USP 515 Session 2 Notes

August 27, 2020

Central Concepts

1. What do you think of when you hear the term “environmental justice”?
   • Disparate impact of environmental decisions
     • Alameda county and 580 freight ban
       • Racial gap in life expectancy and respiratory disorder
   • Role of research in demonstrating impact and causes
   • Bring people into conversation about environments
   • Humans and the environment coinciding
   • Trying to create an equitable, equal playing field for everyone
     • Access to outdoor spaces
2. What do you think the concept “environmental justice” implies and is aiming for?
   • Implies that there is a systemic problem
   • Calls attention to differential impacts
   • Goal-oriented concept
   • Rejects these paradigms
     • Environmental injustice
     • Environmental racism
     • Mainstream environmental movement -
3. How does environmental justice relate to the planning of the urban environment and to people’s everyday lives? -

Notes

• The professor presented a deductive argument for her perspective of environmental justice which features anthroprocentrism as a descriptive and absolute fact about the entire movement of environmental justice rather than a “most” or “some” argument.
  • Several students offered counterexamples to reject the”all” argument, since there are many examples which disagree such as native traditions. The professor rejected these critiques of her position.
• Environmental justice features redress as a core duty.
  • Reparations for historical injustices

No Assigned Readings