“Smooth waters don’t make good sailors.”—proverb of unknown origin
The environmental justice movement emerged in the 1970s, led primarily by communities of color who challenged the disproportionate placement of hazardous infrastructure in their neighborhoods. Facing both environmental degradation and institutional neglect, these communities used direct action, seminal research, and legal battles against policies and practices that reinforced systemic inequities. A foundational figure in the environmental justice movement, Vernice Miller-Travis, one of the key contributors to the landmark Toxic Wastes and Race in the United States report, described environmental justice as “the compromise to environmental racism.”
The term “environmental justice” allowed for a broad coalition-building approach, helping activists articulate both environmental and social harms in ways that resonated across diverse communities. This framing also facilitated the allocation of institutional resources from governments, universities, and philanthropy toward movement-building and policy advocacy. Over the following decades, principles of environmental justice were incorporated into US governmental policy, though protections remain inconsistent and full enforcement remains elusive.
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It would be an understatement to say that the future of environmental justice in the United States appears increasingly uncertain. In the past several weeks, the federal government has rolled back numerous climate initiatives and environmental protections, signaling a retreat from addressing environmental crises at the national level. In recent years, neoliberal policies, or policies that promote market-oriented governance, have weakened some social movements, including those advocating for environmental justice. As history shows, resilience and adaptation are key to sustaining environmental justice efforts. What strategies can the environmental justice movement adopt to survive and resist effectively?
A key challenge for the contemporary environmental justice movement is co-option, which occurs when actors who don’t have a genuine stake in the outcomes appropriate the language and ideas of the movement, diluting the power of environmental justice as a political struggle. As Robert D. Bullard writes, without a strong pro-democracy, anti-colonial, anti-racist, pro-labor, gender inclusive, political foundation, the language of the movement can be manipulated in ways that undermine solidarity. To counteract this, organizers must craft inclusive narratives that resonate across different communities while making explicit the solidarities required for meaningful political struggle. A “big-tent” approach isn’t just strategically sound—it has material consequences. Racist policy decisions often harm white communities as well as communities of color, creating opportunities for broad-based coalition-building.
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Scholar G. Eduardo Silva’s work on Latin American social movements provides useful insights here. He argues that even within neoliberal regimes, activists can and have “seized on neoliberalism’s promotion of liberty and tolerance to advance projects of resilience.” Environmental justice movements have historically done just that—leveraging political opportunities to push for better material conditions today, while simultaneously challenging power structures and envisioning alternative socio-economic models for the future. As Silva highlights, democratic regimes—despite their limitations—offer openings for intervention and change by providing some level of political pluralism, freedom of association, and tolerance for opposition. Perhaps, in this time of growing austerity, revisiting the priorities of the environmental justice movement will help ensure that organizing can continue and that those most impacted by environmental deregulation are able to survive.
History has shown that social justice movements don’t just endure; they evolve, resist, and push forward against the odds. Today’s environmental justice movement stands at a crossroads, facing immense political and economic pressures that demand the prioritization of the survival of front-line communities, leveraging every political and legal opportunity, and crafting narratives that unite, rather than divide, humanity . In the face of adversity, the environmental justice movement can be read as a blueprint for a better future. By drawing from historical lessons and embracing new strategies, it can continue to shape a world where environmental justice is not just an aspiration, but a reality.
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