Abstract
Although 'environmental justice' is an increasingly important issue for policy makers and researchers, it remains for many a vague and abstract notion that is hard to define in practical, real-world terms. Part of the problem is that environmental justice is a complex, multidimensional construct that cannot easily be defined. Our aim in this article is to identify fundamental dimensions of environmental justice and highlight the resulting questions that are an inherent part of putting principles into practice. We argue that to have a constructive and informed debate about this emotionally charged topic, it is necessary to have a clear and workable definition of environmental justice. We do not propose our own definition, but instead point out that there are many possible legitimate definitions depending on one's beliefs, opinions, and values. The central point is not that a particular definition is right or wrong, but rather that choosing a definition has distinct implications for the formulation, implementation, and evaluation of both policy and science. These critical choices should be made explicit so that public dialogue can focus on the substance of this important policy issue.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 6 print issues and online access
$259.00 per year
only $43.17 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
PHILLIPS, C., SEXTON, K. Science and policy implications of defining environmental justice. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 9, 9–17 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jea.7500022
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jea.7500022
Keywords
This article is cited by
-
A Different Trolley Problem: The Limits of Environmental Justice and the Promise of Complex Moral Assessments for Transportation Infrastructure
Science and Engineering Ethics (2016)
-
Incorporating concepts of inequality and inequity into health benefits analysis
International Journal for Equity in Health (2006)