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Introduction: Understanding Environmental Justice
“Environmental Justice” was coined in 1982 by Dr. Benjamin Chavis (Congressional Black Caucus
Foundation, Inc., 2022). The term Environmental Justice aims to ensure fair treatment and active
participation of all human beings regardless of their socioeconomic status, race, or other factors in the
decision-making processes that are related to federal and environmental activities. Furthermore, it
seeks to safeguard communities from unfair health and environmental risks. Lastly, it focuses on
providing equitable access to a healthy, sustainable environment for living, working, and learning, and
ensuring engagement in cultural practices (Environmental Justice | US EPA, 2024).
Distributive Justice is at the core of the early Environmental Justice (EJ) movement which
underscored the trend of placing the polluting industries and hazardous waste sites specifically at the
forefront of the vulnerable and marginalized communities who were economically disadvantaged and
were in the minority. Moreover, Distributive Justice also includes the fair allocation of environmental
impacts and benefits while understating complex causes of environmental injustices (Bachrach &
Zautra, 1985; Bullard, 2018).
Various environmental resources such as parks and trees have been observed to be less or
disproportionately absent in marginalized communities. This kind of disparity leads to historical
inequities with marginalized communities bearing the brunt of the past pollution legacies (Ulibarrí et
al., 2022). Hence, it calls for urgent action to address the systematic injustices and assure equitable
access to environmental amenities.
Causes of Environmental Injustices
Environmental Injustice is a result of a complex web of interconnected factors such as the failure to
acknowledge the presence of diverse identities and the needs of communities (Anguelovski, 2014).
Moreover, there has been a lack of consideration for the social contexts in which different kinds of
inequalities arise, unequal participation in decision-making (Kruize et al., 2014), and a lack of
advocacy for their rights and priorities to decision-makers (Anguelovski, 2014). These inequalities are
then exacerbated by stakeholders, including government bodies, community organizations, and private
firms whose competing interests add to existing inequalities and uneven resource allocation such as
access to clean and safe environments (Anguelovski, 2014).
Comparative Analysis of Cases: Barcelona, Spain and New York, United States of America
a) International Case Study: Case of Casc Antic, Barcelona, Spain

• During the 1990s, the citizens of Barcelona challenged the city’s urban redevelopment model
  which specifically focused on tourism, gentrification, and ineffective social structure. The
  tensions in the Casc Antic neighborhood escalated when a public-private partnership initiated
  the redevelopment of the region which resulted in the displacement of the localities and
  negligence in the waste management techniques. The residents of the neighborhood took the

path of being activists and protested the activities that affected their daily routine.
Furthermore, in response, the residents reclaimed abandoned spaces and transformed them
into community gardens, playgrounds, and sports fields. The residents faced resentment from
the government and initial resistance by the residents led to mutual agreement by the city and
agreeing to establish a permanent multi-use green space (Anguelovski, 2014). In 2007, the
green space was termed Pou de la Figuera (Casal De Barrio Pou De La Figuera, n.d.). The
case is an example of community resilience and activism, fostering environmental
sustainability and social cohesion in Casc Antic.
b) Domestic Case Study: Case of MillionTreesNYC, New York, United States of America – In the
year of 2007, New York City’s urban development was known for the presence of trees, with an
estimated five million trees on the streets and neighborhoods (De Blasio & Lloyd, 2014). In
certain parts of the neighborhoods, lack of trees, poor air quality, and the urban heat affected
vulnerable communities which led to the initiative of the MillionTressNYC (MTNYC) campaign
as a part of Mayor Bloomberg’s Plan for New York City which is PlaNYC. The initiative was
more than planting trees, MTNYC prioritized areas with the need for more greenery,
understanding the co-relation between poverty, communities of color, and environmental issues.
However, the official criteria did not account for income or race, the planners ensured that the
disadvantaged communities and neighborhoods were at the receiving end of planting efforts
(Debats et al., 2014).

• The Urban Forest Management of New York City along with the municipally led sustainability
  planning facilitated the scope for an initiative like the MTNYC campaign (Campbell, 2016).
  To enhance the resilience, equity, and health of New York City, the need to plant trees or
  restore them became a priority of the State Government (Stewart, 2023). The trees are
  considered important tools in addressing the issue of climate change and providing protection
  against extreme weather conditions by absorbing runoff and offering cooling effects in the
  marginalized neighborhoods of the city with low-income or people of race (Governor Hochul
  Announces Actions to Plant 25 Million Trees, Safeguard Clean Water and Protect Our Lakes,
  n.d.). Since January 1, 2023, significant progress has been made, according to NYC Parks
  about 1200 new streets have been planted in Manhattan with an aspiration to plant 800 more
  trees in the future (Stewart, 2023).
• The critics of the PlaNYC’s development process underscore the lack of transparency, with
  public input viewed as tokenistic (Campbell, 2016). Furthermore, the influence of the
  Department of Parks and Recreation on forestry goals along with the post-deliberation for
  public outreach has been criticized as prioritizing public relations over substantive
  engagement (Force & Forester, 2002). Alongside that initiatives like MillionTreesNYC have
  been considered as a strategic distraction from other plans like congestion pricing (Campbell,
  2016).
• There is still a need for more efforts to actively engage with the public as stakeholders in urban
  forestry and despite widespread calls for public engagement, the decision-making authority
  regarding urban forestry initiatives is yet to be determined and delegated to residents (Perkins,
  2009).
• The community engagement in urban forestry projects has been compared. In the case of
  MillionTreesNYC, the public is seen as a passive beneficiary along with the decision-making
  process based on achieving planting goals only. However, initiatives like New Haven’s Urban
  Resources Initiative prioritize the concept of community empowerment which involves
  residents in the decision-making process and using tree planting as a tool to engage and foster
  a sense of ownership within the community (Murphy-Dunning, n.d.). Ultimately, the MTNYC

failed to significantly give importance to the low-income communities of color and did
plantation in already well-covered areas. Moreover, the focus on parks showcased uneven
distribution and hindered efforts to achieve urban forest equity despite the commitment to
environmental justice (Garrison, 2017).
c) Similarities in the Challenges

• In both cases, the programs met with the challenges related to displacement and neglected urban
  development practices. The Case of Casc Antic in Barcelona observed displacement of
  individuals and poor waste management while MTNYC faced problems prioritizing planting
  trees in vulnerable communities which resulted in disparities in tree coverage.
• In addition to responding to the needs of the communities, both initiatives faced obstacles in
  achieving genuine community empowerment. In Barcelona, the resident’s involvement in the
  decision-making process was limited despite how residents reclaimed abandoned spaces.
  Similarly, MTNYC was criticized for the top-down approach and lack of engagement of local
  communities.
• The issue of environmental justice was evident in both cases as Barcelona’s Casc Antic
  neighborhood shed light on the equitable access to green spaces while MTNYC aimed to
  address disparities between affluent and marginalized neighborhoods in terms of tree
  coverage, consequently leading to ongoing environmental inequalities.
  The Way Forward: Recommendations
  a) The Edvantage Institute Australia (EIA) case study in the northern land of Australia offers a
  unique opportunity to integrate social, cultural, and biodiversity values into mitigation
  planning by utilizing spatial analysis and community engagement. Consequently, proactive
  measures can be executed to address environmental impacts. This kind of approach is a
  beacon of hope for empowering indigenous communities through informed decision-making
  that supports conservation efforts (Heiner et al., 2019). Implementing a similar framework
  globally with the support of educational institutions can enhance engagement between
  marginalized communities and the government.
  b) Establish an “Integrated Environmental and Cultural Impact Assessment Metric” IECIA to
  quantitively evaluate the effectiveness of mitigation strategies in incorporating different
  aspects of social, cultural, and biodiversity values and then based on the conclusion of the
  evaluation provide a checklist for making it a resiliency hub. Furthermore, the IECIA-Metric
  will assist in the community engagement levels alongside biodiversity conservation outcomes
  and cultural heritage preservation efforts which will ultimately provide a standardized
  framework for estimating the success. International Organizations like the United Nations
  Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) can take the lead in different
  continents and bring models of different countries and share them on a global level to
  understand the mistakes and success of metrics.
  c) Based on the IECIA metric system, during the reporting phase, engaging local communities,
  including Indigenous groups is an important part of an inclusive assessment while leveraging
  traditional knowledge. National governments should consider prioritizing biodiversity and
  cultural heritage conservation through policies and International Organizations like the United
  Nations Environmental Program can aid with technical expertise and financial support to
  ensure strategic administration and collaboration among stakeholders leading to an informed
  decision-making process. Hence, initiatives like MTNYC and Cacs Antic thus way can be
  improved to ensure Environmental Justice.

References

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