This thesis represents an analysis of the concept of environmental justice with the aim of identifying possible legal remedies. The thesis does so through an analysis of the history of environmental justice as well as an analysis of the theories behind environmental justice. The thesis analyses the concordance between environmental justice and existing principles of environmental law and policy, while also analysing environmental justice in a UK as well as a European and international context. From the outset, environmental justice deals with the negative effects that environmental decisions have on certain minority populations. In the US, the concept emerged as a response to what was perceived as discriminate targeting of African-American communities through the siting of environmental harms. In the UK, where environmental justice is emerging on policy and grassroots level, environmental justice has been given an entirely different connotation relying on social justice arguments and concerns for low-income groups. The thesis sets out to establish and uncover the specific meaning of environmental justice and its implications in a UK context. The thesis argues that environmental justice is as much a problem in the UK as elsewhere. Despite empirical shortfalls of some of the work that environmental justice advocates rely upon, environmental justice is a real issue. In light of this, the thesis argues in favour of the specific utilisation and application of human rights norms as well as an improved framework of corporate social responsibility in the attempt to address environmental injustices. Such legal approaches can be utilised alongside established tools of public participation and access to environmental information in order to secure an aim of environmental justice.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:499708 |
| Date | January 2009 |
| Creators | Pedersen, Ole W. |
| Publisher | University of Aberdeen |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://digitool.abdn.ac.uk:80/webclient/DeliveryManager?pid=25798 |
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