Environmental Justice

6 April 2024

My name is Jacqui Dickson and I’m passionate about environmental justice. That’s the first line on my CV. It’s something that, to me, feels so normal to state; though, I realise that this isn't actually a familiar concept to many. 

Over the time I’ve spent immersed in the environmental movement, I’ve recognised the privilege I experience in having had access to an academic education and a wealth of resources and knowledge from the people and organisations I’m surrounded by. These resources are often inaccessible to the average person (e.g. big, unfamiliar words) and I’ve found that I really enjoy bridging these knowledge gaps to include people in the conversation.

So here we are — Neighbour Zine.

I’ll be sharing a piece of writing every couple of weeks focusing on a different concept or issue related to the environmental crises we find ourselves faced with. We can no longer ignore these; we’re all responsible for how we respond. My hope is that, with every piece you read, you’ll feel invited into the kaupapa of the environmental movement and empowered to take action.

Since it’s a huge part of my life, we’ll start with environmental justice.

Environmental justice confronts environmental injustices head on. The injustices referred to here are linked to communities, usually poor or marginalised, being subject to harms caused by (but not limited to) excessive resource extraction, hazardous waste, and irresponsible land use. These harms are most often not caused by the communities experiencing them. Making matters worse, these harms are also exacerbated by the global crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. Clearly, the environmental crisis is inextricably linked to the protection of human rights.

Environmental justice recognises that many environmental issues we face are an outcome of historical and social activities, and not everyone has contributed to these in the same way. Addressing the environmental crisis equitably requires the centring of environmental justice, as this drives a fair and just distribution of the burdens of environmental issues and the promotion of human rights.

In one of its most basic forms, environmental justice allows everyone the right to the same environmental protections and benefits, and enables them to make meaningful contributions to decisions shaping their community. Every person has the right; regardless of anything.

However, it’s important to recognise that there are major disparities in the journey to experiencing environmental protections and benefits. In the Global North (yes, that includes Aotearoa), we start from a place of privilege and many of us are already experiencing these protections and benefits, e.g. access to clean air, safe drinking water, and nutritious food. This advantage is empowering and enables us to give rise to the voices of those less fortunate, like our neighbours in the Global South.

It’s also important to acknowledge that we in the Global North are culpable for many of the environmental issues faced by the Global South. For example, in the period between January 2018 and March 2021, Aotearoa shipped 98,000 tonnes of plastic waste offshore, with almost half of this being sent to Malaysia and Thailand. The effects of this are what we call “negative externalities.” These occur when rather than the responsible party being negatively affected by their own negative actions, a third party that is not directly connected to these actions is negatively impacted. In other words, the negative outcomes are external to the culprit. In this example, the people and environment of other countries like Malaysia and Thailand bear the burden for Aotearoa’s own irresponsible plastic consumption.

To achieve environmental justice, we all need to address the plight of marginalised communities. It’s tied up with basic human rights that everyone deserves. At the end of the day, we are all interconnected and share a common home. If I pull at the fabric of the universe in one place, a tug will also be felt elsewhere.

What we need here is a collective liberation. This recognises that systems of oppression are intertwined and we therefore need systemic change to bring about true freedom. Aboriginal elder and activist Dr Lilla Watson once shared a slogan used by an Aboriginal activist group in Queensland in the 1970s, “If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.” There is no true justice in the presence of injustice, which calls forth the need for allyship.

We can look to marginalised people as role models of allyship, as they are often each other’s greatest allies. Firstly, we need to take steps to prevent our own hypocrisy by checking ourselves on how we are responding to injustices at home. During the anti-apartheid protests of the 1981 Springboks tour, non-Māori New Zealanders were quick to detest the racism occuring in South Africa. However, while also protesting the tour, Māori took the opportunity to raise a question: “If you campaign about race in South Africa, what about at home?’’ Environmental justice begins at home and is reflected in our relationships with our immediate neighbours.

One important display of allyship is through collective activism. Political activism can be distressing, particularly for parties directly affected by the issues being protested. A study on the relationship between protest support and Māori psychological wellbeing revealed that supporting political activism was strongly associated with a greater level of psychological distress and a lower level of health, and this extends beyond the already existing variance which we see demonstrated by demographic factors. While it may not remedy the problem entirely, a way to ease the burden of marginalised communities is engaging in collective activism. Another study showed that, while in the face of discrimination, this can have positive effects on wellbeing. 

In the end, all of this boils down to the fact that the task ahead of us is reconciliation towards a state of right relationship with both the human and other than human. This may seem like an ambiguous task, and it is in a way, but it presents some pretty straightforward opportunities too. Something I find helpful when making big decisions in particular is to consider which options in front of me are most likely to enable me to contribute towards environmental justice, and, ultimately, right relationship.

Environmental justice is no easy thing. It’s incredibly complex and can seem overwhelming at times. But one of the beautiful things about it is that we’re all on a journey towards a common goal.