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Environmental justice
Currently, the conception of the environmental justice comprises new dimensions that isn’t concerned with trees, birds, rivers, plants and animals only but it is also concerned with the people themselves concerning the places, where they live, learn and play. It is a conclusive conception for the environmental cases believing in the exchangeable dependence between the people and the natural, economical and cultural environment. The conception of environmental justice responds to the different types of discrimination that human groups face because of colour, gender, income or even the geographical area.
The agricultural, industrial, tourist and constructive projects that aren’t concerned with the necessity to achieve the environmental justice, practise discrimination activities against groups of individuals, who may suffer from toxic leftovers of the industrial pollutants. This conception pushes us to pay more attention to the laws and regulations that protect the environment from which some groups get benefits while the others couldn’t because of their poverty and ignorance. The tourist projects along seas beaches deprive the original inhabitants to enjoy with the sea that is a public property. Moreover, the conflict for the limited resources especially land and water deprives some groups to possess or control these resources.
The environmental justice is so connected with social justice and human rights. The inequality of the environmental rights comes as a result of the difference of the social and economical forces (who don’t enjoy with reasonable laws, face more injustice). If we examine the difference in power between the rich and the poor even in the local, national or international level, we will see that the rich countries consume the cheap resources presented by the poor ones. On the other hand, the poor communities become tombs for burying the dangerous leftovers of the polluted industries. There are many examples for the widespread environmental injustices as;
- The development burdens and fruits are distributed unfairly between people in different geographical areas that increase the gap between the human groups. In Egypt, the development sample is full of wide gaps between rural – urban areas, the Upper – Lower Egypt and man – woman.
- The agricultural modernization requires using the high technology in order to increase the income and improve the products quality. On the other hand, it is accompanied with decreasing labourers’ numbers that increasing the unemployment rates and creating social and economical problems.
- Legalization and laws that regulate the people relations but in many cases it harms some groups by discrimination between them because of any reason that is out the frame of rights and duties. Although the people have to be equal in front of the law, it is rarely achieved.
- According to the limited natural resources (land and water), the conflicts between the different forces are increased that divides the community to marginalized poor groups and staffed groups.
- Poverty is the most effective environmental and social injustice. Poverty is not a fate but it is a human creation produced by specific categories and consumed by other ones. The widespread and concentration of poverty may lead to humanistic, social and environmental catastrophes.
- The environmental protection requires sacrifices and comprises mechanisms as paying additional expenses. These sacrifices and burdens aren’t distributed fairly. Moreover, some groups may contribute in the environmental pollution while the other groups pay the bill for recovering it.
We, the governmental institutions and civil society organizations, have to be in solidarity to spread the environmental awareness, the conception of the environmental justice, rights and duties in addition to maintaining the environmental resources. We assert that both the civil society and the government are responsible for supporting and promoting the environmental rights in addition to guaranteeing the justice of resources’ distribution between the marginalized groups especially small-scale farmers, children, women, the disabled and the old people.