomes is a good place to begin. Often, EJ is viewed as a global North concept instead of changing the narrative to the global South. It speaks for others. These western-centred EJ frameworks are used to critically reflect on EJ concerns and forgets that this may directly or indirectly affect the livelihoods of the people EJ strives to protect.
The prevalent issue of (the organisation and systemic distribution of power which controls access to knowledge and other resources) is a major limitation of EJ in its current form. The global North use modern institutional forms of power to do this. Anther issue that coloniality produces is:
The codification of racial difference between Europeans and non-Europeans, aimed at making the latter appear naturally inferior.
Large-scale EJ is often difficult to think about, but it can happen locally too. Intersectional Environmentalism spots the injustices happening to marginalised communities. Anti-racism has to be a factor to improve the effectiveness of EJ.
An example of an anti-racism / Environmental Intersectionality approach for marginalised groups could be to improve access to low cost or free public transport. In Albuquerque, New Mexico, bus fares are free all students (and 1 dollar otherwise) for any trip. There are also guaranteed ride home schemes for emergencies to encourage everyone to use public transport. Emailing your local council or MP will help lobby more schemes like this.
In poor and minority ethnic communities’, environmental hazards such as neighbourhood oil drilling (see this documentary from Patagonia) or building main roads through poor communities are all too common. This displaces people and exposes the remaining residents to higher levels of air pollution. Ethnic Minority groups will almost likely bear a disproportionate share of environmental degradation. EJ literature needs to improve through quantitative studies on inequality and intersectionality through examining individual components of environmental injustice (McKane et al 2018). Action must be taken - shaping policies that truly help the cause.
There is so much to learn on the topic of environmental intersectionality, and I implore you to read more to become informed on how we can adapt to a changing climate through the lense of equality.
Accessibility is a core value within Trails for Change. I want everyone to be given the same chance to experience the outdoors. Especially children, who need to have the opportunity to participate in outdoor education. Currently, this is easier for people who live rurally or who can afford to drive to the countryside. Having the right equipment in the Scottish outdoors is also essential in order to feel safe and protected. Low income families do not have the financial freedom for this. That is why as this platform grows, I want to find ways to lessen this gap, and support charities who provide outdoor education for marginalised communities.
