Environmental justice differentiates itself from the general term of environmentalism in that it fights for environment equality for people of minority races and low socio-economic status. While the environmental justice movement began in the 1960’s in the US parallel to the civil rights movement, it attracted enormous attention in the 1990’s due to Robert Bullard’s book “Dumping In Dixie” which highlighted evidence of discrimination in locations chosen for toxic waste dumps in the US (Carder, E. n.d). Today with the globalization of multi-national corporations and foreign direct investment (FDI), it has evolved into a world issue of unequal environmental damage between developed and undeveloped nations. Moral questions are being raised concerning
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Just as multinational corporations have exploited more favorable tax laws in other countries, they are now replicating this practice with finding the most advantageous countries for environmental waste and detrimental use.
Most often, the lowest restrictions on harmful environmental processes are found in developing countries as they keep their laws relaxed to encourage foreign direct investment (FDI) to improve the economy (de Oliveira Finger, M. & Bortoncello Zorzi, F. 2013). A perpetuating cycle of environmental damage and injustice to minority races and poverty stricken areas ensues as people that can afford to move away from polluted areas do, house prices fall, and poorer people move into these areas.
Although technically legal in many circumstances, companies that distribute environmental pollution in developing countries are not abiding by ethics of business in a stake-holder foccussed manner concerning the impact to all of society (Gruble, C. 2011) In addition to denying their corporate social responsibility in developing countries, multinational corporations are denying equal human rights to citizens in poverty and minority …show more content…
Many countries around the world continue to ignore the issue such as France who have not added environmental justice it to it’s national agenda. (de Oliveira Finger, M. & Bortoncello Zorzi, F. 2013). Finding a global balanced solution to the injustice of environmental pollution depends on the member states of the United Nations to lead the way. Member states need to agree and sign up to a convention on equitable environmental practices across the world, including the prohibition of FDI on projects that compromise environmental injustice.
Moreover, before a cohesive legislation is passed around the world, companies engaging in the practice of unfair environmental pollution need to address this from an ethical perspective. If morally right decisions were made, as opposed to finding legal loopholes around the world, this practice would halt much sooner than the law takes to catch up to protect disadvantaged
Just as multinational corporations have exploited more favorable tax laws in other countries, they are now replicating this practice with finding the most advantageous countries for environmental waste and detrimental use.
Most often, the lowest restrictions on harmful environmental processes are found in developing countries as they keep their laws relaxed to encourage foreign direct investment (FDI) to improve the economy (de Oliveira Finger, M. & Bortoncello Zorzi, F. 2013). A perpetuating cycle of environmental damage and injustice to minority races and poverty stricken areas ensues as people that can afford to move away from polluted areas do, house prices fall, and poorer people move into these areas.
Although technically legal in many circumstances, companies that distribute environmental pollution in developing countries are not abiding by ethics of business in a stake-holder foccussed manner concerning the impact to all of society (Gruble, C. 2011) In addition to denying their corporate social responsibility in developing countries, multinational corporations are denying equal human rights to citizens in poverty and minority …show more content…
Many countries around the world continue to ignore the issue such as France who have not added environmental justice it to it’s national agenda. (de Oliveira Finger, M. & Bortoncello Zorzi, F. 2013). Finding a global balanced solution to the injustice of environmental pollution depends on the member states of the United Nations to lead the way. Member states need to agree and sign up to a convention on equitable environmental practices across the world, including the prohibition of FDI on projects that compromise environmental injustice.
Moreover, before a cohesive legislation is passed around the world, companies engaging in the practice of unfair environmental pollution need to address this from an ethical perspective. If morally right decisions were made, as opposed to finding legal loopholes around the world, this practice would halt much sooner than the law takes to catch up to protect disadvantaged