Defining Environmental Justice
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Provided by: EarthEcho International|Published on: January 9, 2025
Lesson PlansScientist Reviewed
9101112AP
Scientist Reviewed This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- In this lesson, students will explore case studies of environmental injustice, use the Environmental Justice Screening and Mapping Tool to find injustice in their communities, and listen to stories of victims and activists fighting for environmental justice.
- Students will read and listen to stories about the toxic pollution in Louisiana's Cancer Alley, criminal disposal of toxic pollutants in The City of Vernon in Southern California, and lead poisoning in Flint, Michigan.
Subjects: Civics, Health
Authors: EarthEcho International, López-Wagner Strategies
Region: California, Louisiana, Mid Michigan
Languages: English
Teaching Materials
Positives
- Students will be moved by the personal accounts of victims in the sacrifice zones and inspired by their commitment to justice.
- By constructing their own definition, students will cement their understanding of the term environmental justice.
Prerequisites
- The link to Dr. Bob Bullard's profile and some of the reference links are broken.
- Students should understand the history and current prevalence of institutionalized racism.
Differentiation & Implementation
- After completing this lesson, students can look into the ways institutionalized racism and other social injustices are intertwined with climate change impacts, such as access to cooling stations during increasingly common extreme heat events.
- Before students use the tool to look at injustice in their communities, teachers may want to show them what the communities in the case studies look like on the map.
- If classes are short on time, teachers can split students into three groups to review each of the case studies, then report back to their classmates using the jigsaw method.
- To learn more about the environmental justice implications of redlining, students can use this Tree Equity Lesson.
This lesson plan is a comprehensive introduction to environmental justice. Students will learn what it is and why it is important, examine environmental justice issues nationwide, and look at the environment in their own area. The lesson focuses on pollution, hazardous waste, environmental racism, and equity. It also provides resources for students to learn more, and examine different relevant data. The information presented is accurate and this resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
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Resource Type and Format
About the Partner Provider
EarthEcho International
EarthEcho International envisions a world where every individual has the opportunity and tools to create a healthy and thriving environment. To that end, their mission is to build a global youth movement to protect and restore our ocean planet. Their Academy is a new virtual learning space developed to provide online courses for teacher professional learning with access to fully remote, asynchronous environmental education modules for students.
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
