Promoting environmental equity

Description

Promoting environmental equity involves ensuring fair access to clean air, water, and natural resources for all communities, particularly those historically burdened by environmental hazards. This strategy prioritizes identifying and remedying disparities through targeted policy reforms, inclusive decision-making, and equitable distribution of environmental benefits and protections. Practical actions include enforcing anti-pollution regulations, supporting community-led initiatives, and allocating resources to mitigate environmental risks in vulnerable areas, thereby advancing health, justice, and sustainable development.

Context

The cooperation needed to build a sustainable world order will not come about as long as some groups of people take unfair advantage of others. Inequity often leads to social strife and armed conflict. Furthermore, the people at the bottom of the pyramid of exploitation are often forced by desperation to degrade the environment around them for day to day survival. The degradation of their territories not only makes life worse for them, it undermines the global systems which provide for those at the top of the pyramid as well as for those below.