Environmental justice refers to the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people, no matter their race, ethnicity, income, or background, in environmental protection and access to a healthy environment (Skelton, 2023). In theory, this means that everyone should have equal protection from environmental harm and equal access to decision making. However, many communities, especially low-income groups and people of color, do not experience this level of fairness or inclusion.
Systemic environmental injustice continues to disproportionately impact low-income communities and people of color, influencing key aspects of daily life such as housing, education and healthcare. This reflects deeper problems within the way our systems are structured. Political and economic systems are set in ways that continue to place environmental hazards, like industrial sites or polluted areas, near marginalized communities.
Deforestation is the transformation of forested land into non-forested land use for purposes such as agriculture, grazing, or urban development (Chakravarty, 2012). It is a significant concern in tropical areas, where it reduces biodiversity and contributes to the intensification of the greenhouse effect. Most deforestation between 1990 and 2010 occurred not in tropical rainforests, but in lesser-known tropical dry and seasonal forests.
Zooming in on the U.S., the magnitude of forest loss between 1990 and 2000 is staggering. The country lost approximately 90,400 km² of forest cover, an area roughly the size of Maine, which represents a 2.96% decrease (Yang & Mountrakis, 2017). Researchers examined not just how much forest was lost, but how it was arranged across the land. The concept of Forest Attrition Distance (FAD), showed that in 1992, the average distance between forest patches was 3,674 meters, which increased by 514 meters by 2001. This 14% increase in distance reveals more isolated tree coverage, making the landscape more fragmented.
Environmental injustice is predominantly found in historically underserved communities that are disproportionately burdened by environmental hazards. In these communities, environmental health risks are more frequently concentrated in areas of poverty and communities of color. Without access to systemic reform or equitable resources, these communities will continue to face the greatest environmental risks, reinforcing cycles of injustice.