Social Justice Activism
Social Justice Activism
Social Justice Activism
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until it reaches the Romani village where there is very little water access or sewage
capacity.
The European Union is trying to strive towards
environmental justice by putting into effect
declarations that state that all people have a right to
a healthy environment. The Stockholm Declaration,
the 1987 Brundtland Commission's Report – "Our
Common Future", the Rio Declaration, and Article
37 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the
European Union, all are ways that the Europeans
have put acts in place to work toward environmental
justice. Europe also funds action-oriented projects that work on furthering
Environmental Justice throughout the world. For example, EJOLT (Environmental
Justice Organizations, Liabilities and Trade) is a large multinational project
supported through the FP7 Science in Society budget line from the European
[further explanation needed]
Commission. From March 2011 to March 2015, 23 civil society
organizations and universities from 20 countries in Europe, Africa, Latin-America, and
Asia are, and have promised to work together on advancing the cause of Environmental
Justice. EJOLT is building up case studies, linking organizations worldwide, and making
an interactive global map of Environmental Justice.
Sweden
Sweden became the first country to ban DDT in 1969 due to the efforts of women
protesting its usage in forests. In the 1980s, women activists organized around
preparing jam made from pesticide-tainted berries, which they offered to the members
of parliament. Parliament members refused, and this has often been cited as an
example of direct action within ecofeminism.
United Kingdom
Whilst the predominant agenda of the Environmental Justice movement in the United
States has been tackling issues of race, inequality, and the environment, environmental
justice campaigns around the world have developed and shifted in focus. For example,
the EJ movement in the United Kingdom is quite different. It focuses on issues of
poverty and the environment, but also tackles issues of health inequalities and social
exclusion. A UK-based NGO, named the Environmental Justice Foundation, has sought
to make a direct link between the need for environmental security and the defense of
basic human rights. They have launched several high profile campaigns that link
environmental problems and social injustices. A campaign against illegal, unreported
and unregulated (IUU) fishing highlighted how 'pirate' fisherman are stealing food from
local, artisanal fishing communities. They have also launched a campaign exposing the
environmental and human rights abuses involved in cotton production in Uzbekistan.
Cotton produced in Uzbekistan is often harvested by children for little or no pay. In
addition, the mismanagement of water resources for crop irrigation has led to the near
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